{"id":2197039,"date":"2022-06-23T16:47:54","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T07:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2197039"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:14","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:14","slug":"south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following the recent U.S.-ROK summit, South Korea confirmed what many had anticipated: New President Yoon Suk-yeol is scrapping his predecessor\u2019s signature New Southern Policy (NSP) focused on engaging Southeast Asia and India.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two countries\u2019 joint statement formally announced that the Yoon administration will move ahead with formulating its own \u201c<\/span>Indo-Pacific strategy framework<\/span><\/a>,\u201d which would complement the <\/span>U.S. blueprint<\/span><\/a> for the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

While details are still in short supply, it\u2019s likely that South Korea\u2019s new strategy will repackage elements of Moon Jae-in\u2019s NSP. But the Yoon administration\u2019s approach appears aimed at reenvisioning cooperation with Southeast Asia and India within the context of closer U.S.-South Korea ties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While this provides Seoul with an opportunity to reconceive its role in the region, it will be important for South Korea to make sure its ASEAN partners are on board if the two sides are going to continue strengthening economic and diplomatic ties.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

U.S. President Joe Biden and Yoon at a press conference after their summit talks in Seoul on May 21, 2022 | Image: South Korean Presidential Office<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

INDO-PACIFIC FRAMEWORKS<\/b><\/p>\n

The overall objectives of South Korea\u2019s Indo-Pacific strategy are not necessarily new compared with the Moon administration\u2019s NSP, which had an overarching focus on economic cooperation. In fact, the initial push for launching the NSP in Nov. 2017 was Beijing\u2019s <\/span>economic retaliation<\/span><\/a> against South Korea for deploying a U.S.-made THAAD missile interceptor system, as Seoul sought to reduce its economic dependence on China.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yoon administration\u2019s new Indo-Pacific strategy also has strong economic implications. The U.S.-South Korea joint statement emphasized economic security, sealing South Korea\u2019s participation in the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). The two sides also reaffirmed the <\/span>importance of ASEAN<\/span><\/a> to the regional economy, promising to work with Southeast Asian countries \u201cto promote sustainable development, energy security, and high-quality, transparent investment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s Indo-Pacific strategy is different, however, in that Moon sought to keep the NSP as a separate and independent middle power agenda from the U.S. Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) Strategy. Instead of directly converging the two policies, the Moon administration worked with the U.S. to <\/span>find niches<\/span><\/a> where Seoul and Washington could cooperate, such as in public health.<\/span><\/p>\n

By contrast, the Yoon administration\u2019s new strategy signals more explicit convergence with the U.S. The decision to formulate an Indo-Pacific framework not only follows the footsteps of other like-minded countries, including <\/span>Japan <\/span><\/a>and <\/span>Australia<\/span><\/a>, but is also South Korea\u2019s <\/span>first time<\/span><\/a> to directly utilize the term Indo-Pacific as a foreign policy label.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, Seoul plans to enhance cooperation with existing U.S.-led multilateral institutions such as the <\/span>Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)<\/span><\/a>, raising hopes that South Korea will broaden its strategic maneuvering into the security realm. This may include maritime security efforts in the South China Sea \u2014 something the former administration <\/span>purposefully neglected<\/span><\/a> to avoid Beijing\u2019s wrath.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks at the 22nd ASEAN-ROK Summit by videoconference in Oct. 2021 | Image: ASEAN’s Flickr page<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

