Presidential Character analysis on Moon Jae In's tendencies in exercising public diplomacy

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.