Cheong Wa Dae pushed back against an op-ed in the U.S. outlet the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) by figures from the American conservative camp who referred to the Lee Jae-myung administration as "hard-left" and voiced concern about a weakening of the U.S.-Korea alliance.
On the 1st (local time), Nicholas Eberstadt, a researcher at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Lawrence Peck, an adviser to the U.S.-based North Korea Freedom Coalition, ran a column on the WSJ website titled "Korea shifts to a hard-left line against America."
In the column, they argued that the U.S.-Korea alliance faces a dual challenge from not only the unpredictable administration of Donald Trump but also the "recklessness of a hard-left government" in Korea.
In response, Cheong Wa Dae contributed a rebuttal to the WSJ under the headline "The Republic of Korea remains a 'model ally.'"
On the 5th (local time), Choi Seong-a, Cheong Wa Dae's secretary for foreign media, said in the WSJ op-ed, "(The column) seriously misreads the Republic of Korea, its democratically elected government, and the strength of the U.S.-Korea alliance."
Choi added, "It confuses political differences of opinion with institutional decline and confuses routine diplomacy with fundamental change in the alliance." Choi went on, "Such claims do not reflect today's reality in the Republic of Korea and risk undermining confidence in one of America's closest allies."
Choi also noted, "The facts are the opposite," explaining, "Since its launch, the Lee Jae-myung administration has worked closely to strengthen and modernize the alliance with the United States and has expanded cooperation in security, economic resilience, advanced technology, and strategic industries."
Choi said, "Korea is contributing to America's industrial renewal through investment in the United States, strengthening both countries' technological competitiveness, and taking on greater responsibility for our joint defense," adding, "Korea has emerged, as senior U.S. officials have said, as a 'model ally.'"
Choi said, "The U.S.-Korea alliance remains strong and essential to both countries," and added, "The Republic of Korea is firmly committed to constitutional order, to its alliance with the United States, and to the values and interests that have sustained this relationship for decades, and there should be no doubt about this."