South Korean presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo on Oct. 27 made a series of pledges to transform South Korean diplomacy if elected, as as the country gears up for its presidential election in March 2022. Hong pledged “Korea First” policies, such as building a nuclear sharing program between South Korea and the United States, abolishing the “Three No’s” commitment to China, and other campaign conventions on security, national defense, and foreign policy. “South Korea is now isolated due to its disoriented diplomacy,” Hong said in a press conference held in Seoul on Oct. 27. “The Moon Jae-in government demonstrates no consistent principle in the intensified strategic competition between the United States and China. Its ‘walking on tightrope diplomacy’ has been carried out under the banner of strategic ambiguity.” “As a result, both China and the United States have lost trust, leading to a diplomatic dilemma. At the same time, in domestic …