Keynote Speech by H.E. Kim Kyou-hyun
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea

2013 KAIS-KF International Conference, Seoul
April 19, 2013


Mr. Lee Ho-chul, President of the Korean Association of International Studies,
Mr. Kim Woo-sang, President of the Korea Foundation,
His Excellency Peter Lysholt Hansen, Ambassador of Denmark,
His Excellency Vishnu Prakash, Ambassador of India,
Mr. Kim Hyung-kook, former President of the Korean Association of International Studies,
Prominent professors from home and abroad including Kim Ki-jung and Chung Jin-young,
Distinguished guests,


I am honoured to have this opportunity to address a room full of luminaries who no doubt eat, sleep and breathe international relations! I believe that today's conference on the 'Role of Middle Power in the 21st Century International Relations' co-hosted by the Korean Association of International Studies and the Korea Foundation is both spot on in its timing and immense in its significance as we prepare to usher in President Park Geun-hye's third month in office.

The Korean Association of International Studies and the Korea Foundation have long contributed to our foreign policy. The former has never ceased to shed the light on the way forward for our diplomacy based on valuable input from experts at home and abroad. Not to be outdone, the latter has steadily come to occupy the centre stage in terms of providing fresh impetus for our diplomacy. I would like to thank them both for their undiminishing role in continuously refining our diplomacy.

The Park Geun-hye Government has chosen 'Middle Power Diplomacy' as one of its diplomatic objectives with a view to overcoming many of the common challenges that the international community is facing today. The ideas that you will contribute today will go a long way in shaping Korea's middle power diplomacy. In this context, I would first like to map out a key principle of the new government's foreign policy called 'Trustpolitik'. In doing so, I hope to provide you with a basic idea of how our middle power diplomacy will be implemented under Trustpolitik.


At the heart of diplomacy lies a highly sophisticated art called persuasion. In his timeless classic「Rhetoric」, Aristotle depicted logos, ethos and pathos as the three elements that make persuasion work before underlining ethos as the most important factor. In Aristotle's language, ethos translates into credibility that the narrator carries. Indeed, this very element of 'trust' is what upholds diplomacy.

Moreover, trustpolitik enables us to respond to increasing uncertainties. Uncertainty is a notable feature of 'Asian Paradox', whereby political and security cooperation between states do not commensurate with the growing interdependence in Northeast Asia. Trust will be essential in providing the fundamental cure for such uncertainties. Niklas Luhmann, the German sociologist dubbed the '20th century Hegel', pointed out that trust among people breeds mutual predictability. Indeed, the reason we always go to the same restaurants and do business with a select few is that we trust them and thereby expect to minimize uncertainties. Trust is even more important in international relations. With no central government to regulate each state's behaviour, trust among states serves as the critical factor that sustains the current international order by promoting a minimum level of predictability regarding the conduct of each nation.

Furthermore, trust upgrades international relations and fortifies regional and global order. In the age of globalization, each nation is highly dependent on each other, and Northeast Asia is no exception. Some commentators observe that a full-fledged war is unlikely to break out under these kind of conditions. An interdependent relationship, however, should go beyond merely preventing conflict and be effectively channeled towards encouraging conflict management and nurturing habits of cooperation within the region. While military deterrence and economic interdependence only constitute the necessary conditions for peace, trust is the sufficient condition. Trustpolitik is thus rooted in the calling of the times in the sense that trust-building among nations will lead to a new order adept at managing conflict and maintaining stability.

Lastly, Trustpolitik is instrumental in guiding our foreign policy towards realizing President Park's vision for happiness of the Korean people. In the past, diplomacy was basically about relations between states. Today, any foreign policy that neglects the happiness of the people will receive no public support and is doomed to fail. Now is the time for the entire foreign service institutions to extend their reach to their own public and strive to attain the public's trust. We must remember that diplomacy that fails to earn the trust of its own people will hardly succeed in capturing the trust of nations from afar.

The Park Geun-hye government's Trustpolitik will pan out along three dimensions : Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and the whole globe. In addition to the 'Trust-building Process on the Korean Peninsula' and 'Northeast Asia Peace & Cooperation Initiative', 'Middle Power Diplomacy' will be the diplomatic endeavour that will be unleashed at the regional and global level.

Indeed, middle power diplomacy is hardly a novel concept. Nor is it our own invention since various countries have been actively exploring the concept from the 1990's. However, I believe that Republic of Korea can play a unique role in conducting a successful middle power diplomacy thanks to its unique characteristics. Here is why.

Going back to Aristotle and his「Rhetoric」, there are three elements to ethos of the narrator : the character, intelligence and goodwill. The strong points of our Middle Power Diplomacy can be explained along these lines.

First, 'character'. Republic of Korea is categorized as a middle power in just about every imaginable classification. Korea ranks 15th in GDP, 25th in population, and 109th in size of the territory. While the Korean Peninsula connects the oceans with the continent in geopolitical terms, Republic of Korea is an ally of United States and at the same time boasts a vast network of close relations with not only regional neighbours such as China, Japan and Russia, but also ASEAN, European, Middle Eastern, African and Latin American countries. We have a worldwide network of Free Trade Agreements with 45 countries. We are also contributing to promoting global peace and security as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from 2013 to 2014. We have produced a UN Secretary-General and successfully hosted global gatherings such as G20 Summit and Nuclear Security Summit, effectively playing a bridging role between many countries in the process. In addition, this fall we are looking to host the 4th Constructive Powers Partnership Initiative Workshop - a track 1.5 meeting between the middle powers - in Seoul, following the 3rd workshop in Canada next month. I believe all of the above provides an overwhelming evidence of Republic of Korea's 'character' as a genuine middle power.

Next up is intelligence. We have been through many a tragedy but have come through them all. We have overcome colonialization, war, and poverty by achieving both democracy and economic development. We have developed a top-class education system and information technologies, the main driver of our political, economic and social progress. This means that we know how to empathize and share our own experience with those countries who are faced with similar challenges. Furthermore, by drawing upon the knowhow we have accumulated over the years in the course of responding to North Korea's multi-dimensional threats involving nuclear and conventional weapons as well as cyber attacks, we can contribute to various activities regarding nonproliferation, peace-keeping operations and cyberspace security. Seoul Conference on Cyberspace 2013 is a prominent example of our willingness to aid the international community's cause.

Lastly, 'goodwill'. We are a country that shares the pain of the underdeveloped countries. We are well equipped to exercise creative and exemplary leadership in solving poverty and spur on the 'can-do-spirit'. We regard the so-called 'recipient' countries as our partners and our policy of focusing on 'development cooperation' instead of 'development assistance' stems from our sense of partnership. In this regard, we are planning to launch a Development Experience Exchange Partnership program which is designed to meet the specific development need of each nation. Moreover, the number of Korean volunteer workers in the developing world is in fact the largest in the world, second only to that of the U.S. Peace Corps. This shows our past experiences, present capabilities and future calling all point in the same direction. As a responsible middle power in the international community, we will continue our efforts in building a happier and more prosperous global village. By doing so, we will be able to realize our vision of becoming a 'Sharing and Caring Korea'.

The challenges that we face are far from straightforward. However, we are firm in our belief that history belongs to those who dare to dream. Our dream is to herald an era in which the Korean people, the Korean Peninsula and the global village cherish the happiness bestowed upon them. The onus of making our many dreams come true cannot fall on just one individual, organization or nation. Only when all the Korean people and the international community pull together in one direction would such dreams become a reality. To this end, I would like to request your unwavering support to ensure that we reach and share the fruits of our goal. Thank you.
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