THE UP AND DOWNSIDES<\/b><\/p>\n

The Yoon administration\u2019s decision to overturn one of the former administration\u2019s key policies does not come as a surprise. In fact, many had already <\/span>forecast<\/span><\/a> that the NSP would be scrapped \u2014 at least by its name.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Others had also called for South Korea to devise its <\/span>own regional vision<\/span><\/a> befitting its increased military capabilities and soft power. Formulating an Indo-Pacific strategy can thus be a valuable opportunity for Seoul to reassess its regional capacities and reaffirm its commitment to the region.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the Yoon administration\u2019s decision also presents risks. For one, there is the potential for Seoul to place itself on a negative footing with Beijing, calling back memories of the THAAD controversy. Former prime minister Lee Nak-yon of the Democratic Party criticized the decision on these grounds, arguing that Seoul requires a more \u201c<\/span>sophisticated strategic judgment<\/span><\/a>\u201d amid intensifying U.S.-China rivalry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Others have also <\/span>warned<\/span><\/a> the Yoon administration to be wary of offering the U.S. blank checks and becoming overly dependent on Washington.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless, the new president has already committed to <\/span>strengthening U.S.-ROK bilateral relations<\/span><\/a>. As such, South Korea needs to focus on minimizing the potential diplomatic and economic risks that accompany the transition from NSP to the new Indo-Pacific strategy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The most important concern is how South Korea\u2019s Southeast Asian partners will receive the decision. ASEAN and India had warmly welcomed the NSP, and despite pandemic difficulties, the policy successfully increased South Korea\u2019s investment in the region by <\/span>73 percent<\/span><\/a> since its launch in 2017 to $111.9 billion in 2021.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overturning the policy risks eroding the fundamental trust built between South Korea and Southeast Asia. It also comes at a critical time as businesses and joint ventures are recovering from the pandemic and borders are re-opening to foreigners in Southeast Asia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To continue the diplomatic and economic successes of the NSP, both the public and private sectors will need to make an extra effort to reconfirm their dedication to Southeast Asia, separate from U.S.-ROK-ASEAN cooperation projects. This includes outlining in more detail what kinds of business projects will continue under Yoon as the Indo-Pacific strategy takes shape.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a part of his initial outreach, Yoon held a <\/span>video call<\/span><\/a> with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of Vietnam \u2014 the acting coordinator for ROK-ASEAN bilateral dialogue \u2014 on June 8. During the call, he vowed to strengthen cooperation with both Vietnam and Southeast Asia, especially in handling the global supply chain crisis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hanoi is Seoul\u2019s <\/span>third-largest export market<\/span><\/a> as well as its top trade partner among ASEAN member states. But South Korea will need to further diversify its outreach to secure the trust of ASEAN states. Wider outreach is also necessary to ensure business stability across existing Southeast Asian markets under Seoul\u2019s new Indo-Pacific strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Bryan Betts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Business & Economy<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following the recent U.S.-ROK summit, South Korea confirmed what many had anticipated: New President Yoon Suk-yeol is scrapping his predecessor\u2019s signature New Southern Policy (NSP) focused on engaging Southeast Asia and India. The two countries\u2019 joint statement formally announced that the Yoon administration will move ahead with formulating its own \u201cIndo-Pacific strategy framework,\u201d which would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3665,"featured_media":2197042,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[24,28],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Following the recent U.S.-ROK summit, South Korea confirmed what many had anticipated: New President Yoon Suk-yeol is scrapping his predecessor\u2019s signature New Southern Policy (NSP) focused on engaging Southeast Asia and India. The two countries\u2019 joint statement formally announced that the Yoon administration will move ahead with formulating its own \u201cIndo-Pacific strategy framework,\u201d which would […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-23T07:47:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-05T07:12:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/yoon-ASEAN-vietnam-1-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"685\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bishawjit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sea Young (Sarah) Kim\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bishawjit\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/313e6f940bf1ae7b8cc487ec00b1b562\"},\"headline\":\"South Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-23T07:47:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-05T07:12:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/\"},\"wordCount\":1011,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Business & Economy\",\"Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/\",\"name\":\"South Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia - KOREA PRO\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-23T07:47:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-05T07:12:14+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"South Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"description\":\"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"width\":360,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"KOREA PRO\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"South Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia - KOREA PRO","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"South Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia - KOREA PRO","og_description":"Following the recent U.S.-ROK summit, South Korea confirmed what many had anticipated: New President Yoon Suk-yeol is scrapping his predecessor\u2019s signature New Southern Policy (NSP) focused on engaging Southeast Asia and India. The two countries\u2019 joint statement formally announced that the Yoon administration will move ahead with formulating its own \u201cIndo-Pacific strategy framework,\u201d which would […]","og_url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/","og_site_name":"KOREA PRO","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","article_published_time":"2022-06-23T07:47:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-05T07:12:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":685,"url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/yoon-ASEAN-vietnam-1-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Bishawjit","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@southkoreapro","twitter_site":"@southkoreapro","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sea Young (Sarah) Kim","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/"},"author":{"name":"Bishawjit","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/313e6f940bf1ae7b8cc487ec00b1b562"},"headline":"South Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia","datePublished":"2022-06-23T07:47:54+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-05T07:12:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/"},"wordCount":1011,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"keywords":["Business & Economy","Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations"],"articleSection":["Analysis"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/","name":"South Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia - KOREA PRO","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-06-23T07:47:54+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-05T07:12:14+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/06\/south-koreas-tilt-toward-us-risks-stalling-growing-ties-with-southeast-asia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"South Korea\u2019s tilt toward US risks stalling growing ties with Southeast Asia"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","name":"KOREA PRO","description":"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization","name":"KOREA PRO","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","width":360,"height":50,"caption":"KOREA PRO"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197039"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3665"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2197039"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2199415,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2197039\/revisions\/2199415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2197042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2197039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2197039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2197039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}