McFate Quoted in The Korea Herald Article on NATO’s Pressure on China and Its Impact on South Korea

July 26, 2024

The Korea Herald

Sean McFate

Maxwell in Washington, D.C.

China

Conflict

East Asia

Global Governance

NATO

The Korea Herald

Sean McFate

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's joint declaration issued recently in Washington signaled a change from the Western military alliance's traditional focus on Russia with its rare open rebuke of China, calling it a “decisive enabler” of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Experts caution that South Korea could face increasing pressure from China, given its trade dependence on the Asian superpower, which accounts for roughly 20 percent of its total exports.

“NATO’s priorities and the business community's priorities are not well aligned in Europe, North America or South Korea,” says Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs.

“NATO strategists are not nuanced in regard to the financial implications of their decisions, and this friction between military versus economic interests will continue to cause problems,” McFate says.

Read more in The Korea Herald article, “NATO ramps up pressure on China. What does it mean to South Korea?”