Moon Chung-in, a distinguished professor at Yonsei University, stated on October 21 that he personally views the U.S.-South Korea alliance as a curse rather than a blessing.
During a roundtable discussion titled "New U.S.-North Korea Dialogue: Seeking Guidance from Korean Elders at a Crossroads," hosted by Seoul National University's National Future Strategy Institute, Moon remarked, "As long as we are allied, we cannot escape the security dilemma." This implies that the U.S. perceives South Korea as a frontline base for countering China, which poses risks of entanglement in U.S.-China power struggles.
Attendees included former Foreign Ministers Song Min-soon and Yun Young-kwan, as well as Emeritus Professor Jang Dal-jung from Seoul National University and Professor Kim Byeong-yeon from the university's economics department.
Moon further noted, "Looking ahead 20 to 30 years, it could become a curse rather than a blessing." He advocates for a transition from a collective defense system to a new security community.
In contrast, former Minister Song emphasized that alliances are neither blessings nor curses but a reality, arguing that South Korea should maintain the alliance framework while expanding its autonomy. He asserted that South Korea needs to secure nuclear potential through uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.
Moon criticized this stance, stating, "We should emphasize that we only pursue peaceful and commercial uses of nuclear energy and commit to adhering to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The ongoing campaign for nuclear potential complicates the international situation further." Jang added, "Is this feasible? I have serious doubts about whether it is worth pursuing."
In response, Song countered, "If we possess the capability for peaceful uranium enrichment, nuclear potential will automatically follow."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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