[Column] Striking a balance between alliance and interests

When Korea and the ally overcome this turbulent era through cooperation and coordination, the two countries will feel rewarded for sharing their blood seven decades ago.

Jeong Yong-sooThe author is an editorial writer and the head of the Unification and Culture Research Institute of the JoongAng Ilbo.

“Yesterday was a distant time, today was an unfamiliar time and tomorrow was a time of fearful upheaval,” said the heroine of the 2019 TV show, “Mr. Sunshine.” The line appeared when Ko Ae-shin — a lady from an aristocratic family who had been secretly reading a newsletter in the early 1990s in the Joseon Dynasty — was describing the period in her monolog.

The newsletter was filled with the volatile situations at the time when the superpowers such as the United States, Japan and Russia were in fierce competition over Korea. It was a time of upheaval, when the fate of Korea could not be predicted. She could have lived a comfortable life of enjoying embroidering and painting, but she decided to become a sniper for the civilian militia, saying, “I will live like a flame.”

The Korean Peninsula despite being in the middle of a peril became a country of miracles, as seen in its elevation to the world’s 10th largest economy. But the latest developments around the peninsula remind us of the country a century ago. Changes are so fast that it feels like yesterday was far distant. Whether it is our will or not, today feels unfamiliar and we are afraid of what will happen tomorrow.

Let’s just look back on what happened during the past month. It was revealed that the United States had wiretapped and eavesdropped on Korea. America excluded Korean cars from subsidies for electronic vehicles. According to a Reuters report, the United States has asked Korea to urge its chipmakers not to fill any market gap in China if Beijing bans U.S. memory chipmaker Micron from selling chips to China.

We expected that if we fill half of an empty glass first, Japan will fill up the rest. But how is it proceeding? Although President Yoon Suk Yeol had approached Tokyo favorably despite some oppositions in Korea, Japan is still lukewarm. Instead, Tokyo included the statement in textbooks that Dokdo is Japan’s territory, and it still kept Korea out of its so-called white list of countries with preferential trade screening. Japan’s discharge of contaminated waters from the Fukushima nuclear plant will likely become a hot potato between the two neighbors.

Russia, which started the invasion of Ukraine, is wary of Korea’s aid to Ukraine and issues diplomatic threats. China, in a fierce confrontation against the U.S., went further by threatening, “Anyone who plays with fire [over the Taiwan issue] will be burned to death.” There is no need to even talk about North Korea, which issues nuclear and missile threats routinely. Fortunately, military cooperation among Korea, Japan and the United States is working well. Ironically, heightened threats by North Korea have created a clear intersection.

The good news is that President Yoon on a state visit to the U.S. will likely bring successful outcomes in security and economy. Expectations are high that Washington will give a written confirmation of its nuclear umbrella over Korea to ensure that if the North uses nuclear weapons against the South, the U.S. will retaliate against the North with its nuclear weapons. Although being conditional, Korean chipmakers could upgrade their semiconductor factories in China, which had been halted by the U.S.

During his visit, Yoon will have a summit with President Joe Biden and deliver a speech at a joint session of the Congress. Yoon will also receive a briefing by U.S. military leadership. There are also more events of heartwarming hospitalities offered by the U.S.

Yoon’s visit will solidify Korea’s position to seek support from the United States and create a stepping stone to resolve many pending issues. For Korea, which is surrounded by superpowers, maintaining the alliance and strengthening cooperation with Uncle Sam is a necessity, not an option.

But we must not forget that the U.S. will send an invoice later. Nothing is free of charge. We need to prepare for the possibility that the U.S. will ask Korea to expand its role in the Ukraine War or brace for a situation in which that Korea will be pressured harder to choose a side between America and China. We may also face more pressures to make difficult decisions on contentious issues at home and abroad.

A rock-solid alliance should be based on coordination and cooperation. Alliance itself cannot be the goal. When Korea and the ally overcome this turbulent era through cooperation and coordination and become co-planners for the next 100 years, the two countries will feel rewarded for sharing their blood seven decades ago.