[Gangnam Perspective] The Iran war puts 'pragmatic diplomacy' to the test

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the only non-Asia-Pacific country in the world invited to last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, held in late October in Gyeongju. Although the UAE is not an APEC member, President Lee Jae Myung extended a special invitation to Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. In return for the Crown Prince’s visit to Seoul, President Lee chose the UAE as the destination of his first state visit, traveling there less than two weeks after the APEC summit ended.
When President Lee paid his state visit to the UAE, leading South Korean business figures such as Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, and Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, accompanied him in large numbers. While in the UAE, President Lee also held a summit meeting with Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), President of the United Arab Emirates. The two sides succeeded in forging cooperation in the energy sector, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the defense industry.
Barely half a year later, the diplomatic achievements between the two countries are proving their worth amid the unexpected backdrop of the Iran war. As the Strait of Hormuz faces a blockade and the world grapples with an energy supply emergency, South Korea has secured a pledge from the UAE for priority delivery of up to 24 million barrels of crude oil. This has given South Korea breathing room in energy supplies at a time when fears of a third oil shock originating in the Middle East are mounting. Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office, personally led this diplomatic operation to secure crude oil supplies. Beyond oil, the UAE was also the first country in the region to provide a chartered aircraft to help evacuate Korean nationals.
The Iran war has highlighted the importance of diplomatic capability across the Middle East. Cho Hyun, South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs, personally called the foreign ministers of key Middle Eastern countries one by one to request assistance in evacuating Korean nationals. Thanks in part to these efforts, the South Korean government successfully completed "Operation Desert Shine," which brought home Korean citizens who had gathered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) aboard a Republic of Korea Air Force (ROK Air Force) transport aircraft dispatched on short notice.
There was an unexpected setback when Korean nationals inside Iran attempted to evacuate via neighboring Turkmenistan: Iranian family members traveling with them, except for the Korean nationals themselves, were initially denied permission to cross the border. However, diplomatic channels were activated immediately, and the issue was resolved.
The South Korean government has also kept its distance in the recent war of nerves between the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Republic of Korea and the Embassy of Israel in the Republic of Korea, refraining from taking sides. The Iranian Embassy in Seoul even hung a banner on its outer wall displaying a photograph of the late leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei and messages denouncing the injustice of the war. Yet the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea did not publicly move to stop it. This stance appears to reflect concern for some 180 Korean crew members still stranded on 26 South Korean vessels trapped in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as dozens of Korean families in Iran who have yet to make it out.
Another major concern for the South Korean government is the high likelihood that President Donald Trump will pressure South Korea and other allies to provide rear-area and logistical support if the Iran war drags on. The government is about to enter sensitive negotiations with the Trump administration over issues such as a nuclear-powered submarine, uranium enrichment, and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. Follow-up trade talks also lie ahead, not just security discussions. If Seoul refuses President Trump’s demands, it risks facing serious repercussions.
In such a complex international environment, what is needed is precisely the kind of flexible diplomacy that the Lee Jae Myung administration has been advocating. The Iran war has become the most critical test case for the pragmatic diplomacy that President Lee is trying to pursue.
The South Korean government is coordinating its diplomatic response with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states and Japan. While jointly criticizing Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul is also watching the reaction from the White House very carefully. At the same time, some countries are engaging in quiet mediation between the United States of America (U.S.) and Iran. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Oman, and the Republic of Türkiye are reportedly conducting behind-the-scenes shuttle diplomacy between the two sides.
Fortunately, Iran does not regard South Korea—an ally of the U.S.—as a hostile state. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Islamic Republic of Iran remains open despite fears of airstrikes. It is one of only four remaining diplomatic missions in Iran representing Western-aligned countries. Most European nations, along with neutral Switzerland, have already withdrawn their embassies from Tehran. It will not be easy, but South Korea should at least explore a creative diplomatic mediation strategy that allows it to avoid being dragged directly into the Iran war while still maintaining strong ties with its ally, the U.S.
rainman@fnnews.com Reporter