South Korea’s Multilateral Strategy under Trump 2.0: With Prof Lee Shin-wha

EAI's Head of Korea Centre Dr Lam Peng Er speaks to Prof Lee Shin-wha, EAI Visiting Fellow and Professor of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Korea University, in this episode of East Asia Pulse. 
 
They discuss how South Korea’s multilateral strategy could evolve amid the unilateral and transactional nature under the Trump 2.0 administration. They also weigh in on South Korea’s ability to pursue a successful multilateral strategy abroad given its ongoing domestic political crisis and leadership vacuum after President Yoon’s botched martial law declaration. 
 
Highlights: 
 
-4:20 How the practice of multilateralism in East Asia differs from the international context 
-7:08 The outlook for multilateralism amid US-China competition 
-9:49 South Korea’s position as a quintessential middle power, and how South Korea can balance its multilateral strategy with ongoing US-China rivalry 
-24:57 The outlook for trilateral cooperation amongst South Korea, Japan and China 
-27:42 South Korea’s potential inclusion into the G7 and what it could offer to the multilateral grouping 
-31:20 South Korea’s ability to pursue a successful multilateral strategy abroad amid the ongoing domestic political crisis 
-34:40 The value of multilateral frameworks for informal bilateral dialogue between North and South Korea 

This episode was recorded on 21 February, 2025.

East Asia Pulse is a podcast produced by the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS). It provides in-depth analyses of political, economic and strategic trends in East Asia.

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