Remarks by President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, on foreign policy have sparked controversies recently.

In his Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15, Yoon stressed the importance of unification, saying Korea's independence is incomplete as long as the division continues. The problem is that he said, "The freedom that we enjoy should be expanded to the North Korean region," thus making it clear that he aims for unification by absorption.

Kim made his remarks in a television interview. When talking about Yoon's failure to mention the issue of Japan's past history in the Liberation Day speech, he showed that he had no intention of demanding an apology from Japan, saying, "When we pressure someone who does not feel inclined to do so to apologize, does that truly help Korea-Japan relations and cooperation?"

Leaving controversies aside, there are serious issues in managing diplomatic messages, which require careful review and reflection.

Effective review can be possible by identifying some principles or guidelines in diplomatic messages. The primary tenet of diplomatic messages is to demonstrate a firm commitment to protecting vital national interests, because diplomacy is about maximizing the national interest. The second point is to convey to the other party the willingness to negotiate.

Stressing national interest is one thing; supporting diplomacy is another. Maintaining a prudent attitude is the third most crucial guideline.

There are many audiences of a different nature in a diplomatic situation, unlike in domestic politics. There are the governments of the negotiating partners, and there are domestic citizens. Diplomats who are third parties are also an important audience. Those audience groups usually have contrasting positions, so if the diplomatic message loses its sense of balance, it leads to an unintended provocation of one or two other groups. Therefore, diplomatic messages must be cautious, and confidentiality and consistency must also be considered.

The fourth guideline is that governments should keep their real goals private.

In diplomatic negotiations, priorities can always change according to the given situation. In many cases, the negotiator might hide sensitive goals as much as possible. Transparency and fairness are secondary factors because expanding national interests is a more critical element in diplomacy.

Fifth, be nice to the press. In diplomatic negotiations, public opinion is crucial. It can be an effective tool to pressure one's counterpart if the public opinion of the other country or third-party countries is cooperative. Diplomats must build trust with journalists through various contacts, including briefings. If the press does not cooperate, negotiations will inevitably occur under unfavorable conditions.

Using these principles, we can understand why there is so much controversy about the messages from Yoon and Kim.

It is natural for people to raise the issue of Yoon's failure to mention Japan's history. It is in Korea's core interest that his speech include a message calling for an attitude of self-reflection from Japan. Kim said there is no need to mention it, saying that Japan's feelings are what matters. The remarks result from failing to distinguish between Korea's and Japan's national interests.

It is the responsibility of Japan's diplomats to take care of Japan's feelings. Korean diplomats should take care of Koreans' feelings.

It is necessary to recognize that if Korean diplomats put the feelings of Japan or the Japanese first, it would be an act of malfeasance in office or betrayal. The presidential office says Korea should also treat Japan with confidence, but there is no need to give more confidence to Japan, which avoids apology and self-reflection. Instead, it is reasonable for South Korea to use policies based on confidence with North Korea, which has about 80 times less economic power than the South.

Yoon's statement that freedom should spread to North Korea is in the opposite direction from the principle of the diplomatic message, which calls for showing a willingness to negotiate. As North Korea is not a liberal democracy but a totalitarian regime, his remarks can be understood as openly expressing contempt for North Korea and denial of its existence. If so, it is rational to assume that North Korea has no reason to come to the negotiating table where its existence is denied. It is not a proposal to negotiate but a demand for the North to give in.

The president also made remarks about "antiunification" and "anti-state" forces. Expressing hatred against the anti-government camp was a mean political tool that military dictators in the past mobilized to suppress people who were critical when an administration lacked adequate legitimacy. It is embarrassing to hear that the Korean people, whose democracy is globally recognized as strong in 2024, are associated with phenomena of politically underdeveloped nations. It is deplorable in that it can lead to the loss of domestic support and cooperation by encouraging division rather than national unity, which is most necessary in diplomacy.

Yoon's explicit expression of his intention to achieve absorption-based unification violates the guideline that "real goals should be hidden." It is hard to imagine North Korea cooperating with this unification plan in a way that it collapses. The North will be able to show some interest only when the unification is carried out with formal equality.

Yoon is not complying with the guideline to be kind to the media either.

He last gave press briefings a long time ago. Without press briefings, it is difficult for the public to express support and cooperation. On the contrary, the public's growing skepticism will lead to more misunderstandings.

It is necessary to reiterate again that the national interest can be maximized via parallel efforts of diplomacy and security, and diplomacy can only succeed with the help of people.

Wang Son-taek

Wang Son-taek is an adjunct professor at Sogang University. He is a former diplomatic correspondent at YTN and a former research associate at Yeosijae. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. -- Ed.