Issue Brief
Vol.157, No.19, 2026
[K-Diplomacy Inquiry Series 2] Pragmatic Diplomacy and Strategic Autonomy for a Responsible Global Power
- Date
- 2026-08-10
- Authors
- Yonghwan Choi
- Keyword
- Foreign Policy
-
abstractThe international environment is undergoing structural transformation at multiple levels: U.S. hegemonic primacy is eroding, the Western-led order is weakening, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence are blurring the human-machine boundary. These trends are interconnected and together are producing the disorder characteristic of a hegemonic interregnum, marked by intensified interest-driven competition in which states increasingly rely on their own capabilities.Amid growing uncertainty, South Korea requires a strategy that broadens its policy options while safeguarding national interests. This brief argues for a balanced strategy―a calibrated approach that combines principled positions on core and structural interests with flexibility on relational and transactional issues. Such a strategy should also be inclusive, avoiding the preemptive exclusion of any state. As the United States redefines alliances and places greater emphasis on burden-sharing, South Korea must secure strategic autonomy amid the enduring entrapment-abandonment dilemma within the ROK-U.S. alliance. Doing so will enable a more self-reliant alliance posture and greater sovereign discretion over core interests.By leveraging its national strengths—advanced manufacturing, highly skilled human capital, cultural influence, and a resilient democratic system—South Korea can pursue an alliance management strategy suited to an era of transactional partnerships. As an advanced middle power with a history of colonial subjugation, however, it should not seek to become a pole within a power-centered multipolar system. Instead, it should contribute to a rules-based multilateral order grounded in consent and cooperation. This requires building solidarity with like-minded middle powers and expanding engagement with the Global South, which constitutes the majority of the international community. Through proactive diplomacy, South Korea can evolve from a norm taker into a norm promoter, consistent with its identity as a Responsible Global Power.
