Welcoming Remarks by H.E. Cho Tae-yul
Vice Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea
at the 6th Korea Foundation Global Seminar
November 21, 2013

Dr. Yu Hyun-seok, President of the Korea Foundation,
Distinguished Ambassadors, Speakers and Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me begin by warmly welcoming you to the 6th Korea Foundation Global Seminar on Middle Powers and Public Diplomacy: Building a Network for the Global Public Good. I would like to thank the Korea Foundation for hosting this meaningful event and for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts on this subject that is also high on the foreign policy agenda of the Park Geun-hye Government.

(Concept of Middle Power)

The concept of ‘middle power’ first appeared hundreds of years ago, but its meaning has been changing constantly throughout history. For example, in the 16th century, middle power in Italy merely indicated the size of national strength. And in the early days of the Cold War period, some people defined a middle power as a country that could pursue foreign policies independent from the influence of the superpowers.

The concept has now evolved a step further. More than anything else, middle powers today aim to strengthen their capacities by building networks so as to become pivotal, constructive and responsible facilitators on global issues.

We witnessed such development in New York last September when, at the margin of the UN General Assembly meeting, foreign ministers of Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia got together to launch MIKTA – an informal group of middle powers. At the first meeting, foreign ministers of the MIKTA countries agreed to get together on an ad hoc basis, taking advantage of major international conferences and share their views on and seek, wherever possible, creative and constructive solutions to common global challenges such as poverty eradication, climate change, environment and terrorism.

In short, today’s middle powers no longer focus only on their own means of survival or adhere to neutral positions. Rather, they play a more proactive role in the international community with a broader and longer-term perspective. Creating and promoting global public good by playing such a role lies at the heart of middle power diplomacy in the 21st century.

(Middle Power and Public Diplomacy)

Today’s middle power diplomacy in essence shares the context with public diplomacy in the sense that they both pursue soft power. Coined by Professor Joseph Nye, soft power is the power to attract the people or capture their hearts as a means of persuasion. This differs from hard power which entails coercion or payment.

Middle powers are striving to expand their solidarity with the international community by making use of their soft power based on good will. The power to attract the global audience stems from 3 Cs - creativity, credibility and capacity; these are the very virtues of a middle power.

The launching of MIKTA last September symbolizes the emergence of networking among middle powers in the history of international politics. However, the significance of their existence will soon fade away unless the international community finds them reliable or attractive.

As for public diplomacy, it has generally been used as a tool of foreign policy to improve a country’s image. But today, to strengthen their appeal, middle powers need to work together in the area of public diplomacy as well. I am confident that by pursuing a joint public diplomacy, the creativity, credibility and capacity of middle powers will earn greater trust and affection from the international community.

(Korea’s Middle Power Diplomacy)

Distinguished guests,

Korea’s new government under the leadership of President Park is seeking a more systematic and productive middle power diplomacy. Let me elaborate on our middle power diplomacy, using three prepositions - as, for, and with – which indicate qualifications, objectives, and partners, respectively. More precisely, as a middle power where does Korea stand, what can it work for, and with which partners it should or could collaborate?

First, as a middle power, Korea has the unique experience of having achieved both full-fledged democracy and industrialization only in half a century. It was able to rise above the ashes of the Korean War and the agony of poverty with its huge potential stemming from its 5,000-year-old culture and history. Korea is the only country in the world which has transformed itself from an aid recipient to donor country by joining the OECD/DAC in 2010. As Korea is indebted to the international community for economic aid during its times of difficulty, today, it is committed to paying back in kind. The Park Geun-hye Government’s pursuit of global happiness as a major policy vision also shows our commitment to contribute to global common prosperity.

Second, with a greater strength and maturity, Korea is pursuing middle power diplomacy for playing a constructive and responsible role as a bridge between developed and developing countries in the international community. In recent years, Korea has been hosting major international events such as G20 Summit in 2010, Busan High–level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2011, Nuclear Security Summit in 2012, and Seoul Conference on Cyber Space in 2013. These conferences did not merely provide the fora for international debates, but more importantly narrowed the gaps among different views on major issues, and contributed to shaping new international norms.

And lastly, Korea is seeking to build networks with other middle powers. We believe that if the will and capacity of the middle powers are integrated and the scope of their cooperation expands, then we will be able to exercise an effective leadership on global issues that surpasses the mere sum of the individual national powers. I am very pleased that with the launching of MIKTA last September, partner countries sharing the middle power identity and the need for middle power diplomacy came together. I hope that the solidarity and communication among the like-minded countries will deepen and broaden in the future with MIKTA as a platform.

(Conclusion)

Distinguished guests,

According to the classical theory of international politics, confrontation and competition among states create power and order. However, this theory cannot explain the changing dynamics of today’s world or resolve many of today’s global challenges. Instead, there is an increasing need for communication and cooperation as well as understanding and sharing among countries, which in turn raises the expectation for the role of middle powers.

Today’s seminar provides an excellent opportunity to discuss the role of middle powers on international issues and build networks for public diplomacy. I hope you will have in-depth discussions on ways to encourage creative ideas for a middle power diplomacy, and to enhance the capacities to translate these ideas into concrete action programs. I look forward to a meaningful debate on what kind of strategies for public diplomacy middle powers should pursue so that the international community can trust their good will. I wish you all the best in your intellectual exercise today.

Thank you very much.