Seoul's immoderate cozying up to Washington aggravates risks

Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol's ongoing state visit to the United States carries special weight not because it is the first by a ROK leader in 12 years, or an occasion for commemorating the 70th anniversary of the US-ROK alliance. But because it occurs at a time when both parties in the alliance feel an acute need for mutual reassurance that their partnership remains "ironclad" amid the multitude of present-day challenges.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has escalated both its rhetoric and actions that the ROK perceives as signifying an existential threat to it. Although these have been stepped up in response to the ROK's own escalated military cooperation with the US, which the DPRK likewise perceives to be an existential threat to it.

On its part, the US is coordinating more closely than ever with the ROK, not with a more watchful eye on the DPRK nuclear issue, but as part of its attempts at the geopolitical isolation of neighboring China. From perceived potential contingencies arising from the Korean Peninsula to the Taiwan Strait, to "technology decoupling" in such areas as semiconductors, Seoul has a role of critical strategic significance in Washington's "Indo-Pacific" strategy.