Yesterday, the US’s nearly four-year strategic plot in Northeast Asia seemed on the verge of collapse, all within a single day.

After yesterday’s article was published, numerous comments flooded in, all essentially conveying the same message: “Let’s continue discussing South Korea today.” Kudos to our readers for their insightful feedback! They’ve hit the nail on the head. Who would have guessed that the U.S., after nearly four years of meticulous strategic planning in Northeast Asia, saw its grand scheme on the verge of collapse within a single day. How can we tell? Just look at Japan’s reaction. Upon learning of Lee Jae-myung’s election as South Korea’s president, the Japanese have been visibly uneasy. After all, Lee is known for his tough stance against Japan—no way he’d bow to the Japanese flag like Yoon Suk-yeol did. Japanese media has been urging the government to stay alert, warning that Lee’s critical view of Japan could spell trouble. They’re also pushing Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to call Lee ASAP to at least confirm a working relationship. Meanwhile, Japanese officials, like the Foreign Ministry, are monitoring the situation closely, though their statements are veiled. But those in the know understand that Lee’s no pushover on issues like WWII laborers and comfort women. Some even bluntly say that avoiding landmines triggered by historical disputes is crucial between Japan and Korea.

Why the tension in Japan over Lee’s rise? It’s all tied to a massive, bloody, and cunning geopolitical game that began four years ago. Let’s rewind to a bizarre incident in Seoul on July 9th of that year: Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon went missing. The city government announced he was unwell and had canceled his schedule, but he didn’t rest at home. Instead, he left alone. Surveillance showed him in black, masked and capped, leaving the mayor’s residence at 10:44 a.m., taking a taxi to Wolmyeong Park at 10:53 a.m., then hiking up the mountain before vanishing. His daughter reported him missing that afternoon, and a massive search ensued. His body was found in the mountains in the early hours of the 10th. The police ruled it a suicide.

Why start with Park’s death? He wasn’t just any mayor—he was seen as then-President Moon Jae-in’s successor. They were classmates and had a respectful professional relationship. Park was a key supporter of Moon, and in South Korea, he was renowned for his integrity and achievements, making him a likely 2022 presidential candidate. His sudden death was a huge blow to Moon. Grooming a successor is tough—you might back the wrong person, and even if you don’t, it takes time to build their reputation. Park’s death left Moon in a tight spot, with no time to cultivate a successor as South Korea headed into the presidential election cycle.

Here’s how South Korea’s presidential elections work: political parties spend months competing and整合 internally, then nominate a candidate. Park’s death happened when Moon’s Democratic Party had already settled on him. His passing meant the party had to start over, risking internal strife or even splits, which would have doomed them in the 2022 election. But then, miraculously, Moon put aside his differences and backed Lee Jae-myung from an opposing faction. Despite past tensions—Lee’s wife was linked to a social media account criticizing Moon, and Lee was close to a Democratic Party rival—Moon’s magnanimity in supporting Lee was admirable. Lee’s administrative achievements as the mayor of Seongnam City also played a role.

From this, it’s clear Park’s death was no ordinary event. Had Moon not intervened, the Democratic Party might have fragmented. This was a ruthless move. After Lee was nominated, the 2022 election began, but another shocking twist emerged. Besides Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee, there was Ahn Cheol-soo. The political landscape was divided into two camps: Lee on one side, and Yoon and Ahn on the other. Initially, Lee wasn’t taken seriously as a last-minute candidate, but he proved formidable, with polls showing his approval ratings nearly 10% higher than Yoon’s. Yoon even lost confidence, temporarily halting his campaign in January 2022. Many thought Lee would win.

But in a dramatic turn, as voting began, Ahn suddenly withdrew, urging his supporters to back Yoon. With over 10% support, Ahn’s move was critical. Yoon won by a slim margin of 0.73%. Without Ahn’s withdrawal, Yoon would have lost.

It’s evident that both Park’s death and Ahn’s withdrawal were orchestrated by a powerful behind-the-scenes force. Without it, Yoon would never have become president. The effects of these moves soon showed: Yoon, the most pro-American figure in South Korea in decades, took office. But why install Yoon? What dark motives were at play? Soon after, the third strategic move began: the U.S. rushed to reorganize the U.S.-Japan-South Korea relationship. Some might ask: aren’t Japan and South Korea both U.S. allies? Why integrate? The answer lies in the U.S.’s past actions. Over decades, the U.S. maintained a strange relationship with Japan and South Korea: using Japan to check South Korea and vice versa, preventing unity and keeping the U.S. in a dominant position. But by 2022, with China’s rise, the old game was unsustainable. The U.S. needed to unify Japan and South Korea to counter the pressure. Yet, in this partnership, the U.S. had already decided who would lead.

