State affairs that had been at a standstill due to martial law and impeachment are quickly recovering with President Lee Jae-myung's inauguration. The new government is putting all its efforts into ‘setting state affairs straight’ to the point that even the presidential office staff collapsed from overwork during a cabinet meeting. It has been barely two weeks since its inauguration. From domestic affairs to summit diplomacy, it is proceeding breathlessly.
The foreign policy of the Lee Jae-myung government is “pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests.” The security policy is “winning without fighting.” President Lee made his first phone call with the leaders of major interested parties, led by the United States. Then, he jumped into multilateral summit diplomacy while the diplomatic and security personnel were not even finalized.
He attended the G7 Plus Summit in Canada (15th-17th) and is reportedly carefully considering attending the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Summit in the Netherlands. The background is that there is no reason to avoid economic and security multilateral diplomacy that is helpful to the national interest due to internal affairs.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the division and the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. In his message on the 25th anniversary of the June 15th South-North Joint Declaration, President Lee diagnosed, “Unfortunately, over the past three years, the clock on the Korean Peninsula has rapidly regressed to the cold past before June 15th.” Inter-Korean relations have been severed and tensions in the border region have heightened. However, the atmosphere of peace is now sprouting again on the Korean Peninsula.
When our military stopped broadcasting loudspeakers toward the North on the 11th, North Korea responded by stopping broadcasting noise toward the South. There are also signs of dialogue between North Korea and the United States, which was halted by the Hanoi No Deal in February 2019. North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un initially refused to receive a personal letter from President Trump. However, the White House announced that “communication with North Korea will remain open.”
The Korean Peninsula peace process promoted by the Moon Jae-in government began in 2018 during the nuclear crisis. When President Trump hinted at a nuclear attack by talking about “fire and fury,” Chairman Kim Jong-un responded in his New Year’s address that year by saying, “There is a nuclear button on my desk,” heightening tensions. To resolve this crisis, the government promoted a project for the Pope, the “Apostle of Peace,” to visit North Korea.
Former Korean Ambassador to the Vatican Lee Baek-man said in his book “I Will Go, Sono Disponibile,” which contains the story behind the incident: “Pope Francis tried to build an ark of peace on the Korean Peninsula, and to do so, he tried to build a ‘bridge of peace’ between Pyongyang and Seoul, and between Pyongyang and Washington.”
The Vatican’s diplomatic tone remains the same even when the pope changes. The first words the resurrected Jesus spoke to his disciples when he met them were “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). Pope Leo XIV’s first blessing message was also “peace.” He appealed for “a humble and patient peace that disarms without arming.” President Lee also said during his candidacy that he “expects the new pope to play a big role in peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
From weak countries to superpowers, top leaders of each country rush to the Vatican to meet the pope. Why do they visit the Vatican, which has no physical power, such as economic or military power? It is because it possesses the unique “superpower” that can realize universal values such as peace, justice, and human rights.
Except for former President Yoon Seok-yeol, whose term was cut short due to impeachment, all previous Korean presidents have visited the Vatican to meet with the Pope. It was to seek support for peace on the Korean Peninsula and to request mediation.
Peace comes when we prepare and act. As this president said, the economy, security, and daily life are shaken when peace is shaken. Pope Leo XIV is a ‘Korea expert’ who visited Korea five times during his time as the head of the religious order. In particular, he visited the DMZ and personally witnessed the division of the Korean Peninsula and was heartbroken.
It is hoped that President Lee will meet Pope Francis and restore the diplomatic lines between Seoul and the Vatican, as well as between the Vatican and Pyongyang, which were established in 2018. Additionally, it is hoped that the unfinished ‘Pope’s visit to North Korea project’ will come to fruition.
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