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Ⅰ. Introduction
Ⅱ. ASEAN, Mekong and ROK: Trusted Friends with all-round Cooperation
Ⅲ. ROK-ASEAN Strategic Convergences in the Indo-Pacific
Ⅳ. Constructing the ROK’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
Ⅴ. ROK as a Comprehensive Strategic Partner(CSP) of ASEAN
Ⅵ. Conclusion
Ⅰ. Introduction
To mark the new leadership under President Yoon Suk-yeol, his government has recalibrated the Republic of Korea’s diplomatic compass. The ROK made a dual announcement that would enhance the country’s regional and international profile as never before. At the 55th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Phnom Penh, Foreign Minister Park Jin revealed that the ROK intended to become a comprehensive strategic partner (CSP) of ASEAN, with the official application being made at the upcoming 23rd ASEAN-ROK summit in November. The bold move came as ASEAN is scheduled to announce the establishment of the CSP of the United States and India. It also augurs well for ROK-ASEAN ties, with the country commemorating the 35th anniversary of its diplomatic relations with ASEAN in 2024.
The ROK’s quest for CSP status follows the same diplomatic trajectory laid out earlier by Yoon, who is eager to elevate his country’s status as a Global Pivotal State (GPS) commensurate with its economic power as the world’s tenth biggest economy. To attain these two statuses, which are interlinked, the ROK would need to pursue external policies in the coming months and years in ways that align with regional priorities and international objectives. In the growing interconnected world, the ROK would need further support from allies and friends to help convince the global community that the country’s diplomatic agency is no longer a passive bystander or a one-issue country focusing on the Korean Peninsula as previously perceived. With the present worldwide popularity of Hallyu, which refers to all things Korean such as pop songs, drama series, food, and cosmetics among others, the ROK can also hope that together with the K-related cultural phenomenon, its pro-active diplomacy along with its global cultural appeal could further transform into weighty soft power for a new Korea in the post-pandemic world.
The Yoon administration’s advocacy for the liberal values and norms supporting freedom, peace, and rule-of-law will therefore be tested first and foremost within the region, which still has distinctive political systems and governances. While Seoul is pursuing high-end diplomacy, it has to be open-minded and resilient enough to understand local conditions that might run counter to the Korean diplomatic tenets. Given the current fluid geopolitical landscape, there should not be a cap lock of any diplomatic move that would enhance trust and closer cooperation.
Ⅱ. ASEAN, Mekong and ROK: Trusted Friends with all-round Cooperation
In his inaugural meeting with the ASEAN colleagues in Phnom Penh at the ASEAN annual ministerial meeting, Park gave the strong impression that the ROK wants to foster greater solidarity with the bloc. Both the ROK and ASEAN quickly agreed that they have to enhance strategic dialogue to safeguard regional peace and stability in the region against the background of rapid changes in the strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific. The five-year plan of action between ASEAN and the ROK (2021-2025) is a living testimony to the two countries' close and fruitful relationship. The plan is very comprehensive, covering the whole gamut of cooperation through 110 programs under the three pillars of the ASEAN Community, namely political/security, economic and socio-cultural.
In recognition of the ROK’s consistent efforts, the ASEAN Post Ministerial Meeting with ROK in August 2022 saw both sides expressing “good progress” on 71 percent of the implemented areas of cooperation. It is worth mentioning that the ROK is the only ASEAN Plus Three dialogue partner with whom ASEAN conducts a precise evaluation of the action plans. In the future, Park also emphasized that the ROK would prioritize capacity building in the two key areas of cyber security and maritime security. In addition, ROK and ASEAN see eye to eye on enhancing economic security in the post-pandemic world as both are members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Cooperation, which is now the world’s largest free trade agreement. Park also pledged to work closely with participating ASEAN members in developing the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework to ensure it serves regional economic growth.
Under the Yoon administration, there is a new flagship policy, the “Partnership for Methane Action”,—one of the “niche areas” on which the ROK and ASEAN are cooperating to assist the bloc’s effort to transition to carbon neutrality and a green economy through joint training, technology exchange, and pilot projects. The inaugural ministerial meeting in October on disaster management is scheduled to enhance disaster response capacity in the region. As part of its growing commitment, Seoul will increase its contribution to the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund from US$14 million to $16 million this year.
