“I think Ball is in Kim’s court. It’s his choice to start a dialogue with us,” Yun said in his first media interview since taking office two weeks ago.
Yun said from his new presidential palace in Seoul’s old defense building that CNN South Korea and its allies are ready for the invasion of North Korea.
“Temporarily escaping North Korea’s provocations and conflicts is not something we should do,” he said, pointing out the reconciliation strategy of the previous free administration. “This kind of approach over the last five years has proven to be a failure.”
Despite that stance, Yun said on Monday that he did not want North Korea to “collapse.”
“What I want is a shared common prosperity on the Korean Peninsula,” he said. [North Korea’s] Nuclear capabilities help and promote international peace. “
United States, China, Quad
So far, that hasn’t happened.
However, Yun said the two men found something in common and showed CNN the gift he received from Biden. Quotes are often associated with former US President Harry S. Truman. “I don’t know how (Bidden) knew he liked this statement,” Yun said in the middle of his desk.
Through the campaign, Yun emphasized the importance of a close security alliance between South Korea and the United States. The President of the United States praised their relationship as reaching “new heights.”
On Monday, Yun defended the move as purely defensive. Regular military training is “a basic duty for all troops around the world to stay ready,” he said.
He added that in the event of an attack, the United States would provide support, including missile defense and its “nuclear umbrella,” a promise of protection from nuclear-armed nations to non-nuclear allies.
But he said, “Tactical nuclear weapons [Korean] Peninsula. “
However, South Korea could see partnerships with the United States and players in other regions expanding in other ways.
He also said that South Korea has vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies. But he couldn’t say that the South would seek official quad membership, he said, “continuing to consider.”
For many years South Korea While trying to balance the expansion of economic relations between the United States and China, relations between Seoul and Beijing have been tense in recent years.
Throughout the campaign, Yun portrayed China as an economic rival in a cooler tone than his predecessor.
Yun dispelled the threat of economic retaliation when asked about the risks of building Beijing’s anger by building a close relationship with the United States.
“Strengthening our alliance with the United States in terms of security and technology does not mean that economic cooperation with China is not important,” he said. He added that South Korea and China depend on mutual cooperation. “Therefore, I believe it is unreasonable for China to be overly sensitive to this issue.”
Source: www.cnn.com
