Envoys show expectations for Korea's bigger role in Indo-Pacific

Foreign Minister Park Jin, front row 10th from left, poses with envoys from around the Indo-Pacific region during a briefing announcing the details of Korea's new Indo-Pacific strategy at the ministry headquarters in central Seoul, Dec. 28. Yonhap

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea has unveiled a new strategy for expanding its global influence in the Indo-Pacific region, as the country's elevated international standing now requires it to take on a larger role in promoting freedom, peace and prosperity in the region.

The unveiling of the details received noteworthy attention from the diplomatic community in Seoul, as Foreign Minister Park Jin invited over 50 envoys to the announcement held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters, Dec. 28.

Other Indo-Pacific nations recognized that they share the same values and perspectives as Korea in its new strategy and looked for opportunities for further cooperation through the new strategy.

Australian Ambassador to Korea Catherine Raper agreed with Park that the announcement "marks a watershed in Korea's foreign policy," welcoming Korea's strategy announcement as a fellow Indo-Pacific nation.

"The strategy aligns with Australia's own vision for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific, where small and middle powers can work together to preserve our choice and strategic space," the Australian ambassador said in an email interview with The Korea Times.

She noted that cooperation with Australia would be crucial in implementing this strategy.

"Our close cooperation and coordination will be important given Australia is a fellow U.S. ally, a comprehensive strategic partner with ASEAN and has longstanding and deep relationships with our Pacific neighbors," Raper said.

Australia is also a significant security player in the region through its participation in security arrangements such as AUKUS and the Quad.

"We welcome the strategy's recognition of efforts to further deepen Australia-ROK ties on security issues and in national defense. We are already comprehensive strategic partners and we think the strategy will give us even more opportunities to collaborate on our shared regional security interests," she said.

Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) showed keen interest in Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy as well.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Nguyen Vu Tung believes that the strategy may lead to Korea playing a larger role in the region, new opportunities for cooperation in various fields such as traditional and non-traditional security challenges and economic prosperity and more cooperative platforms at different levels.

Ambassador Tung said Vietnam and other ASEAN countries are content with the introduction of the strategy as the country is the coordinator for ASEAN-Korea cooperation for 2021 to 2024.

"Because it is a sustained and upgraded version of the New Southern Policy, which indicates that the ASEAN and South Korea can boost greater cooperation in the context of the ROK Indo-Pacific strategy. The elevation of the ROK-ASEAN cooperative framework into a strategic and comprehensive partnership in 2024 becomes more feasible," Tung said.

"It recognizes and supports the ASEAN Centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), which suggests that South Korea and ASEAN support the inclusive approach to cooperation in the region, utilize the ASEAN-led institutions and hence adopt the ASEAN Way in promoting peace and stability in the region. (Third,) it widens the scope that ASEAN and ROK interact with other regional countries, especially those who have introduced their respective Indo-Pacific strategies."

He also sees the potential for Vietnam and Korea working together to enhance the ASEAN Centrality and support the ASEAN-led arrangements in the Indo-Pacific region with Vietnam being more proactive in ASEAN and Korea being more committed with ASEAN.

"The ROK and ASEAN will elevate the existing cooperative framework into a strategic and comprehensive partnership in 2024. These are the platforms that Vietnam and Korea can work together to implement the South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy in Southeast Asia and beyond," Tung said.

Foreign Minister Park Jin, front row fourth from left, poses with envoys from the Indo-Pacific region during a briefing announcing the details of Korea's new Indo-Pacific Strategy at the ministry headquarters in central Seoul, Dec. 28. Yonhap

Gandi Sulistiyanto, ambassador of Indonesia to Korea, also welcomed Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy that shows continued attention to Southeast Asia, especially ASEAN member nations, adding that his government will soon officially announce its response to and position on Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy.

"The bilateral relationship between Indonesia and South Korea is flourishing from year to year. In 2017, Indonesia and South Korea agreed to upgrade the status of relations between the two countries to the level of a special strategic partnership," he said.

"With this special strategic partnership, the two countries agreed to increase cooperation in the fields of politics and defense, the economy and people-to-people contact. Indonesia and South Korea concluded the Korea-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IK-CEPA) and this agreement will be implemented soon."

Ambassador Sulistiyanto expressed hopes for the strategy to play a role in strengthening the relationship between Korea and Indonesia and the two countries could work together, both as middle powers and as democracies, to advance peace and prosperity in the region, which benefits the region and the world.

"I believe there is plenty of room for cooperation between Indonesia and South Korea through Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy... In economic cooperation, Indonesia and South Korea could also work to strengthen the supply chain, maritime and connectivity... In line with the cooperation on infrastructure, Indonesia seeks Korea's involvement in the New Capital development projects in East Kalimantan," the ambassador said.

As Indonesia is the chair of ASEAN this year, the largest country in Southeast Asia views that the region must be a robust, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth center for the region and the world, with a focus on cooperation in the fields of food security, energy security, health and financial stabilization.

"I hope that South Korea and ASEAN would conduct a dialogue or discussion regarding priority areas of cooperation that can be synergized between the AOIP and South Korea's Indo-Pacific strategy," Sulistiyanto said.

A large number of envoys from Europe also took part in the briefing, reflecting the continent's increasing interest and engagement in the Indo-Pacific region in recent years.

French Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lefort emphasized that France is a resident power of the Indo-Pacific with an extensive diplomatic and scientific network in the region.

"Over 1.6 million French citizens live in the region, notably in French Polynesia, New Caledonia and La Reunion, while three quarters of the French exclusive economic zone ― the world's second-largest ― is located in the Indo-Pacific," he said.

"French armed forces provide a strong presence of over 7,000 soldiers, which is essential to defend our sovereignty and to contribute, alongside with our partners, to regional security."

From France's perspective, Korea's new Indo-Pacific strategy can provide greater areas of cooperation between Korea, the European Union and all its member states.

"This cooperation can be useful to strengthen the stability in the Indo-Pacific, contribute to settling regional crises, promote the rule of law and international standards, ensure balanced and sustainable economic development, foster the deployment of quality infrastructure and work to preserve our common goods such as the climate, the environment, health, marine resources and maritime security, education and digital technology," Ambassador Lefort said.

France aims to be an inclusive and stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region.

"As Korea, we are promoting values of freedom and rule of law. Since the enactment of our Indo-Pacific strategy, we have been able to work with our partners to provide concrete solutions to the security, economic, health, climate and environmental challenges that countries in the region are facing, and to support multilateralism," he said.

Ambassador Lefort noted that there are many concrete actions that Korea and France can implement together, including through development cooperation agencies, in line with the priorities defined by countries in the region.

"For instance, we can work together to strengthen the adaptation of the Pacific territories to the impacts of climate change, and better protect biodiversity in the Indian Ocean regions. The French overseas departments and communities can be pivotal for our regional cooperation."