Apart from the ASEAN-wide cooperation, the ROK has also committed to further develop the Mekong sub-region, which covers the five riparian members of ASEAN, namely Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Although ROK is a relative newcomer, having become a development partner in 2011, its decade-old action plans have yielded fruitful results in terms of capacity building, especially during the pandemic, sustainable development, people-to-people exchanges, and protection of biodiversity and the environment. Notably, the ROK also established the Mekong Development Fund in 2013 to ensure that key areas of cooperation would continue unabated. The MDEF is now being administered by the Khon Kaen-based Mekong Institute. To demonstrate its unwavering support for Mekong developmental plans, Seoul has increased its contribution to the MDEF every year, going from US$1 million in 2016 to US$5 million in 2022. Riparian members can submit projects for funding in priority areas of their choice.
Under the government of Moon Jae-in, Seoul implemented its signature policy of New Southern Policy (NSP) and New Southern Policy Plus (NSPP). As far as the Mekong Sub-region is concerned, the Yoon administration will, without fail, continue along this pathway. In the future, there will be more synergy between the ROK’s action plans in the Mekong sub-region with the riparian-led mechanisms, especially the Ayawaddy-Chaophraya-Mekong-Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS). The ACMECS members agreed in August 2022 to set up an interim secretariat in Bangkok to manage and implement all ACMECS-relevant programs. The ROK has already taken up a leading role by providing US$1 million to support the planned secretariat work. From the Seoul perspective, ACMECS is an important tool to chart the future direction of cooperation and sustainable development in the sub-region as it is driven by all five riparian members.
Ⅲ. ROK-ASEAN Strategic Convergences in the Indo-Pacific
South Korea is a nascent player on the Indo-Pacific strategic chess board. In preparing the country’s first strategic framework in the coming months, the ROK can draw upon its economic strength and longstanding experience with allies and friends in the region. The ROK is in a good position to strengthen ties and cooperation with ASEAN because it does not have any historical grievances against or baggage with the Southeast Asian countries. Specifically, special bonds were formed as early as 1950 when Thailand and the Philippines joined the UN-led international forces to protect the sovereignty of South Korea during the three-year Korean war. Today, these two key ASEAN members continue to boost closer ROK-ASEAN cooperation.
In addition, the ROK and ASEAN share similar views on the importance of maintaining strategic balance among great powers, promoting multilateralism, regionalism and international rules-based law. Granted the current disruptive international security environment, both sides also perceive their role as possible peace-makers due to their independent diplomatic postures. In addition, as middle powers, both ASEAN and ROK want to ensure that stability and prosperity in the broader Indo-Pacific be maintained at all costs. A closer strategic partnership will help to prevent any potential power to exercise hegemonic dominance in the region. The best segway to achieve that is to further cooperation with the ASEAN Outlook for Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
Seoul is a strong supporter of the AOIP and its principles and priority areas of cooperation including strengthening ASEAN centrality, openness, transparency, inclusivity, a rules-based framework, good governance, respect for sovereignty, and non-interference. At the annual ASEAN meeting in Phnom Penh, ASEAN and ROK also reaffirmed their cooperation framework based on mutual respect, mutual trust, and mutual benefit.
Under his leadership, President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared confidently that Korea will become a “Global Pivotal State” (GPS) commensurate with its growing economic power and rising expectations of what his country can contribute. He is not shy in pledging that Korea will from now on take the moral high ground approach as it will adhere to liberal democratic order and norms. To become a global game changer, Seoul understands this effort must begin on the home front and in neighboring countries in East Asia.
Ⅳ. Constructing the ROK’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
President Yoon informed US President Joe Biden during the visit to Seoul that the ROK would prepare its Indo-Pacific strategy later this year. Seoul’s clear intention demonstrated its further commitment to engage in the broader region beyond the Korean Peninsula with its own independent approach. As a GPS, more reinvigorated diplomacy is required. Within the region, the new administration can take advantage of the solid foundation laid by its predecessor through the New Southern Policy and the New Southern Plus Policy.
