By Ramon Pacheco Pardo
18.03.2024
South Korea is hosting the 3rd Summit for Democracy on 18-20 March. Under the theme ‘Democracy for Future Generations’, the Yoon Suk-yeol government is convening the Biden administration’s original idea first hosted by the United States in December 2021. This year, the focus will be on issues including safeguarding against authoritarianism, addressing and combating corruption or advocating for human rights. South Korea already co-hosted the second summit, held in March 2023. However, that was a virtual summit mainly, as indeed was the first one, compared to this third, mainly in-person summit taking place in Seoul. Former president Moon Jae-in delivered one of the addresses at the first summit, with Yoon following suit during the second one. By hosting this third summit, the Yoon government is seeking to boost South Korea’s standing—especially among fellow democracies. The hosting of the summit also builds on South Korea’s long-standing focus on ‘host diplomacy’, with an emphasis on holding flagship multinational events in the country. Examples include the G20 summit of 2010, the Nuclear Security Summit of 2012, the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial of 2021 and now this Summit for Democracy.
What are the domestic factors driving South Korea’s hosting of the 3rd Summit for Democracy?
South Korea convening the 3rd Summit for Democracy in Seoul is directly linked to South Korea’s increasing self-perception as a strong, vibrant democracy. A growing share of South Koreans are gradually feeling prouder of their country’s transition to democracy in the 1980s and current position as one of the few full democracies in Asia, rather than the economic development that started in the 1960s. Yoon’s push for Seoul to have a more value-driven foreign and security policy reflects this change and growing focus on democracy as a key component of South Korean identity.
There is also a domestic politics component to the Yoon government hosting the Summit for Democracy at this point in time. South Korea’s National Assembly elections are scheduled for 10 April, so less than a month away. Yoon hosting the summit helps to show the convening power of his administration, and will provide photo opportunities including with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. In this respect, the summit will help Yoon look more presidential, and could help boost the vote share of his People Power Party in the upcoming elections.
How does hosting the summit fit with President Yoon Suk-yeol’s foreign policy strategy?
In line with other democratic countries, South Korea is increasingly pursuing a policy based on the following principle: value-driven when it can, interest-driven when necessary. In this respect, hosting the Summit for Democracy will help to boost South Korea’s ties with fellow democracies such as the United States, Europe, Australia, Canada or Japan. In particular, by hosting an initiative launched by Biden the Yoon government also hopes to show the value of the ROK-US alliance beyond its security component. This is not new. The Lee Myung-bak government hosted the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, among others, to support an initiative that had been launched by the Obama administration. In addition, South Korea is now pushing for the informal or formal expansion of the G7 to also include itself and Australia. Since the G7 is a club of democracies, hosting the Summit for Democracy helps in this respect.
Holding the summit in Seoul also helps to show South Korea’s convenor role. With over 100 countries formally being represented, this will be one of the biggest meetings ever hosted by a South Korean government. There is also a strong civil society component, with one day devoted to events organised by different NGOs and other organisations. In short, this is a prestigious event that will put the spotlight on South Korea. This matters for the Yoon government, with its focus on making South Korea a Global Pivotal State, and for the country more generally. Plus, it should also be noted that South Korea joined the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member this January. Hosting the Summit for Democracy shortly after joining the Security Council helps to build a narrative that South Korea indeed is a pivotal state as of 2024.
