Lee Jae-myung could become the next South Korean president. Beijing will probably take note of this with hope. Lee’s critics call his China policy naive, which probably pleases the Chinese government. Lee refuses to take sides and strives for a balance between the world powers in Washington and Beijing. He is considered an outspoken opponent of the THAAD missile defense system, which was installed by the US military on South Korean soil in 2016 and triggered massive economic boycotts from China.