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This book examines the first regional strategy of South Korea toward Southeast Asia and India. At issue is how a middle power (a G20 country with the tenth largest economy in the world) seeks to play a larger and more comprehensive role in regions beyond the Korean peninsula. Hitherto, South Korean foreign policy has focused on nuclearizing North Korea, alliance maintenance with the United States, tricky relations with its most important economic partner China, and difficult ties with Japan marred by historical and territorial disputes. The Moon Administration has sought to diversify South Korean foreign policy by elevating ASEAN and India to the same strategic level as the United States, China, Russia, and Japan. To be sure, the latter countries continue to be most significant to the Korean peninsula. However, this book offers different country and regional perspectives on Seoul's first regional grand strategy to play a role commensurate with its status as a middle power.
List of contents
List of Illustrations
List of Contributors
Acknowledgement
PART 1
Introduction 1
1 New Southern Policy: The Forging of an Incipient Foreign Policy Doctrine?
LAM PENG ER
PART 2
Seoul and ASEAN: Principles and Practices
2 South Korea’s New Southern Policy: The Limits of Indo-Pacific Geopolitics
CHOE WONGI
3 ASEAN and the Republic of Korea as Middle Powers: ASEAN Centrality and NSPP amid Great Power Transition
NUR SHAHADAH JAMIL
PART 3
Republic of Korea and the Mekong Sub-region
4 Seoul’s New Southern Policy Plus (NSPP) and the Mekong Region: Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Inclusive Growth
PARK HAHNKYU
5 From Partnership for Sustainability to Sustainable Partnership: A Thai Perspective on NSPP and South Korea’s Engagement in the Mekong Sub-region
SEKSAN ANANTASIRIKIAT
6 Great Expectations: Cooperation between Cambodia and South Korea amid Great Power Transition
VEASNA VAR
7 Vietnam-Republic of Korea Relations in the Age of Great Power Competition
HOANG THI HA
PART 4
Republic of Korea and the ASEAN Maritime States
8 Indonesia and South Korea: Two Middle Powers in Concord amid Great Powers Rivalry
RESI QURRATA AINI AND YANDRY KURNIAWAN
9 Korea-Malaysia Relations: Where the New Southern Policy and Look East Policy Meet
KIM HYUNGJONG
10 A Singaporean Perspective on the NSP Plus’ Outreach to ASEAN
SHAWN HO
PART 5
Republic of Korea and India
11 India-South Korean Relations in the Indo-Pacific: Overlapping Act East Policy and New Southern Policy Plus
JOJIN V. JOHN
PART 6
New Southern Policy and Human Security
12 Evolution of South Korea’s Diplomacy toward ASEAN: (Inconsistently) Embracing Human Security Perspectives in the NSP/NSP Plus
PARK MIN JOUNG
Index
About the author
Lam Peng Er is Head of the Korea Centre, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore.
Summary
This book examines the first regional strategy of South Korea towards Southeast Asia and India. At issue is how a middle power (a G20 country with the tenth largest economy in the world) seeks to play a larger and more comprehensive role in regions beyond the Korean peninsula.
