► The fact that President Yoon used his UN General Assembly speech to discuss pressing challenges to freedom and peace facing world citizens and seek solutions without mentioning North Korean denuclearization or peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula may be a sign of his willingness to fulfill South Korea's responsibilities as a "global pivotal state." ► With the "Audacious Initiative," the Yoo...

► During this year’s UNGA meeting on September 20, ROK President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a keynote address titled “Freedom and Solidarity: Answer to the Watershed Moment,” in which he declared that “As a responsible member of the international community, Korea is committed to playing its due responsibility and role for the freedom of global citizens and prosperity of the global community.” ►&nbs...

► On September 20, Republic of Korea (Korea) President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, as his predecessors have done for decades. As has been widely discussed and scrutinized, President Yoon’s speech omitted any direct reference to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). ► Whatever the aim, the decision was intentional and completely con...

► Familiarity usually means something good, but it can also be a factor that makes trying or accepting new things difficult. ► From this point of view, it seems clear that President Yoon Suk Yeol's speech to the United Nations went beyond the comfort of conventional familiarity. Most importantly, the phrase “North Korea”, which has been included in speeches of successive presidents s...

  ► The readout from President Yoon’s meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau underscored that the two countries share a special friendship that is founded on Canada’s support for the South in the Korean War, a mutual commitment to multilateralism, and a desire for economic partnerships that work for everyone. ► Coming on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of dip...

► In his firstspeech to the UN General Assembly on September 20th, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a comprehensive call for the world to come together in response to a daunting list of conventional and non-traditional security challenges that require collective coordination to address effectively. ► Yoon provided a clear call to action from South Korea as a middle power advocating s...

►On September 20, President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a speech titled "Freedom and Solidarity: Answers to the Watershed Moment" at the 77th United Nations General Assembly. The speech called for the international community to unite in solidarity around the United Nations in order to protect the universal value of "freedom".  ►With this speech, President Yoon demonstrated his determination to ensure tha...

► On September 20, President Yoon delivered a cautious speech at the 77th United Nations General Assembly. It was long on upholding the UN system and South Korea’s efforts to become the global pivotal state that Yoon envisioned in his essay for Foreign Affairs. ► But Yoon’s speech did little to convince that South Korea was ready for that pressure or to become a global pivotal state. Rather than ...