South Korea's Lee Jae-Myung Leads Multilateral Push Amid US-China Rivalry

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is actively positioning South Korea as a key player amid rising global economic nationalism and geopolitical tensions, emphasizing multilateral cooperation to stabilize the world economy and advocating for pragmatic, interest-driven diplomacy. Hosting both US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Lee faces the challenge of balancing South Korea's traditional alliance with the US and its vital economic ties to China, reflecting the country's strategic dilemma caught between two superpowers. Lee warns against repeating historical mistakes of losing sovereignty amid great power rivalries, highlighting South Korea's evolution into a G-20 economy with significant technological and cultural influence yet aspiring to greater regional leadership. Meanwhile, unresolved historical issues from Korea's division in 1945 continue to impede lasting peace on the peninsula, with experts suggesting that only a neutral mediator can effectively address these deep-rooted conflicts beyond symbolic summits. South Korea’s foreign policy under Lee is marked by a shift away from ideologically driven diplomacy toward a pragmatic approach focused on national interest, aiming to enhance its role in regional and global affairs, particularly within the Indo-Pacific framework.