The Republic of Korea (ROK) government led by Lee Jae Myung is moving away from a value-centered diplomacy grounded in a strong alliance with the U.S. toward a more pragmatic China policy based on national interests, which is a welcome change, a ROK professor said.
Lee concluded his first four-day state visit to China on Wednesday after taking office in June 2025, signaling a renewed effort to deepen ties between the ROK and China as the two sides signed a series of cooperation agreements reflecting mutual interests in strengthening economic and diplomatic relations.
Moon Chung In, a professor of Yonsei University and former special advisor to the ROK president for unification, security and foreign affairs, said the incumbent ROK administration is betting on pragmatic diplomacy to navigate the storm of a volatile geopolitical landscape.
"President Lee Jae Myung has been championing pragmatic in our diplomacy based on national interest, not on value. He rejects the whole 'Manichean' [view of a] dualism of good and evil in doing foreign policy. And also he emphasized the importance of seeking truth from facts. China is near and powerful and very prosperous. Therefore, we have to maintain very good relations with China," he said.
Moon believes Lee's pragmatic diplomacy will guide his administration to manage relations with neighboring countries from a practical, national interests-based perspective.
"He has been pursuing the policy of strategic empathy. He always wanted to put himself in other's shoes so that we can have a better understanding, so that we can avoid misunderstanding while building trust with each other. I think that is the kind of approach he has undertaken since his inauguration. Therefore, from his pragmatic diplomacy point of view, China is a very, very important partner for South Korea," he said.
Lee seeks to brand himself and his administration as centrist and pragmatic, representing a significant departure from former ROK President Yoon Suk Yeol's value-based diplomacy.
"I would say there's a kind of paradigm shift in our foreign policy, getting away from the blind obsession with value while pursuing the maximization of national interest through mutual respect. That is one of the fundamental changes in foreign policy of South Korea. Therefore, in this sense, Lee Jae Myung's foreign policy is very well taken," Moon said.
ROK shifts away from value-based diplomacy toward pragmatic China policy: professor
