"Priorities": S. Korean President ditches Pelosi for his staycation
Yoon was attending a theater performance in Seoul, socializing over dinner and drinks with the actors after the curtain-roll just a day before Pelosi arrived.
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Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea's president, having dinner and drinks with the actors after watching their play.
Crickets are heard on the South Korean stage, when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was able to meet up with the leader of Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, but not Yoon Suk-yeol, the President of South Korea.
Why?
Because he was on vacation - in his own country; a staycation, if you may.
Yoon was attending a theater performance in Seoul, socializing over dinner and drinks with the actors after the curtain-roll just a day before Pelosi arrived. The House Speaker instead met with South Korean lawmakers, after which images of Yoon having a good time went viral on social media. Yoon's self-loving move sent American pundits spiraling. Accusations arose regarding South Korea's alignment: Is South Korea choosing between the US, its main security ally, and China, its largest trading partner? Was Yoon trying to deliver a message, or was he trying to soothe Beijing?
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The President, who has only been three months in office, is already facing declining approval rates. As part of his campaign, he vowed to make South Korea a "global pivotal state" and a geopolitical force.
Critics are accusing Yoon of deliberately shunning Pelosi since her visit has escalated tensions in the region between neighboring countries and China.
Yoon's spokesman, Choi Young-bum, said the president's holiday was planned before Pelosi's trip, and that Yoon attended the play before Pelosi even arrived. He argued that Yoon was simply not available to meet Pelosi at that time.
“I have received questions about whether the president avoided meeting with the House speaker because he was wary of China,” Choi said. “All these things are decided based on a thorough consideration of our country’s national interest.”
Choi, furthermore, brushed off a question by a reporter asking whether Yoon's unavailability was an indication of a change in the South's political realignment, slamming the question as an "exaggeration."
Yoon has recently vowed to "rebuild" the alliance between the US and South Korea, arguing that the relationship deteriorated under former president Moon Jae-in. Moon was rather more interested in building rapport with North Korea and China, the South's neighbors.
South Korea’s right-wing Chosun Ilbo newspaper published an article titled, “Yoon’s avoidance of Pelosi meeting may send wrong signals to the US and China.” The article wrote that holding a "submissive attitude" towards China can alter geopolitics.
On Thursday, South Korea and the United States agreed to cooperate with North Korea.
"We have held consultations on the North Korean nuclear issue. Both sides expressed concern over the difficult situation connected with the growing threat from North Korea, and agreed to support the efforts of both governments to achieve significant denuclearization and a peaceful settlement of the problem through international cooperation and diplomatic dialogue based on strong and extended deterrence of North Korea," said South Korean National Assembly speaker Kim Jin Pyo.
Regional security, economic cooperation, and climate change were on the talks' agenda in a meeting that lasted longer than 50 minutes.
