Yoon’s Southeast Asia approach continues old policies, but still lacks clarity



Analysis Yoon’s Southeast Asia approach continues old policies, but still lacks clarity Experts see continuity with New Southern Policy, but Seoul may be spreading itself too thin across Indo-Pacific Shreyas ReddyMarch 22, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON South Korean and ASEAN flags (Edited by Korea Pro) South Korea’s inaugural Indo-Pacific Strategy lists Southeast Asia as a regional priority for Seoul, but experts fear a lack of specifics in the new policy could spread the ROK’s priorities too thin and force it to lose traction in an increasingly competitive region. The strategy stresses that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region remains central to Seoul’s foreign policy, serving as its second-largest trading partner and investment destination and the top travel destination and largest official development assistance (ODA) partner from South Korea’s side. “The solidarity established through years of political and economic cooperation, as well as people-to-people © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls 02North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy 03South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus 04AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline 05South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics 06Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement 07Lee Jae Myung’s Wall Street pitch tests South Korea’s capital market credibility 08US midterm clock raises stakes for South Korea’s $200 billion investment talks

Analysis

Yoon’s Southeast Asia approach continues old policies, but still lacks clarity

Experts see continuity with New Southern Policy, but Seoul may be spreading itself too thin across Indo-Pacific

Shreyas ReddyMarch 22, 2023

Yoon’s Southeast Asia approach continues old policies, but still lacks clarity

South Korean and ASEAN flags (Edited by Korea Pro)

South Korea’s inaugural Indo-Pacific Strategy lists Southeast Asia as a regional priority for Seoul, but experts fear a lack of specifics in the new policy could spread the ROK’s priorities too thin and force it to lose traction in an increasingly competitive region.

The strategy stresses that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region remains central to Seoul’s foreign policy, serving as its second-largest trading partner and investment destination and the top travel destination and largest official development assistance (ODA) partner from South Korea’s side.

“The solidarity established through years of political and economic cooperation, as well as people-to-people

LATEST ANALYSIS

01Trump’s Korea investment victory lap masks safeguards Seoul still controls
02North Korean POW dispute tests Seoul-Kyiv trust and future Ukraine policy
03South Korea’s CPTPP push exposes the cost of turning trade gains into consensus
04AI storage boom gives South Korea battery makers an EV overcapacity lifeline
05South Korea’s Mexico strategy runs into the hard limits of USMCA politics
06Preschool test ban forces South Korea’s English hagwons to rethink placement
07Lee Jae Myung’s Wall Street pitch tests South Korea’s capital market credibility
08US midterm clock raises stakes for South Korea’s $200 billion investment talks

Yoon’s Southeast Asia approach continues old policies, but still lacks clarity

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Shreyas Reddy