It has been a challenging year for Korea’s foreign and security policy. The war in Ukraine continued to drag on. A new war broke out in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, and North Korea’s development of, and threats to use, nuclear weapons continued to aggravate. Each of these events was related to each other and posed serious challenges for Korea. The Korean government responded with bold and timely responses throughout the year.
Concerning security challenges, President Yoon Suk Yeol took full advantage of April’s state visit to the U.S. to further strengthen the security ties with the U.S. In August, he visited Camp David for a trilateral summit with President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida, where the three leaders opened a new chapter in the relations among the three countries.
During the April visit to the U.S., Presidents Yoon and Biden issued the Washington Declaration, through which they agreed to launch the Nuclear Consultation Group (NCG) between the two countries. The reason why South Korean citizens had not been sufficiently assured by the U.S.' extended deterrence was because it was perceived as a one-way offer from the U.S., which Korea did not have any say in. The Washington Declaration made it clear that it........