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(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Feb. 28)

All News 07:02 February 28, 2022

Lesson from Ukraine crisis
South Korea should boost self-defense capability

Russia's invasion of Ukraine seems to serve as a prelude to a new Cold War and a new world order. The United States, which has long served as the world's policeman, is now facing serious challenges from Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine which could upend the post-Cold War order.

The Ukraine crisis has significant implications for South Korea which is surrounded by major powers such as the U.S., Russia, China and Japan. Our country has a painful history of frequent invasions. It suffered 35 years of Japanese colonial rule until the end of World War II. Then it was devastated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

Russian President Vladimir Putin started war with the former Soviet republic in an apparent bid to prevent Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and overthrow a pro-Western regime in Kyiv. His military campaign is in defiance of the U.S.-led global order, not to mention the infringement of Ukraine's sovereignty and violation of international rules.

The ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe speaks volumes to South Korea which is facing constant security threats from North Korea. We need to learn a lesson from the Ukrainian case: Any country will end up with a tragic fate if it cannot defend itself. Putin and Russia should bear full responsibility for the barbaric and brutal invasion.

Yet Ukraine is paying the price for not having its own self-defense capability after it signed the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances in 1994. The country, which gained independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, abandoned its nuclear arsenal in return for security guarantees under the memorandum. But it has neither boosted its military readiness against potential military threats from Russia, nor formed any security alliance with other countries.

Ukraine has pushed to join NATO since Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014. But the country failed to do that in the face of strong objection from Russia. Ukraine has well recognized the importance of a military alliance with NATO. But it is too late to thwart the Russian attack with the help of the U.S. or the EU. The situation in Ukraine highlights the need for Seoul to improve its traditional security alliance with Washington as well as beef up its self-defense capability.

Geopolitical risks have been growing on the Korean Peninsula since the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea failed to strike a denuclearization deal during their second summit in 2019. The North has continued to test-fire its ballistic missiles. South Korea is increasingly caught up in the escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry. However, the Moon Jae-in administration is being criticized for putting more priority on improving ties with North Korea and China than on strengthening the alliance with the U.S.

The presidential candidates of the ruling and opposition parties should see the big picture of the rapidly changing world order. They should refrain from triggering ideological and partisan conflicts over security issues. They need to present viable policy options to ensure the country's survival amid the emerging new Cold War between the U.S.-led Western democracies and their rivals including China, Russia and North Korea.
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