President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee disembark from the presidential jet after arriving at Paris Orly Airport, Nov. 23, 2023. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon

The opposition bloc's landslide victory in the April 10 general elections is cornering President Yoon Suk Yeol toward changing his political philosophy and direction in managing state affairs.

However, despite the pressure, government officials and experts expect little change in Seoul's principle of aligning its diplomatic stance with the United States on major global issues and being more vocal about what Yoon calls "authoritarian forces."

Here are several reasons why Yoon will likely maintain his stance.

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at his office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Yoon said he "humbly accepts" the public sentiment reflected in the general elections but mostly asserted he has been steering the country in the right direction, though the effect of his policies has not been sufficiently felt by the populace.

Regarding Yoon's remark, a senior official at the presidential office told The Korea Times that "there won't be a fundamental shift in the directions of the government's policies in a broader perspective, such as enhancing the alliance with the U.S. or strengthening coalitions with free democracy."

This stance was also seen in presidential chief of staff Lee Kwan-sup's remarks a day after the election. At the time, Lee said all senior secretaries of the presidential office have offered to resign, except for "those who are at the Office of National Security," which is in charge of security and foreign policies."

The election outcome weakens Yoon's influence on legislative initiatives which mostly affects domestic issues, but still can exert his power in terms of national security, despite facing strong protests from the National Assembly.

"I don't think there will be a shift in Yoon's foreign policies," Kim Joon-hyung, a lawmaker-elect from the minor liberal opposition Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), told The Korea Times. Kim is a former chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy during the previous liberal Moon Jae-in administration.

"Most diplomatic experts would agree that Yoon will stick to his current diplomatic philosophy because national security is an area where the president can fully exercise his power."

Kim emphasized that the crucial question is whether Yoon's foreign policy will garner public support for the remainder of his presidency, because voters were sharply divided in assessing Yoon's diplomatic policies.

"While Yoon's opponents think his diplomacy was disastrous, his supporters say one of his best achievements is putting South Korea's diplomacy on the current course."

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrive for a press conference during a trilateral summit at Camp David in Maryland, Aug. 18. AFP-Yonhap

Since taking office in May 2022, Yoon has been making significant efforts to alter South Korea's diplomatic strategy.

While his predecessor Moon focused on a balancing act in the rivalry between the U.S. and China and strived to tame North Korea's nuclear ambition with discussions and talks, Yoon significantly improved South Korea's strategic visibility that it is standing by the U.S. in most of the global issues, while maintaining an ever-hawkish stance on Pyongyang's provocations.

In doing so, the Yoon administration introduced a concept it named "global pivotal state," to symbolize Yoon's diplomatic philosophy of improving Seoul's diplomatic presence in the global diplomatic stage by raising its voices on international issues, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's assertive maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait.

The opposition, including Kim, has been calling for the president to be neutral in issues concerning the Taiwan Strait and Ukraine, worrying over possible diplomatic frays with neighboring superpowers, but Yoon's diplomacy is oftentimes mentioned as the top reason for the support he receives in approval polls, though his overall ratings have remained below 45 percent throughout his presidency.

Due to this, Yoon said on May 9, 2023, when he was marking his first year in the office, that the biggest achievements in his presidency during the past year were "diplomacy and security."

President Yoon Suk Yeol smiles during a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at his office in Yongsan District, Seoul, April 17. Courtesy of presidential office

Misery loves company

For a week after the election defeat, Yoon and the presidential office have been keeping a low profile to devise post-election strategies, with Yoon avoiding public engagements or media appearances.

Yoon resumed his public presence by holding a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday.

According to the presidential office, the call was arranged to share the outcomes of Kishida's recent summit with U.S. President Joe Biden to keep their earlier promises to strengthen the three countries' security cooperation.

The call was interpreted as a strategic move considering each leader's domestic political situation.

Yoon and Kishida revitalized the two countries' frayed relations through seven summits last year. However, the process was not supported by the majority of Koreans, who saw that Yoon took a submissive position before Tokyo over the two country's historic disputes.

While Yoon is cornered with the ruling party's general election defeat, Kishida is also struggling with abysmal job approval ratings remaining below 30 percent. Without sufficient domestic support for their overall policies, doubts will continue to linger about the sustainability of their foreign policies.

Due to this, experts said Wednesday's call is viewed as their effort to showcase to the world that the two countries' diplomatic stances, despite the domestic doubts about their respective leadership, will stay as it is and promote further cooperation.

The South Korean presidential office said in a press release that "the leaders have agreed to continue fostering a strong relationship of trust and maintaining candid communication throughout this year to ensure the positive momentum in the bilateral relations can be sustained."

From left, then-President Moon Jae-in, then-Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hold a press conference after their summit in Chengdu, China, Dec. 24, 2019. Joint Press Corps

Seoul-Tokyo-Beijing trilateral summit

Against the backdrop, the envisaged trilateral summit between South Korea, Japan and China will be the first stage showcasing the Yoon administration's post-election diplomatic stance.

The annual three-way talks have been suspended for four years since the last iteration held in China's Chengdu in December 2019, in the wake of the rivalry between Washington and Beijing. Seoul is set to host the upcoming summit.

Seoul's presidential office is yet to announce the exact date of the summit, but its government officials said the event is being arranged to take place at the end of May. Japanese newspapers also reported May 26 or 27 as possible dates.

"It is hard to expect a dramatic development (in Seoul-Beijing and Seoul-Tokyo-Beijing relations) after the summit," the RKP's Kim said.

"To change the current lopsided diplomatic landscape, a fundamental shift in Yoon's diplomatic principle toward China, Russia and even North Korea is required… If Yoon adheres to such a stance, the summit may be worse than doing nothing. But at the same time, there is still hope that the general election victory (of the opposition) will affect Yoon's diplomatic policies so that he can send signals for change."