An aggressive neighbor to the north, a sputtering economy at home – and two more thorny issues facing South Korea’s new president.
Democrat Moon Jae-in is the new president of South Korea .
Moon, a former special forces soldier turned human rights lawyer, won a snap election, following months of mass protests that ousted President Park Geun-hye last December.
The grace period for Moon will be short. Increasing regional tensions and demonstrations against corruption characterized the presidential race in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. During the campaign, Moon promised to address the systemic problems that led to Park’s impeachment, creating expectations that will define his administration.
Here’s what our years of studying Korean migration and security led us to see as the biggest challenges facing Moon.
Moon, the son of refugees from North Korea, favors engagement and cooperation with North Korea. On the campaign trail, Moon repeatedly stated he is open to negotiations with North Korea and willing to meet Kim Jong-un. The nuclear issue is now central to inter-Korean relations. If Moon plans a “Sunshine Policy 2.0” – a revival of dialogue and economic aid to North Korea – he’ ll need to convince critics that resuming economic cooperation will not fund Kim Jong-un’s nuclear program.
Caught between the U. S. and China, Moon will try to pursue an independent foreign policy.
Moon needs to manage the Trump administration’s conflicted approach to the region. Trump has voiced the possibility of unilateral action against North Korea, but also suggested that he would be honored to meet Kim Jong-un. Trump stressed the importance of the alliance with South Korea, but also said that South Korea should pay for the anti-missile THAAD system the U.
