South Korea has reorganized its National Security Office to prioritize “economic security,” reflecting a growing global trend where countries are combining their economic and political tactics to optimize their diplomatic interests.
Established in 2013, the office serves as a control tower to oversee the national security affairs of South Korea and frequently holds emergency meetings when North Korea shows hostile or provocative movements towards the South. Its director often serves as the counterpart of the National Security Advisor of the United States.
South Korea’s President Yook Suk Yeol convened a cabinet meeting Tuesday and passed a bill to revise the organizational structure of the nation’s security office, according to a statement released by the Presidential Office.
The restructuring includes the addition of a third deputy role in the office, dedicated solely to what Yoon referred to as “economic security” – terminology that the Yoon administration often uses in recognition of current international economic dynamics being an integral part of national security.
The new deputy will oversee the “emerging security areas,” including economic security, science and technology, the statement added, noting that the role will further expand the office’s responsibility encompassing issues related to Seoul’s supply chain management, export controls, and technology cooperation.
The new position is expected to be responsible for establishing new supply chain initiatives among democratic nations while also solidifying Seoul’s technological security, a South Korean senior government official, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Radio Free Asia.
The administration acknowledged that the boundary between economy and security has increasingly blurred in current international politics, the official added, noting that it has long been contemplating how to effectively address the evolving dynamics of such political developments.
South Korea has recently been actively involved in talks with other democratic nations including the U.S., United Kingdom, Netherlands, Indonesia, India and Japan, a move designed to diversify key resource supply chains to reduce dependence on specific countries.
In fact, there has been growing fear in Seoul over the possibility of China using its dominant control of essential resources, such as rare earth materials, as a means of strategic influence in international politics. This concern is particularly relevant given the potential impact on crucial South Korean industries like semiconductors and electric vehicles, which could lead to significant economic disruption.
Such concerns are not unfounded, as South Korea faced indirect economic repercussions from Beijing in 2017, following its decision to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system on its soil. Beijing said the deployment of the system was a direct threat to its national security, claiming its radar could monitor Chinese military activities on the mainland.
As a result, China implemented informal retaliatory measures, including a de facto ban on Chinese tourists visiting South Korea and informal sanctions targeting South Korean businesses, particularly in the entertainment and retail sectors.
This has increased South Korea’s resolve to participate actively in U.S. President Joe Biden’s initiative to establish an alternative supply chain that requires less of China.
Recently, Seoul has become more outspoken on issues sensitive to China, including those concerning the South China Sea and Taiwan, ahead of the self-ruled island’s presidential election on Saturday.
For instance, South Korea – along with the U.S. and Japan – convened its first trilateral Indo-Pacific dialogue in Washington last week, and released a joint statement defending freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific. The three also “opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion anywhere in the waters of the Indo-Pacific,” the statement said.
In addition, the statement underscored the trilateral alignment on the Taiwan issue, saying that the three “reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to security and prosperity in the international community.”
On Monday, China’s foreign ministry criticized the joint statement, labeling it interference in Beijing’s internal affairs.
Yoon in April also made comments about Taiwan in an interview with Reuters, saying that the situation in the Taiwan Strait was a “global issue.”
Edited by Taejun Kang and Mike Firn.