Washington’s stab in Seoul’s back shatters US ‘values’
The US hosted South Korean and Japanese national security officials to discuss “security issues.” It was the first time since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office, but the meeting unexpectedly “deviated” from its original goal. Regarding the meeting held in Hawaii on Thursday, the US had wanted to shift the topic to “how to cope with the growing security challenges from China,” but as shown in the media reports after the meeting, the recent economic friction between the US and South Korea took a prominent place during the meeting, opening a crack in the “solidarity” that the US deliberately showed with its allies in East Asia.
The US passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the middle of last month. One of the important aspects is to provide high subsidies for electric vehicles (EV) made in the US, while there is no subsidy for vehicles made in South Korea. This will put South Korean companies in an extremely disadvantageous position. South Korea generally believes that the IRA is a “betrayal” of South Korea and “a stab in the back.” South Korea has become so engulfed in disappointment and anger that the illusion of “free and fair trade” that underpins the US-led world order has been shattered again.
The US had not taken South Korea’s interests into consideration from the very beginning. After repeated negotiations with the South Korean side, the US side only indifferently expressed the meaning of “let’s go back to discussions,” but it did not actually respond to Seoul’s concerns. Such arrogance and indifference are undoubtedly an insult to South Korea’s self-esteem.
This is not the first time that South Korean public opinion complains about US “betrayal” and “stab in the back.” It is the same with the US’ recent coercive actions against South Korea’s chip industry which don’t show any concern about whether they will harm South Korea’s interests. In the face of its interests, the US pursues not only the “first,” but also the “only” in many cases.
It should be said that the aggressive behavior of the US has stimulated the awakening of South Korea, especially among conservatives. In the past, they thought too highly of the US. The Korea Joong Ang Daily commentary asked, “Does that mean the allies can share values but not interests?” It also lamented, “Values give way to national interests.”
This may be the “new understanding” among some in South Korean public opinion sphere, but it is actually just the way the US is. No matter what beautiful words it uses, the so-called values are just rhetoric used by the US to fool its allies to maintain hegemony. For the US, “shared values” has always meant the unconditional obedience of allies to the interests of the US, rather than bargaining chips that allies can use to deal with the US. Washington has firmly put the right to interpret “values” in its own hands. Only those who follow it have “shared values” with it, while those who go against the US don’t.
South Korea is not the first country that has raised doubts about Washington’s hypocritical face and true purpose of its so-called Into-Pacific Strategy, nor will it be the last one. The US wants to use other countries as “cannon fodder” in maintaining hegemony, but it can’t realize this ambition. A chain of interests in which various countries will oppose US bullying will become clearer.