South Korea unlikely to join Quad at Tokyo summit

New Delhi, May 13

The four-country Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is unlikely to enroll South Korea as the fifth member at its upcoming summit in Tokyo, said sources here.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has expressed interest in associating itself with the Quad but the immediate priority of the Quad is to move ahead with its priorities outlined at the earlier in-person summit of US President Joe Biden and PMs Narendra Modi, Scott Morrison and Fumio Kishida.

The buzz around South Korea may have increased because Biden plans to first visit Seoul and then head for the Quad summit in Japan on May 23, they added. The US has also been lukewarm towards Seoul joining Quad despite excellent bilateral ties that include a huge permanent deployment of American troops on South Korean soil. “There are many ways that we engage with South Korea. It’s an incredibly important partnership, relationship. But the Quad will remain the Quad,’’ the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said earlier this month.

The previous South Korean President Moon Jae-in was more circumspect about joining the Quad, whose undeclared aim is to counter China’s growing influence in the maritime space, technological advancement and infrastructure building in developing countries..

Sources said the South Korean President too has hedged his statement about joining the Quad. He had said that were Seoul to get an invitation, it “will positively review joining’’.

On Biden’s touchdown in Seoul before visiting Tokyo, Psaki had asked the media not to “over-read into that’’ but said more will be revealed as the date of the visit gets nearer.

President Yoon has already denied Japanese media reports that he had been invited to attend the Quad summit as an observer. Japan too has said it has not received any request as mentioned in the media report.