Shifting Geopolitics Prompt South Korea to Mull Reasserting Its Place in the World

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to the United States (which started on April 24) highlights his initiative to move the country from a passive to a more active international policy role. Despite ranking as the 10th largest economy by GDP in 2022, South Korea has long played a relatively low-key role in international politics and security. Seoul has instead largely focused on its domestic security (i.e., the threat from North Korea) and allowed the strength of the U.S. regional security presence to focus its attention inward on domestic economics. Yoon's first year in office marked a change in direction for the South Korean government, one that exceeded the initiatives of earlier conservative leaders but has not been without its challenges regionally and at home....