South Korean leader Yoon gets warm welcome from a divided US Congress

WASHINGTON – South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol rose to the presidency making the case for closer ties with the United States. On Thursday, he took his case to US lawmakers – and found a receptive audience.

In a speech that offered a summary of ties, he asked for even closer security cooperation and highlighted deep economic connections. He drew repeated standing ovations from lawmakers in a closely divided Congress with references to “great American heroes” from the Korean War and promises of closer relations.

It was the first speech to a joint session of Congress by a South Korean leader in a decade, and it came at a fortuitous time. Anti-China sentiment is running high on both sides of the aisle in the US, and South Korea is seen as an important ally as China grows more assertive.

“Korea is committed to fostering a ‘free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific’” based on “inclusiveness, trust and reciprocity,” he said. “We will strengthen the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific,” he said, picking up on one of the Biden administration’s favourite catchphrases for how governments should work with one another.

Mr Yoon delivered remarks that were tailored to the audience, citing US investments by South Korean companies Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics after opening the speech with a Cliffs-Notes version of the history of US-South Korea relations.

He cited the soft-power influence of K-Pop superstar groups Blackpink and BTS, and added that Top Gun and The Avengers are loved by South Koreans. 

“I hope to see more economic cooperation in other parts of America,” he said. “In this regard, I count on your keen interest and support.”

The speech capped a visit that lets Mr Yoon go home with a public relations coup. The centrepiece was a defence agreement that will give South Korea a greater say in how America deploys its nuclear umbrella, along with assurances that it would be used to retaliate against a North Korean strike. 

But he was busy in other spheres too, meeting Mr Elon Musk, offering tax breaks if the billionaire builds a Tesla auto factory there.

Mr Yoon is hoping the US agreement will appease some lawmakers back home who have argued for South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons. Assurances of a close US partnership may also help some of his opponents move past a US intelligence leak – allegedly by a 21-year-old American airman – that exposed some South Korean secrets.

He is also seeking to shore up South Korea’s economy, which came close to a recession at the start of 2023, as well as give a boost to his low popularity ratings. 

Samsung is building a semiconductor foundry in Texas, and Hyundai plans for an electric-vehicle plant in Georgia, with other conglomerates also increasing their investment as the US ramps up subsidies for companies creating jobs and setting up manufacturing facilities in the country.

The speech, like the rest of the visit, glossed over points of contention. Mr Yoon still has not explicitly offered to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine. Nor did he bring up concern among South Korean businesses about US demands to disclose sensitive business information in return for subsidies.

But it was also a signal that the two sides have moved past the strains of the previous administration, when former US president Donald Trump demanded South Korea pay more to host US troops.

While the deterrence agreement was the most consequential moment of the visit, the most memorable may be what happened during a state dinner held in Mr Yoon’s honour at the White House on Wednesday night. Then, he sang a few lines from American singer Don McLean’s American Pie and was given a guitar signed by the singer.

“The next state dinner we’re going to have, you’re looking at the entertainment,” US President Joe Biden said. “I had no damn idea you could sing.” BLOOMBERG