Korea is contemplating placing ASEAN at the hub of its Indo-Pacific strategy which would distinguish it from the assortment of strategies formulated in the past four years by major powers. As such, the Yoon administration is likely to retain its predecessor’s elevation of ASEAN as one of its key strategic partnerships preventing conflict, preserving peace, and most importantly, achieving inclusive, sustainable, and balanced economic development. Park has reaffirmed to the ASEAN colleagues that together with the five-year ASEAN-ROK action plans, Seoul can broaden a new set of cooperation elements under the planned Indo-Pacific strategy. Under the AOIP, there are four priority areas—maritime cooperation, connectivity, sustainable development, economic and other cooperation. In particular, the fourth priority opens up opportunities for external powers to pursue new joint goals. To mark this new chapter in ASEAN-ROK relations under the Indo-Pacific strategy, both side can deepen their practical cooperation in at least three new areas that the ROK can take up.
First, the efforts to enhance various defense cooperation including cybersecurity, maritime security, counter-terrorism, peace-keeping activities, among others must be encouraged to secure future networks against criminal and anti-terrorism elements and promote inter-agency operational capacity. Such collaboration will further deepen mutual trust between the ROK and ASEAN as a whole as well as with individual members. Secondly, to sustain socio-economic recovery in the post-Covid-19 pandemic era, ROK must instill tangible frameworks and measures that would help the bloc to weather unpredictable circumstances and preserve stability and economic progress.
Thirdly, regarding the ROK-ASEAN connectivity which encompasses many elements, the ROK has to add new components to people-to-people exchanges in the art and culture as well as educational fields. Given the popularity of K-related entertainment, the ROK is in a position to assist the ASEAN members as a new talent incubator among their MZ generation. Well-known K-pop stars in ROK today comprise several nationalities from ASEAN. Additional scholarships and internship for ASEAN youth aimed at promoting creative and innovative ideas and capacity should be encouraged and given top priority. Enhancing dialogue and participation of ASEAN-Korean youth that promote awareness and understanding of each other is pivotal. Korean youth must broaden their space and areas of engagement with the ASEAN youth.
Ⅴ. ROK as a Comprehensive Strategic Partner(CSP) of ASEAN
At this juncture, ASEAN has decided to further strengthen strategic cooperation with selected ASEAN dialogue partners in response to the rapid shift of the global strategic environment. After nearly three decades of placing a moratorium on the number of dialogue partners, last year in an unusual move the UK was admitted as the bloc’s 11th dialogue partner. To further deepen engagement with the great powers, both China and Australia were granted CSP status in April 2021. Later this year, two new CSP members—the US and India—will be announced at the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh.
With the Yoon administration’s emphasis on becoming the GPS, it is imperative for Korea to prepare the ground for its ascension as the next CSP of ASEAN. It is considered a stepping stone to expanding ROK's international profile. Beyond the current five-year action plans, Seoul must be able to inject fresh ideas with the tangible benefits for ASEAN of having the ROK as the new CSP especially those advancing regional integration, stability, and prosperity. Among them, it could be programmed to strengthen maritime peace and order as well as shared knowledge and human resource development in defense-related technology and industry.
Given the common historical experience and struggle, the ROK must reiterate its continued commitment to ASEAN centrality as well as adhere to regional rules and norms and existing ASEAN-led regional architecture, of which Seoul is also a leading partnership. Furthermore, they must also abide by all principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the ASEAN charter, and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Finally, the new Yoon government must express full support for the AOIP as well as encourage realignments of its pending new Indo-Pacific Strategy with the AOIP.
Ⅵ. Conclusion
In the current geopolitical environment, ROK has uncontested opportunities to deepen and expand its all dimensions of cooperation with ASEAN both collectively and individually. As ROK and ASEAN share common regional and global strategic outlooks and goals, they can build a stable and comprehensive partnership that will be beneficial to the Indo-Pacific as a whole. Continued nurturing of the ROK-ASEAN partnership could have a transformative power to form a shared leadership that would augment their leverage against external powers’ pressure and interference. To accomplish these objectives, ROK can take advantage of the progress that has been made in the past three decades. The Yoon administration can build and add new strategic elements that would provide significant value-added to the existing ROK multidirectional policy toward ASEAN.
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