Park Geun Hye on Iran

Park Geun Hye's engagement with Iran centered on a historic state visit in May 2016, marking the first time a South Korean president traveled to Tehran. This trip was designed to capitalize on the lifting of international sanctions against Iran, offering South Korean firms significant opportunities for business, trade, and investment, particularly in infrastructure and technology sectors. She was accompanied by a large delegation of over 230 business leaders, and the visit culminated in the signing of 19 memoranda of understanding aimed at boosting bilateral relations across various fields, including science, technology, and ICT.

Simultaneously, the president used the economic leverage to address her core foreign policy concern: North Korea's nuclear activities. Park sought a commitment from Tehran to cease any involvement in prohibited weapons programs, noting Iran's own navigation of international nuclear negotiations. While Iranian President Hassan Rouhani voiced principled opposition to nuclear development on the Korean Peninsula, Park acknowledged the limits of applying the Iranian resolution model directly to the North, indicating a pragmatic, dual-track approach of economic partnership conditional on security cooperation.