[INTERVIEW] Swedish envoy points to 'sea change' in security policy

The fate of Ukraine is existential for Europe, said a top Swedish envoy in Seoul. “I don’t want to speculate how the war in Ukraine will end, but for us, it’s existential that Ukraine wins the war,” said Daniel Wolven, Swedish ambassador to Korea...

Daniel Wolven, Swedish ambassador to Korea, speaks with the JoongAng Ilbo at his diplomatic residence in Seoul recently. [PARK JONG-KEUN]

The fate of Ukraine is existential for Europe, said a top Swedish envoy in Seoul.

“I don’t want to speculate how the war in Ukraine will end, but for us, it’s existential that Ukraine wins the war,” said Daniel Wolven, Swedish ambassador to Korea.

The Russian decision to invade Ukraine last year has changed Europe's entire security dynamic, he said, prompting even neutral countries like Sweden to recalibrate its security outlook and join the continental security alliance with the United States.

The Nordic country dropped the policy of neutrality it had maintained through major conflicts, including even both World Wars, and made a bid to join NATO last year, alongside its neighbor, Finland.

The Swedish bid to join was contested by Turkey, a long-time member of the alliance, for over a year. However, the Swedes saw a breakthrough last month.

“This has been a result of a year’s worth of hard work and very close cooperation between Sweden and Turkey,” said Wolven, referring to a trilateral agreement between Sweden, Finland and Turkey to strengthen cooperation on antiterrorism.

This includes cooperation against the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which the Turkish government, the United States and European Union have designated a terrorist organization.

Once part of NATO, Sweden hopes to pitch in more to regional security apparatuses with its high-tech military industry.

To hear more about how public opinion has changed drastically in Sweden following the Russian aggression, and where the Nordic country’s high-tech military industry is looking to invest not only within Europe but in Asia, the JoongAng Ilbo sat down with the envoy recently at his residence in Seoul. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Q. The Swedish bid to join NATO came as a surprise for many in Korea because its foreign policy decisions had rarely veered from its principles of neutrality. How did Sweden reach this decision?A.This is a sea change in Swedish security policy. We were a neutral country for 200 years. During the Cold War, Sweden spent large amounts of our GDP on defense, but the hope was that, after, 1989, Russia would choose a different direction. The analysis at the Swedish government at the time of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was that this invasion has created a structurally worsened security situation for Europe, not just for the present but for the long term. Sweden concluded that its national security interests are best served as a member of NATO.

How was the agreement with Turkey reached? Already at the NATO summit in Madrid, there was a trilateral memorandum signed between Sweden, Finland and Turkey, where we committed to step up our cooperation with Turkey on antiterrorism work. Afterwards, we have changed our antiterrorism laws, amended our constitution, and significantly expanded counterterrorism cooperation against the PKK. This has been a result of a year’s worth of hard work and very close cooperation between Sweden and Turkey.

Where is Sweden looking to pitch in particularly to regional security as a member of NATO? One of our main tasks will be to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea area, and what we call the High North, an area that is of military-strategic importance, not just to NATO, but also to Russia.

We are also looking to cooperate more closely with Korea, as it is quite active in cooperation with NATO on cyber security. Sweden and Korea are two of the world’s most technically advanced and innovative countries. In today’s geopolitical situation, Sweden and Korea are increasingly seeing each other as partners in intersecting areas of technology, innovation and security.

Any specific agenda or projects with Korea on high-tech lately? Sweden is home to Northvolt, one of Europe’s biggest producers of batteries and electric vehicles. The supply chains at Northvolt would not work without Korean companies. One Korean company, Dongjin Semichem has just announced an opening of a factory in northern Sweden to supply to Northvolt.

There’s also cooperation on nuclear energy. Korea is one of the few countries in the world that can actually build and produce nuclear plants. It's natural that we turn to those countries that have that expertise. It is very gratifying to see that at the moment we have two governments both heavily invested in nuclear energy.

Korea is also investing heavily in space. It had the successful launch of the Nuri rocket on May 25. In Sweden, we have the Esrange Space Center, the only space on the European landmass that can send up rockets and satellites into orbit. The center wants to put small satellites into space, and in order to do so, we will need to increase cooperation with Korea and Korean companies, which have expertise in this area.

The Swedish participation in the 1950-53 Korean War was commemorated with some 20 other participating nations in Busan last month as the country remembered the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the war. How do Swedes remember this milestone? Over 1,000 Swedish doctors and nurses came to the aid of South Korea during the war. The fact that there were so many Swedes who were willing to participate and help, even when many of them did not know much about Korea at the time, is remarkable.

The relevance of what happened during the Korean War is still important for today's world. We see the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and the importance in upholding the international rules-based order. Many like-minded democracies, including South Korea, have come to Ukraine's help, for which many in Europe are very grateful for. We hope that with the support that is given to Ukraine, Ukraine will be able to reclaim the territory that's lawfully theirs.

Sweden still maintains its embassy in Pyongyang. Will the country step into a role of an intermediator in the recent case of the American defector to North Korea? Sweden does play the role as a protecting power of the United States in North Korea, but on the issue of Travis King, I will have to refer [any comments] to the U.S. authorities.

When will Swedish diplomats be able to return to Pyongyang? We are keen to have our diplomats return as soon as possible. Our role as a facilitator on dialogue [with North Korea] is something we are keen to continue. We are here for the long term on the Korean Peninsula, a commitment we’ve had for the past 70 years, including through our participation in the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission. Like every Korean who lives here, I also feel the day-to-day tensions with provocations from North Korea. They need to dismantle their nuclear weapons and missiles programs in accordance with [United Nations] Security Council resolutions. We need complete, irreversible and verifiable denuclearization of North Korea.

BY CHOI IK-JAE,ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]