2025 Lee Jae-myung Candidate Presidential Commitment Book In-depth Analysis - Diplomacy and Security

2025 Presidential Election and Candidate Lee Jae-myung's Promises

The candidate Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea has launched a new pledge book titled 'From Now On, a Real Republic of Korea' for the 21st presidential election scheduled for June 3, 2025. This pledge book is structured around three main keywords: recovery, growth, and happiness. It includes 15 policy initiatives and 247 detailed pledges aimed at restoring democracy, achieving economic leaps, and enhancing the happiness of the people's lives. Notably, the candidate presents a vision of five strong nations, including a strong economic country, a strong diplomatic and security country, a strong cultural country, a strong democratic country, and a strong welfare country, vividly depicting the future of the Republic of Korea.

Foreign Affairs and Security Commitments: Practical Diplomacy Centered on National Interest and Peace on the Korean Peninsula

Candidate Lee Jae-myung has set the foundation of 'national interest-oriented practical diplomacy' in the areas of foreign affairs and security. He evaluated the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's 'value alliance diplomacy' as being excessively biased toward the United States and Japan, and expressed his intention to pursue a more balanced diplomacy through the restoration of relationships with neighboring countries. In terms of inter-Korean relations, he emphasized prioritizing the resumption of the peace process and the easing of tensions, stating that he would establish security strategies through dialogue and cooperation rather than confrontation. Overall, Candidate Lee aims to maintain alliance relationships while striving to become a strong diplomatic and security nation through independent diplomacy and inclusive security policies.

Key Promises and Means

Candidate Lee Jae-myung stated that as a way to improve foreign relations, he aims to normalize and restore strategic cooperation with the increasingly distant China and Russia. He expresses the intention to maximize national interests through pragmatic diplomacy amid the US-China hegemonic competition. The approach does not dichotomize the South Korea-US alliance and relations with China, but rather aims for diversified diplomacy. Regarding South Korea-Japan relations, he seeks to strengthen economic, security, and people-to-people exchanges while resolving historical issues by adhering to principles. In terms of North Korea policy, he emphasizes building trust in stages rather than unconditional dialogue and promises measures for easing tensions.

Feasibility

The feasibility of candidate Lee Jae-myung's foreign and security policy pledges greatly depends on the reactions of the counterpart countries and the international environment. Improving relations with China and Russia requires coordination with the United States, and the resumption of dialogue with North Korea faces difficulties due to the deadlock in U.S.-North Korea relations. However, tasks such as the restoration of communication lines between the two Koreas or adherence to military agreements appear to be highly feasible if there is political will from both sides. The return of operational control has already been agreed upon between the two countries, but the process of implementation will significantly involve consultations with the United States. Therefore, candidate Lee's pragmatic diplomatic approach is realistic due to its connection to domestic economic factors, but long-term time and negotiations are essential.

Differentiating Factors from Other Candidates

The foreign and security policy proposition of candidate Lee Jae-myung shows significant differences from those of candidates from the conservative camp. His diplomatic strategy emphasizes balanced diplomacy, whereas conservative candidates adopt an alliance-centric approach under the principle of 'priority for the South Korea-U.S. alliance.' Candidate Kim Moon-soo advocates for strong security cooperation and stringent sanctions against North Korea, continuing the existing policies of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. In terms of North Korea policy, while candidate Lee advocates for a phased approach, candidate Kim presents a contrasting stance by demanding denuclearization measures as a prerequisite.