From Values to Interests: South Korea Recalibrates its Approach under a New President

Agora Strategy Executive Briefing on Elections in South Korea

Executive Summary

• South Korea’s new president Lee Jae-myung’s foreign policy direction will champion a pragmatism that could see him rebalancing previously value-driven relations with China, Russia, North Korea and Japan.
  

• While reaffirming the centrality of Korea’s alliance with the U.S. and closeness to Europe, Lee has also signaled a softer tone on China and Russia, putting the country at odds with its Western partners.
  

• Continued US pressure related to export controls and economic security will limit his room for maneuver in engaging China, but on Russia, Lee would likely follow a Trump lead in lifting of sanctions, potentially jeopardizing Seoul’s relationship with European partners.
  

• This expected recalibration and Lee’s promises for strategic investments open opportunities for European firms in many important sectors, including green tech, defense, and digital cooperation.
  

Implications for International Business

• New openings in defense, digital, and green tech: Lee has reaffirmed Europe as a strategic partner and announced investments plans for key sectors, including AI, semiconductors, and batteries. Firms aligned with Korean priorities may benefit from expanded R&D partnerships.
  

• Watch Korea's Russia stance carefully: If Lee moves to reengage Moscow in lockstep with U.S. President Trump, EU-based firms may face reputational or compliance risks due to diverging sanctions environments, in addition to potential loss of competitiveness compared to Korean firms.

State of Play

Some calm after the storm

Lee Jae-myung’s resounding election win on 3 June ends six months of political chaos in South Korea, following former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment after the imposition of martial law in late 2024. With a strong legislative majority, Lee enters office from a position of strength, bringing back a degree of stability to South Korea’s fractured domestic politics. His immediate focus will lie on negotiating a tariff deal with the U.S. He has previously condemned the tariffs as unjustified and signaled a tougher negotiation stance than the previous caretaker government, potentially in cooperation with partners like the EU or Japan.

South Korea and the EU have a solid relationship and have significantly deepened their strategic partnership. In March, they concluded a landmark Digital Trade Agreement, enhancing cooperation in areas such as digital signatures, data protection, and e-commerce, thereby facilitating smoother digital trade between the two economies. Additionally, their collaboration in security and defence has intensified, with both parties engaging in joint efforts to address hybrid threats, cyber-security, and the resilience of critical infrastructure, reflecting their shared commitment to global stability.

Lee has recently moderated his previously firebrand criticism of Japan and now supports continued trilateral cooperation with Washington and Tokyo, as both South Korea and Japan are security alliance partners of the United States. Still, historical disputes stemming from World War II and before remain a flashpoint and could derail the relationship with Tokyo, especially in the realm of security cooperation. Lee will also adopt a more conciliatory tone with Beijing on the surface—although he faces limits due to continued U.S. pressure on economic security and export controls.

Key Issues

A noticeable, yet limited geopolitical realignment

The incoming Lee administration will maintain the U.S. alliance as the foundation of its security policy, especially considering North Korea’s advancing missile and nuclear capabilities. However, while Lee has acknowledged he wants to continue trilateral cooperation with the U.S. and Japan, he is unlikely to support deepening it further into a formal bloc, especially in defense, which he sees as risking overextension and possibly provoking tighter coordination between North Korea, China, and Russia. He will be more skeptical about joint drills and defense integration. This will slow progress on defense interoperability and supply chain integration, as Lee shifts focus toward economic, cultural, and social cooperation with Japan.  

President Lee will reorient foreign policy toward Korea’s immediate neighborhood, de-emphasizing South Korea’s security links to Europe or the Taiwan Strait, prioritizing economic ties instead. On North Korea, he will maintain deterrence while attempting to re-open dialogue and humanitarian cooperation, coordinated with America to avoid marginalization in any talks with Kim Jong-Un. Should President Trump re-engage with Moscow, Lee will likely follow, eyeing economic opportunities for Korean firms and Russian leverage in talks with the North. This would lead to friction with Europeans and could complicate sanctions compliance for European firms doing business in South Korea.

China remains South Korea’s biggest trading partner, with 19.5 per cent of total exports going to the country in 2024, a drop from 26 per cent in 2020. Lee has vowed to boost economic engagement with Beijing. But this may prove difficult, as U.S. pressure on export controls and tech alignment intensifies. While Seoul’s tone toward Beijing will soften, quiet de-risking and market diversification will continue. At the same time, Lee will seek closer coordination with partners—including the EU, Japan, ASEAN, and APEC—to hedge against a renewed wave of U.S. trade volatility. Businesses should prepare for a more autonomous South Korea: flexible, hedging its bets, and focused on securing regional influence on its own terms.

An economic agenda providing opportunities for European businesses

Lee’s economic platform rests on strong public investment—especially in high-tech and green industries—and recalibrated trade diversification. U.S. tariff threats remain a central concern and represent the most crucial stumbling block for Seoul’s relations with the US. Sectoral tariffs on steel, aluminum, and automobiles have already dented Korean exports in May to both the US and China, while exports to the EU have increased. Trump’s threats to increase some tariffs to 50% adds further pressure. Lee condemned these measures and signaled his intention to coordinate more closely with similarly affected partners—especially the EU and Japan—to develop joint responses or push for reform. For European firms, such alignment could lead to better outcomes.

Korean firms are increasingly setting their sights on the European market. Investments for example in the battery and electric vehicles (EV) sector could increase, helping European companies to de-risk their supply chains from Chinese inputs in these sectors. A notable example is the seven-year agreement between Samsung SDI and Hyundai Motor, under which Samsung will supply prismatic batteries for Hyundai's European EVs from 2026 to 2032. These batteries featuring high nickel NCA cathodes and silicon-based anodes will be manufactured at Samsung SDI's Hungary plant, enhancing Europe's EV supply chain resilience.

Defense is another promising area. Lee upholds South Korea’s longstanding bipartisan commitment to treating the defense sector as an engine of industrial growth. His administration is expected to boost funding for military R&D, strengthen public-private coordination, and expand international partnerships. With Korean defense exports rising and European rearmament underway, there is clear potential for joint production, co-development, and technology transfer in both directions.

Lee’s green energy ambitions—particularly in offshore wind—create another opportunity for European businesses. Recent auctions for up to 8 GW of offshore wind capacity, including major projects by Copenhagen Offshore Partners and Equinor, offer European firms new avenues for investment and collaboration. Thos are already active in Korea’s wind sector and stand to benefit from increased public offerings.