Once in office, Yoon made a series of unprecedented moves. His first call was to Biden, where he proposed expanding THAAD, semiconductor restrictions on China, and importing U.S. nuclear weapons. He also altered the order of countries in his statements to “Korea-Japan-China,” placing China after Japan. Later, he made reckless remarks on sensitive topics like the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea, areas previous presidents had avoided. His obsequious behavior toward Japan was striking. During a 2022 visit to Japan, Yoon bowed to the Japanese flag at a welcoming ceremony where the Japanese had strategically placed their flag in front of the media, obscuring South Korea’s.

This wasn’t a minor issue given South Korea’s strong anti-Japanese sentiment. The Japanese Prime Minister even arranged for Yoon to dine at a restaurant named “Renbaten,” a clear provocation given South Korea’s Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae).

These incidents indicate a significant shift in the U.S.-Japan-South Korea relationship. After over 70 years of independence, South Korea seemed to be submitting to Japan again. Lee Jae-myung even accused Yoon of becoming “Japan’s servant.”

These events, while generating public buzz, were minor试探 without substantive action—more like public sentiment tests. Once the U.S. deemed the testing phase sufficient, it made its fourth strategic move: shifting from symbolic gestures to tangible efforts to unify Japan and South Korea, in a rather domineering fashion. Previously, the U.S. acted as a patron to both, but now South Korea was expected to bow to Japan, demoting from a son to a grandson in the U.S.’s hierarchy. Would South Koreans accept this? Unlikely. So the U.S. employed two strategies. First, it granted South Korea a sense of dignity while subtly downgrading its status. In March 2022, Yoon received a week-long U.S. visit invitation. Biden spent nearly 80 minutes in talks with him, emphasizing the U.S.-South Korea alliance, signed the “Washington Declaration,” and arranged for Yoon to address a joint U.S. Congress session and attend a state dinner. Yoon even sang “American Pie” to Biden’s delight. Biden playfully patted Yoon on the shoulder, saying, “I didn’t know you could sing, did I?”

Yoon was thrilled! After this face-saving gesture, the U.S. revealed its true intentions: demanding South Korea obey Japan. On August 18, 2022, Biden convened a Camp David meeting with Kishida and Yoon, declaring progress in trilateral military and economic ties. Biden’s goal was achieved: integrating the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-South Korea relationships under one framework.This marked a seismic shift in Northeast Asia: the U.S. became South Korea’s military ally, remained Japan’s ally, and South Korea became Japan’s ally. In any Northeast Asian incident, South Korea would have to heed Japan’s directives, even without U.S. approval, effectively becoming Japan’s junior partner. With the four strategic moves completed and the framework established, the next phase focused on smoothing out the integration. Discussions revolved around military collaboration, intelligence coordination, and even rumors of a “secretariat” to fill the gaps.

However, in December last year, Yoon, emboldened by U.S. support, attempted to issue a martial law decree to eliminate rivals. The attempt backfired, leading to his impeachment and a halt to the strategic plan. Now, with Lee Jae-myung’s election as South Korea’s president, the implications for Northeast Asia are profound.

Lee Jae-myung is well aware of Biden’s machinations against Park Won-soon and himself. Once in office, Lee would never embrace Biden’s agenda, follow Yoon’s footsteps, and continue as Japan’s junior partner. Moreover, Biden is no longer in power and is battling cancer, making the circumstances a far cry from the past. Currently, Trump is in the White House, a bitter rival of Biden’s who holds utter disdain for Biden’s policies. There is no possibility of continuation.

Consider today’s White House press briefing. A journalist asked the spokesperson for comments on South Korea’s presidential election outcome. Previously, even if the spokesperson had no knowledge of the matter, they would have extended congratulations and emphasized the unbreakable U.S.-South Korea alliance. However, this time, the spokesperson candidly replied, “No comment.” What does this detail reveal? The grand strategy that Biden painstakingly crafted over the past four years has been shattered overnight. Four years of meticulous planning, reduced to ruins in a single day! One can only wonder what thoughts cross Biden’s mind as he lies in his sickbed, witnessing this turn of events in South Korea. Is it a sense of helplessness, agony, or something else entirely?

This situation inevitably reminds me of the saying: “By being overly cunning, one may outsmart themselves and meet their demise.” Who could have anticipated that Yoon Suk-yeol would lose his mind and issue a martial law decree? Who could have foreseen that South Korean lawmakers would storm the National Assembly to revoke his order? Sometimes, one must acknowledge that a nation possesses a certain destiny! When a great fortune arrives, it seems as though heaven itself is on our side!