Moon Jae-in Government’s Management Strategy for the South Korea-China Relations: Focused on the Nation’s Measures for Early Resolution of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Issues

Abstract

The recent security landscape of Northeast Asia surrounding the North Korean issues has been swerving to a great degree. The continuing North Korean nuclear and missile tests are heightening the security crisis on the Korean Peninsula, and the conflict has been amplified among the three nations, South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, which need to cooperate with one another in solving the North Korean problem. Launched in May, the Moon Jae-in government faces a crucial task of overcoming the THAAD issue, the center of the current conflict among the three countries, and making up the aggravated South Korea-China relations to become a constructive cooperative one. This paper reviews the public policy pursued by the Moon Jae-in government since its inauguration, in particular, the limitations of the THAAD diplomacy to propose a complementary plan for them. The paper proceeds with the aim of suggesting the managing direction of South Korea-China relations in the mid- to long-term aspects. In order to overcome the THAAD issue early, this paper focuses on three categories: 1. selecting prudent diplomatic strategy cards; 2. resolving strategic ambiguities and establishing a three-way dialogue channel among South Korea, the U.S., and China; and 3. establishing a sophisticated foreign strategy to raise situational responsiveness. In an attempt to improve the Seoul-Beijing relations, it is necessary to concert the THAAD issue in a stable manner, and then multilateral efforts to build constructive and sustainable relations with China should be made through the medium of: 1. diplomacy of saving the face of China; 2. diplomacy by dispatching special envoys; and 3. diplomacy of cultural and social human exchange.