Continuity and change in Yoon Suk Yeol’s positioning of South Korea as a strong, proactive, and global middle power

Abstract South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has stressed marked change with his predecessor in launching the nation as a strong, proactive, and globally oriented middle power. By way of testing four core assumptions on progressives and conservatives’ policy proclivities, this article evaluates these (asserted) changes in South Korea’s foreign security policy. It finds a sharp change in Seoul’s policy toward the North’s nuclear and missile program but continuity with the Moon administration in strengthening South Korea’s force structure. Fearing potential American abandonment, the Yoon administration has further sought deeper integration with American forces on the Peninsula. Yoon breaking with China is a big policy shift, as is his taking incremental steps toward the tripartite alliance with the USA and Japan that is much-dreaded by Beijing. South Korea establishing ties with European countries and NATO on the other side of the world is also significant.