Agenda at the coming ROK-US summit

The South Korean public is hoping for progress in the issue of COVID-19 vaccine supply from the upcoming ROK-U.S. summit scheduled in May. Seven out of 10 people believe that the South Korean president should directly discuss vaccine supply with U.S.-based companies.

According to the Federation of Korean Industries’ survey of 1,004 adults across the nation on the expectations about the ROK-U.S. summit, 71.7 percent of respondents chose “direct communication with U.S. companies in the private sector to secure vaccines” as the priority of President Moon Jae-in’s visit to the U.S. for the summit.

In addition, respondents answered that “vaccine swap” is the most important achievement to be made by South Korea from the upcoming summit, followed by the “current issues between South Korea and Japan,” “economy,” “North Korea issues,” and the “reinforcement of alliance.”

Regarding the economic issues between South Korea and the U.S., the highest number of respondents answered that South Korea should look after its practical economic benefits in the midst of conflicts between the U.S. and China. To be specific, 41.7 percent of respondents chose the option of “leveraging an opportunity to reexamine the U.S.’s key component supply chains, including semiconductors and batteries, and securing practical economic benefits.” Other answers include in the following order of popularity: “building 5G telecommunication technology alliance with other technologically-advanced countries sharing democratic values,” “abolishing former President Donald Trump’s trade restriction measures and recovering damage of South Korean companies,” and “securing opportunities for South Korean companies in accordance with President Joe Biden’s policy to strengthen Indo-Pacific infrastructure.”


Do-Young Kwak now@donga.com