The President-elect of South Korea expressed interest in joining the Quartet

In a recent interview with the newspaper The Wall Street Journal retweeted by Korean media, Mr. Yoon said he did not think Seoul would receive an invitation to join Quartet in the future, but if invited, he will “actively consider” joining.

During the election campaign, Yoon pledged to increase South Korea’s participation in the working groups of the Quartet, a security cooperation mechanism that includes four countries in the United States. Indo-Pacific led by the US, established to deal with China.

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol The Korean Herald

Mr. Yoon said he would talk about strengthening the Korea-US alliance during a face-to-face meeting with the President Joe Biden, may take place before the Quad conference scheduled to be held in Tokyo at the end of May. South Korea is home to the largest US military base overseas with about 28,500 troops. But Mr. Yoon also pursued the goal of improving relations with Japan, which has been strained by trade disputes and historical issues.

In recent years, Seoul has not taken the same aggressive stance as other US allies in the region on the security risks posed by the invasion. Chinese army grow up every day.

“In the US strategy to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of China’s expansion, the weak link is South Korea,” said Michael J. Green, a former official at the National Security Council. American researcher, currently a leading Asia researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), commented with WSJ.

Mr. Yoon, the former chief prosecutor of South Korea, won the election on March 9. He will take office on May 9 to officially begin a five-year term, succeeding President Moon Jae-in.