South Korea seeking to allay fears over ties with major partners

It is business as usual in South Korea, the President's impeachment on Dec 14 notwithstanding, says Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul.

- Wendy Teo

The country is doing "everything we can to bring normalcy back to our diplomacy and rebuild the trust of the international community", he said, putting out reassurances to the world at a press briefing for foreign media on Dec 18.

President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached on Dec 14 over his ill-advised decision to order martial law on Dec 3, which had proved very short-lived.

The Constitutional Court next has to rule on whether Mr Yoon should be removed from office or reinstated within 180 days.

If the impeachment is upheld, a snap presidential election must be held within 60 days.

Liberal opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is tipped as the clear favourite to win that race.

Meanwhile, the current government, with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo as acting president, is scrambling to quell rising concerns about a leadership vacuum derailing South Korea's foreign policy.

This is especially with Donald Trump's imminent return as US president and the threat posed by stronger Russia-North Korean ties.

Professor Leif-Eric Easley of Ewha Womans University in Seoul told The Straits Times: "A caretaker government in Seoul will seek to maintain tight coordination with Washington and Tokyo.

"The question is whether the next South Korean administration will take foreign policy in a different direction based on changes in domestic and international politics."

While Mr Cho tried to paint a rosy picture of stable relations with the US, China and Japan, observers say that a new, liberal government would almost definitely embark on a sharp reversal of South Korea's foreign policy direction.