Can South Korea move from G7 guest to member?

President Lee Jae Myung’s appearance at this year’s Group of Seven summit has revived a longstanding question in South Korean diplomacy: Can the country move beyond being a guest and become part of an expanded G7 framework?

Lee returned from Europe on Thursday after attending the summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, as an invited leader, holding talks with major counterparts and meeting US President Donald Trump.

The trip showed how far South Korea’s diplomatic profile has risen, but also made clear the limits of its current status.

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South Korea is currently not a member of the G7 and participates only when invited by the host nation. Although guest leaders attend summit sessions and bilateral meetings, the group’s core deliberations remain reserved for its seven members: the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada.

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That reality has fueled renewed discussion in Seoul about whether South Korea should pursue membership in an expanded G7 framework, particularly as some policymakers and scholars argue that changes in the global order are creating new opportunities for reform.

“I felt South Korea’s elevated status,” Lee said Friday while briefing reporters on the outcome of his 10-day European trip and G7 participation.

The president highlighted his conversations with Trump and other leaders, portraying South Korea as an increasingly important partner in global economic and security issues.

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Yet diplomatic symbolism and institutional membership remain different matters.

From G7 to G7 Plus?

The idea of expanding the G7 is not new.

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During his first term, Trump proposed broadening the group to include countries such as South Korea, Australia and India, arguing that the existing framework no longer adequately reflected geopolitical realities.

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While the proposal never advanced, discussions about reforming the G7 have resurfaced amid growing concerns that existing global governance institutions are struggling to address major international challenges.

A recent report by Ha Kyoung-seok, an associate research fellow at the Seoul-based Institute for National Security Strategy, argues that the current international environment may be creating favorable conditions for renewed expansion discussions.

“The strategy for participation in a G7 Plus framework has emerged as a timely and strategic task for South Korean diplomacy,” Ha wrote.

According to the report, the traditional G7 faces growing structural constraints, including “a lack of representativeness, weakening policy cohesion and limits to policy effectiveness.”

Ha argues that a G7 Plus model — incorporating select middle powers while preserving the group’s efficiency — could help address those shortcomings.

“G7 Plus refers to an attempt to add selected middle powers to the G7’s cooperative framework in order to preserve efficiency while supplementing representativeness and capacity,” he wrote.

The report cites Korea and Australia as leading candidates frequently mentioned in expansion discussions due to their democratic systems, economic capabilities and contributions to global governance.

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“If South Korea joins G7 Plus, it could stand shoulder to shoulder with advanced countries as a co-architect of global governance norms and further consolidate its status as a global responsible power,” Ha said.

Why supporters believe Korea qualifies

Supporters of Korea’s inclusion argue that the country’s credentials increasingly match those of existing G7 members.

South Korea is one of the world’s largest economies, a leading exporter, and a key player in strategic industries ranging from semiconductors and batteries to shipbuilding and defense manufacturing.

It is also one of the few nations to have achieved both a population exceeding 50 million and per capita income above $30,000.

Several US policy institutions have also argued that South Korea’s strategic value has grown significantly amid intensifying competition between Washington and Beijing.

According to Ha’s report, Korea has demonstrated strengths in several areas that have become central to recent G7 agendas, including supply-chain resilience, digital security and climate-related policy implementation.

The report further argues that South Korea could help broaden the G7’s legitimacy by bringing Asian and middle-power perspectives into what has traditionally been viewed as a Western-dominated grouping.

“Korea’s participation could help reduce the risk that the G7 is perceived as a closed, Western-centered order,” Ha wrote.

The Japan factor

Despite arguments in favor of expansion, diplomats note that the obstacles remain significant.

Unlike many international organizations, the G7 has no formal accession procedure and no permanent secretariat. Membership expansion would ultimately require political consensus among existing members.

For many Korean diplomats and analysts, the key variable is not Washington but Tokyo. Japan remains the only Asian member of the G7 and has long viewed that position as an important source of diplomatic prestige.

Some observers believe Japanese conservatives could be reluctant to support Korea’s entry if it would dilute that status. At the same time, others argue that Korea’s participation could strengthen rather than weaken the group’s relevance in Asia.

The possibility has found supporters even within Japanese political circles.

In 2020, Koichi Yamauchi, then a senior foreign policy figure in Japan’s Constitutional Democratic Party, publicly proposed a “G9” model that would add South Korea and Australia to the existing G7.

“It would serve Japan’s national interest for Korea and Australia to participate,” Yamauchi said at the time, arguing that democracies sharing common political and economic values should work together to address China’s growing influence.

Ha’s report similarly identifies Japan as a crucial diplomatic target.

“Japan should be approached through South Korea-US-Japan trilateral cooperation,” he wrote, recommending that Seoul deepen strategic dialogue with Tokyo while seeking broader cooperation on regional and global issues.

Beyond membership

For Ha, however, the debate should not be limited to whether Korea gains a seat at the table.

“G7 Plus entry is not merely an attempt to expand Korea’s diplomatic space,” he wrote. “It is a strategic choice to contribute to the formation of international norms and order while harmonizing national interests with the global public good.”

The report argues that any future G7 Plus member would be expected to help shape global agendas, contribute to crisis management, provide international public goods, bridge developed and developing nations and promote democratic values.

In that sense, the challenge for Seoul may be less about securing an invitation and more about demonstrating its preparedness to assume the responsibilities that come with membership.

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Whether the G7 ultimately expands remains uncertain. But Lee’s appearance in Evian has brought the question back into focus in Seoul, where policymakers and scholars continue to debate how far Korea’s global role can grow. /dl