Bolstering middle power standing: South Korea's response to U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy from Trump to Biden

Abstract

South Korea's reluctant response to the U.S. Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) strategy so far has failed to send a clear-cut signal to regional countries. Despite upholding multilateralism as the cornerstone of its middle power diplomacy, South Korea has not worked in line with Indo-Pacific second-size powers given Seoul's relatively vague response to the Indo-Pacific structure. With foreign policy shifts from Trump to Biden, South Korea may be well-positioned to communicate its policies with a more nuanced response to the Indo-Pacific. To leverage Seoul's middle power standing and its commitment to multilateralism, the Moon Jae-in administration can be expected to reflect on clearer definitions of what 'Indo-Pacific' means and come up with a more comprehensive understanding of multilateral cooperation in the region so as not to mistake 'Indo-Pacific' for its security connotation. As for South Korea, pursuing a three-headed strategy, for example, continuing to position itself in the Indo-Pacific region as a balancer, enhancing ties with like-minded middle powers, and deepening the South Korea-ASEAN relationship, could accommodate Seoul's interests and concerns amid the U.S.–China strategic competition and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• middle power
• multilateralism
• South Korea
• U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy

Acknowledgements

The author would like to express sincere gratitude to the two anonymous reviewers for their critical comments and constructive suggestions. My special thanks go to Kieu-Thanh Huynh for her enduring support. This paper would not have been possible without her patience and kindness.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

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Tam-Sang Huynh

Tam-Sang Huynh is Lecturer of the Faculty of International Relations and Research Fellow of Center for International Studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City. His main fields of interest are Vietnam’s foreign policy, middle powers in the Asia-Pacific, and security and conflict in the South China Sea. His analyses and commentaries have appeared on multiple sites in the field such as the East Asian Policy, The Diplomat, ISEAS Perspective, East Asia Forum, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and the like.