The signing was done during Mr. Yoon’s three-day visit to London, which began on Nov. 20.
The accord is seen as strengthening the defense alliance in coping with North Korea’s nuclear menace and China’s threat to invade Taiwan. The agreement affirms the two countries’ shared positions regarding various regional security challenges worldwide.
The South Korean president raised how many regional security risks, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israeli-Hamas war, the growing ties between North Korea and Russia, and the tensions in the South China Sea, are pushing South Korea’s security cooperation with the United States, the U.K., and Australia closer.
The Indo-Pacific region, according to Mr. Yoon, consists of several geopolitical risks to the security of South Korea, such as North Korea’s nuclear weapon program and China’s threat to invade Taiwan.
Mr. Yoon’s comments in the U.K. have angered the Chinese regime, with Mao Ning, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, saying that China “does not need to be told what to do or what not to do” and that South Korea is not a party to the South China Sea issue.
In April, Mr. Yoon criticized the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the first time on the Taiwan issue and openly opposed any attempt by the CCP to change the status quo by military force.
“The Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan but, like the issue of North Korea, it is a global issue,” he said.
Under the Downing Street Accord, the South Korea-U.K. relationship will be upgraded from the current “broad and creative partnership” to a “global strategic partnership”.
Observers have noted that it is rare for South Korea to upgrade its bilateral relationship with a country other than its ally, the United States, in the form of an agreement.
The agreement also included a shared position on the issues regarding South Korea’s regional security, such as the nuclear threat from the North Korean regime, as well as on the situation in Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, and the Middle East.
Part of the new accord is a defense agreement that will see both nations jointly enforce United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on North Korea (DPRK) for the first time, which will target North Korea’s maritime smuggling.
In addition, the two countries announced that they will focus on improving the existing South Korea-UK Free Trade Agreement by signing a memorandum of understanding on semiconductor manufacturing and cooperation.
The closer cooperation between South Korea and the U.K. reflects a convergence of interests between the two countries in terms of the United States-led Indo-Pacific strategy.
In the context of regional instability and escalating confrontation between the United States and China, the two countries agree that it is more important than ever for the U.K. to strengthen cooperation with South Korea.
When addressing the British Parliament on Nov. 21, Mr. Yoon said that during the Korean War, the U.K. sent troops to fight to protect South Korea’s freedom. The spirit of sacrifice of the British troops will remain in the memory of South Koreans forever, he said and read out the names of a number of soldiers who fought in the war as a token of appreciation.
The U.K. sent 90,000 troops to fight communist North Korea’s invasion in the Korean War and was the second-largest military in the Allied forces after the United States.
Regarding current world affairs, Mr. Yoon stressed that peace could not be maintained on its own and that South Korea will work with the U.K. and the international community to “confront aggression and provocations and to uphold international norms and order".
“We will make concerted efforts to consolidate political and economic security in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Mr. Yoon.
