South Korean President Lee Jae-myung rejected what he called “submissive” diplomacy, stressing that national interests must take precedence even as his country maintains its crucial alliance with the US.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee said South Korea must pursue pragmatic diplomacy while protecting its dignity, Yonhap News Agency reported.
“Diplomacy should be pursued in a way that always upholds South Korea's dignity and safeguards its national interests,” Lee said, rejecting any “submissive or kowtowing stance.”
“The guiding principle of South Korea's diplomacy is pragmatism. The most important thing for South Korea is its national interests,” he added.
Lee described the alliance with the US as “very important” and the cornerstone of South Korea’s foreign policy.
Differences among allies ‘inevitable’
However, he acknowledged that disagreements between allies were inevitable and should be addressed through continued dialogue and coordination.
“Differences should be continuously debated, raised and coordinated,” he said, calling for disagreements to be kept at a manageable level.
His remarks came amid friction over Washington's restrictions on sharing intelligence about North Korean nuclear facilities.
The dispute followed Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's public identification of Kusong as a suspected uranium enrichment site. Washington reportedly considered the disclosure sensitive, while Seoul maintained that the information was publicly available.
South Korean intelligence officials have insisted that broader security cooperation remains intact.
