But Washington under Trump is nothing if not unpredictable. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back a visit because of Seoul’s political uncertainty.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Energy recently designated South Korea as a “sensitive country,” a label typically reserved for nations viewed as a threat to national security or nuclear nonproliferation. Nuclear states like India and Russia are on the list, but so are North Korea and Iran. The decision was reportedly made before President Joe Biden left office in January, but Seoul’s addition will no doubt complicate a delicate relationship.
POWER CONCENTRATED IN THE PRESIDENCY
The man most likely to be the next president is only compounding the problems. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has made positive noises recently about the Washington-Seoul alliance, saying it should remain the “rock foundation” of national security.
But past rhetoric has been less encouraging. He’s supported protests against Japan, and has talked up building ties with Beijing.
Before South Korea can fix its international picture, it needs to manage this internal turmoil.
Power is highly concentrated in the presidency – adopting a parliamentary or semi-presidential system could help to distribute it more evenly between the executive and legislative branches and provide a strong check on authoritarian tendencies. Delegating more responsibility to local governments would also reduce the centralisation of power.
As political systems around the world have shown, democracy is hard work. It requires persistent effort. South Korea’s is worth protecting.
