In Foreign Policy, Dr. Lami Kim evaluates the foreign policy legacy of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in her article, “Yoon’s Disappointing Foreign-Policy Legacy.” Yoon, who was impeached and removed from office by the Constitutional Court on April 4, had pledged to transform South Korea into a “global pivotal state.”

While his Indo-Pacific strategy aligned closely with U.S. regional objectives, it lacked concrete measures to achieve its stated goals, such as maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait and ensuring freedom of navigation. As Kim notes, “the strategy appeared more aspirational than strategic.”

Yoon’s efforts to strengthen ties with Japan, though strategically important, faced significant domestic resistance, raising doubts about their long-term viability. Although he expanded South Korea’s global footprint by attending a NATO summit, providing aid to Ukraine, and increasing development assistance, his administration’s response to key security challenges was often cautious and inconsistent.

In particular, his weak stance on China’s aggression in the South China Sea—especially when contrasted with Japan’s more proactive military and diplomatic efforts—cast doubt on Seoul’s commitment to regional stability.

Moreover, while the administration rhetorically endorsed universal values such as freedom, human rights and the rule of law, it repeatedly avoided taking definitive positions when doing so incurred political costs.

Taken together, these shortcomings rendered Yoon’s “global pivotal state” vision largely rhetorical and lacking in substantive achievement.

Read the full article: https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/04/04/south-korea-yoon-impeachment-constitutional-court-ruling/

Lami Kim is a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, a U.S. Defense Department institute based in Hawaii. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of DKI APCSS, the U.S. Defense Department or the U.S. government.