KOREA FOUNDATION

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-Republic of Korea dialogue relations, the 2019 ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit and the 1st Mekong-Republic of Korea Summit were held this November in Busan. The Commemorative Summit is highly esteemed for its potential to strengthen cooperation and future relationships with ASEAN in the three areas of people, prosperity, and peace ― the three key pillars of Korea’s New Southern Policy. In fact, the Commemorative Summit was the catalyst which propelled full implementation of the New Southern Policy and served as an important milestone in advancing the ASEAN-Korea relationship to a whole new level.

The New Southern Policy was announced by President Moon Jae-in as part of his ASEAN-Korea Future Community Vision during his tour of Southeast Asia in November 2017. President Moon clearly manifested Korea’s commitment to strengthening relations with ASEAN by completing official visits to all 10 ASEAN member countries in just two years. In addition, in May of 2019, the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs established the ASEAN and Southeast Asian Affairs Bureau at its headquarters in Seoul and widened channels of cooperation with ASEAN by expanding and upgrading Mission of the Republic of Korea to ASEAN in Jakarta. This institutional reinforcement demonstrates the Korean government’s dedication to increased cooperation with ASEAN.

Why is ASEAN so important to Korea? Above all else, this region, which once remained at the outskirts of the world economy, is now emerging as the most dynamically growing economy in the world. Through its formation as a regional inter-governmental organization, ASEAN has grown diplomatically as well, increasing its role on the international stage as it invites powerful nations such as the United States and China to the East Asian Summit each year. It is no exaggeration to say that all the major powers are approaching ASEAN to win its favor, with countries like the United States, India, Australia, and especially China with its Belt and Road Initiative, devoting large amounts of resources to the region. In the case of Japan, which has a long history with Southeast Asia, the Abe administration is working very hard to strengthen ties with ASEAN under its new initiative of an Indo-Pacific vision. And notably, competition between China and the United States regarding ASEAN has grown more intense in recent years, with China expanding its influence in the region and the United States refusing to simply sit back and watch these diplomatic challenges.

The goals of Korea’s New Southern Policy, in which ASEAN is a key partner for cooperation, can be summarized as (1) diversification of Korea’s external economic portfolios, (2) strengthening bilateral ties with ASEAN nations, and (3) promotion of a multilateral regional order that serves Korea’s national interests. In other words, the New Southern Policy is Korea’s new national strategy for the 21st century, seeking a foreign economic and diplomatic way out of an uncertain international political environment that stems from fierce competition between the United States and China.

First, the New Southern Policy seeks to diversify Korea’s international economic portfolios. Korea’s international trade is structured in a way that concentrates on only a few major economies such as China, the United States, Japan, and the European Union. Because of this, the nation has been very vulnerable to external pressures or shocks such as China’s THAAD retaliation or the United States’ unexpected demand for a renegotiation of the KORUS FTA. To overcome such vulnerability, Korea needs to diversify. In that sense, the New Southern Policy seeks new paths for the Korean economy by expanding cooperation with ASEAN, Korea’s second largest trading partner and a rising growth engine in the global economy.

Second, the New Southern Policy hopes to strengthen diplomatic ties with ASEAN, overcoming conventional diplomatic orientations that have prioritized only major powers such as China, the United States, Japan, and Russia. In the past, diplomatic priority was given to these four countries in order to tackle issues on the Korean peninsula, with ASEAN in the role of a secondary partner. However, Southeast Asia has now become indispensable to Korea’s economic and diplomatic national interests. Korea’s ties with the four large countries are still important, but the Moon Jae-in government aims to upgrade its diplomatic relations with ASEAN in the hopes of constructing an ASEAN-Korea community.

Third, the New Southern Policy is Korea’s new international strategy to overcome diplomatic constraints in the midst of US-China strategic competition. The regional environment of great power rivalry between rising China and the United States causes diplomatic challenges for, and constraints on, Korea. In particular, conflicts are deepening between China, as it expands its influence over the ASEAN region through the Belt and Road Initiative, and the United States, which is pursuing an Indo-Pacific strategy to contain China’s rising regional influence. In this sense, the New Southern Policy is important in that Korea can secure stronger diplomatic ties with ASEAN as like-minded partners in this competitive international environment. Through cooperation with ASEAN, which shares similar interests with Korea, Seoul aspires to work together toward building a multilateral regional order that can serve Korea’s national interests rather than being trapped in the midst of power politics by great powers.

This year’s ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit has produced various cooperative projects for the development of ASEAN-Korea relations in the future. Among these projects, there has been a great emphasis on “people-centered cooperation.” To strengthen collaboration with ASEAN, it is most important to expand people-to-people exchanges between the two regions in order to develop a better mutual nderstanding. However, despite great improvements, Koreans’ awareness of ASEAN is still lacking. In that sense, the role of the ASEAN Culture House, which was established for the purpose of expanding Koreans’ understanding of ASEAN through revitalization of cultural exchange, has become even more important. I look forward to seeing the ASEAN Culture House play a more active role in bridging Korea and ASEAN in the future through its diverse cultural exchange programs and activities.