In its recently released global pivotal state initiative, South Korea declared it will actively promote “freedom, peace and prosperity” in the Indo-Pacific, adding the “prosperity” component to the U.S.-led drive for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” Regarding the de facto diplomatic manifesto of the Yoon Suk Yeol government, Jagannath Panda and I pointed out that the Yoon administration has shifted from the “structural ambiguity” of the previous Moon Jae-in administration to “strategic clarity” (see The Diplomat on Jan. 16, 2023 and Jan. 27, 2023) in navigating the increasingly intensifying U.S.-China rivalry. The Yoon government has clearly aligned with the U.S.-initiated Indo-Pacific construct but does not intend to decouple completely from China.