SEOUL, Kim Sung-han, a former top security aide, on Friday suggested that South Korea should develop an "economic extended deterrence" mechanism with the United States. This proposal aims to guard against possible economic coercion by third countries, especially in the context of escalating tensions between the U.S. and China.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim, who served as the first national security adviser under the Yoon Suk Yeol government until March, presented his views at an online forum organized by the Chey Institute of Advanced Studies. He emphasized that the U.S.-China strategic rivalry extends into technological and economic dimensions, particularly in defining the standards for the fourth industrial revolution.
Citing China's economic retaliation against South Korea in 2016 over the deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile defense system, Kim asserted the necessity for an extended deterrence mechanism in the economic realm. This would involve using anti-coercion instruments, such as strengthening supply chain resilience, as a form of punitive action against economic coercion.
"Realistically, the U.S. may be the only country possessing this kind of policy option," Kim stated, urging both the U.S. and South Korea to institute a robust economic extended deterrence mechanism.
He also recommended broadening this approach to include like-minded nations, specifically mentioning Japan, to enhance the Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance on a regional and global scale.