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Korea, US should strengthen bilateral alliance
President Moon Jae-in will leave for Washington, D.C., Wednesday for a five-day visit to the United States during which he is scheduled to have his first face-to-face summit with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House, Friday. Both sides need to work closely to promote mutual interests and prosperity.
Most of all, the two leaders should focus on how to strengthen the bilateral alliance. South Korea is one of America's strongest allies, along with Japan, in Asia. The country is regarded as a linchpin in ensuring peace and stability in the region. However, the alliance had been undermined by former President Donald Trump's "America first" policy.
The Moon-Biden meeting is raising expectations that Seoul and Washington will broaden their security alliance and partnership to step up cooperation to jointly deal with common issues such as the global economic woes, cybersecurity, climate change and public health. The summit will provide a rare opportunity for both countries to redefine the alliance for a better future.
For starters, South Korea and the U.S. can expand their cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. For this, Biden needs to accept Korea's request for a vaccine partnership. Seoul is seeking to sign a swap deal with Washington to address the shortage of coronavirus vaccines here. If such a deal emerges from the summit, it will help the country speed up its inoculation program to meet the goal of achieving herd immunity by November. It will also set a new example of bilateral collaboration in the field of healthcare.
The two countries can also work together in the mass production of vaccines by combining U.S. knowhow and technology with Korea's manufacturing capacity. Samsung Biologics, Korea's largest biosimilar company, is reportedly in negotiations to produce Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine here. A deal between the two firms could turn Korea into a global production base for vaccines and other drugs.
Cooperation in semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries is likely to be high on the agenda during the summit. President Biden is trying hard to create America's own supply chains for the two strategic industrial items in order to stay ahead of China. He has already asked Samsung Electronics and other South Korean companies to invest more in the U.S. to produce chips and EV batteries. Executives of Korea's major conglomerates, including Samsung, SK and LG, will accompany President Moon, heightening hopes for cooperation in technology and investment with the U.S.
Moon and Biden are also likely to discuss the issue of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, better known as the Quad, comprised of the U.S, Japan, Australia and India. Washington apparently wants Seoul to participate in the Quad, which is aimed at containing the rise of China in the Asia-Pacific region. Biden needs to understand Korea's reluctance to join the group due to a feared backlash from China, the country's largest trading partner. Yet, Korea can still take part in the Quad's working groups dealing with vaccines, technology and climate change.
More than anything else, the two leaders will discuss the North Korea nuclear issue. They need to map out a joint strategy to resume stalled talks with Pyongyang following the completion of Biden's North Korea policy review. Moon and Biden should work more closely to realize their common goal ― the North's complete denuclearization.
