Abstract:
Ever since he entered the presidential office, President Moon Jae In showed his
tendencies in resorting to public diplomacy when addressing problems that
affects South Korea's national interests. He leaned on public diplomacy when
addressing threats to South Korea's good name as well as threats to the country's
territorial and economic safety. His successful exercise of public diplomacy has
been a well-studied subject in the field of International Relations, but not many
has seen how it is linked to him as a person of politics, as a president. This
research aims to answer the question; 'how does President Moon Jae In’s
Presidential Character explain his tendencies towards exercising successful
public diplomacy?' by looking at South Korea's public diplomacy during Moon
Jae In's presidential term from 2017 to 2022. Through a qualitative
psychobiography research and by utilising James Barber's Presidential Character
Analysis, this research goes through President Moon Jae In's childhood, early
career, until his presidency to see what type of a president he is and how it reflects his constant resort to public diplomacy. This research found that President Moon Jae In falls into the passive-positive type of Presidential Character that explains his need of being loved and agreeable. This further explains his tendency to proceed with peaceful measures to achieve South Korea's national interests,
reflected in how he addressed North Korea's nuclear threats by collaborating with
Kim Jong Un on the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in 2018 and other
peaceful occasions, and how he addressed China's economic threats towards
South Korea through similar peaceful measures. This research is written to
contribute to the study of political psychology and see how the personality of
political leaders affects the formulation of foreign policy.
