Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific as South Korea’s Strategic Choice

Keynote Speech at the 18th Jeju Forum

by Chancellor Cheol Hee PARK

Korea National Diplomatic Academy

June 1, 2023

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased and honored to deliver a keynote speech at the 18th Jeju Forum. ‘Working together for Sustainable Peace and Prosperity in the Indo-Pacific’ is an overall theme of the Forum, which I think is extremely timely and meaningful. The Yoon government has already announced the Indo-Pacific strategy which stands on the spirit of freedom, peace, and prosperity. 

The world we are living in is undergoing a rapid and complex transformation that goes beyond the expectations of the previous generation. I think that at least three pillars of post-Cold War optimism have faded away. 

First, after the end of the bipolar competition during the Cold War period, the unipolar moment was expected to bring peace on the basis of Pax-Americana, where liberal hegemon plays a pivotal role to lead the world. However, as the advent of the U.S.-China strategic competition exemplifies, we are witnessing the return of great power politics. Geopolitical competition is getting intensified rather than weakened. Second, tearing down the walls of the market after the end of the Cold War was expected to institute globalization of economy and commerce, where interdependence and multilateralism bring in a more prosperous world. Instead, what we witness these days are the emergence of economic security to cope with future competition as well as the weaponization of interdependence. Third, with the waning of socialist ideology, democratic peace was expected to blossom. However, in China, Russia, North Korea, and a few other countries, authoritarian regimes remain resilient. 

The combination of all these changes leads to complex, unpredictable, and volatile international circumstances. Risk society, once used as characterizing advanced economies of the world, turns out to be a word indicative of an international society that is undergoing complex transformation. 

Korea, like other countries, should navigate through these turbulent and risky changes in today’s international environment. The challenges facing Korea are even bigger and run deep. North Korea is adding up security threats to us by rapidly upgrading its nuclear and missile capability. Korea remains largely dependent on China in terms of trade and investment. Intensifying competition between the U.S. and China encourages us to redirect and diversify business investment and trade practices. 

The Yoon government adopted an Indo-Pacific strategy with a clear and renewed awareness that our external strategy should be reshaped in a way that revises the previous administration’s policy orientation. The first awareness may be that we should go beyond the Korean peninsula conundrum. Korea’s geostrategic perimeter should be extended geographically to a wider regional landscape, considering that Korea is undoubtedly the 10th largest economy and 8th largest trading country in the world. Also, even for upgrading military preparedness against North Korea, working with the U.S., Japan, and other like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific constitutes a critical element. The second awareness is that Korea, as a global pivotal state, should take a strategic posture toward the region and the world rather than simply remain a reactive, responsive, and adaptive country. 

The Indo-Pacific is a region of economic vitality and social-cultural resilience as well as a region of strategic importance in the age of geopolitical competition. In particular, ASEAN countries are important strategic partners to work with in a number of issue areas, including maritime security, climate change, environmental protection. bio-technology, energy supply, pandemic control, and etc. 

The third awareness might be that Korea should contribute more to global commons and international public goods. As a nation advanced to the DOC country that successfully overcame war, poverty, authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuse, Korea has a responsibility to help developing countries upgrade their living standards. With its Indo-Pacific strategy, Korea can find a way to contribute human, financial, and technical resources to reduce the gap between the Global South and the Global North.

By participating in the Indo-Pacific scheme and initiating its own Indo-Pacific vision, Korea has made clear strategic choices. The vision makes it clear that Korea upholds peace and cooperation and refuses to side with revisionist states attempting to disrupt the regional order by force. The vision also makes it clear that Korea is ready and willing to preserve and protect the rules-based international order. The decision stands on a belief that prosperity stems from peaceful and stable international order. Furthermore, the vision makes it clear that liberal democracy,not authoritarian regime, should be promoted. The respect for individual freedom and human right is a powerful force that encourages peace and prosperity. 

Upon the basis of these clear awareness, Korea will spare no effort to forge stronger ties with likeminded countries in the Indo-Pacific region to promote maritime security, freedom of navigation, economic diversification, trade openness, cultural enrichment, and social engineering with a collective and diversified approach.. Together with our regional partners, Korea will promote issues related to climate change, environmental protection, clean energy, green growth, pandemic control, new technology development, enhanced digital connections, sustainable supply chains, empowerment of infrastructure, and more. For that purpose, depending on issue-areas and cooperative agendas, Korea will not only participate in but also lead various mini-lateral, mid-lateral, and multi-lateral network of countries. 

If I may, I would like to add a couple of caveats before I conclude my speech. First, Korea’s participation in the Indo-Pacific framework does not necessarily mean that we are giving up multilateral efforts to promote peace and prosperity. The Indo-Pacific framework is a supplement to global multilateral framework rather than a substitute for it. Second, Korea’s proactive stance in the Indo-Pacific does not mean that we are trying to exclude a specific country. Korea will pursue an encompassing and inclusive order in the region. 

Finally, I would like to once again emphasize that freedom and individual liberty stand at the core of the Indo-Pacific scheme. Liberal international order that we know of is underpinned by the long-standing belief  that the forces disrupting global peace and prosperity are protectionism, nationalism, and populism. Even at this moment, we should stand firmly against those disruptive elements against peace and prosperity. 

Thank you very much.