Thailand is the key to Korea’s regional strategy, ambassador says
South Korea confirmed its commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation with Thailand, as well the rest of Asean, with its latest strategy to ensure the Indo-Pacific region becomes stable and prosperous, its ambassador to Thailand told The Nation.
Thailand is a key partner in Seoul’s new Indo-Pacific Strategy, Ambassador Moon Seoung-hyun said on the sidelines of the seminar "Korea's New Indo-Pacific Strategy and Asean: Opportunities and Challenges in the Emerging Indo-Pacific Geopolitics" earlier this week.
Representatives from Asean and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as international organisations like the United Nations, attended the seminar.
Korea and Thailand are celebrating the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year.
"Our trade volume reached an all-time high of US$16.5 billion last year, and people-to-people exchanges have been rapidly increasing," Moon said. "Our people enjoy each other's culture, language, and food, and they want to interact more authentically," he added.
Korea wants to focus its bilateral ties in economic sectors with high potential for growth, such as space, science and technology and electric vehicles, the ambassador said.
"Korea believes that cooperation with Thailand is an important muscle that strengthens not only our bilateral relations, but also Korea-Mekong and Korea-Asean cooperation," he said.
He also praised Thailand for being one of Asean's leading countries and for always being a strong partner of Korea's Asean initiatives.
Korea’s cooperation with countries in the Mekong region has increased significantly over the last decade, and Thailand has been a key partner in this effort, Moon said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced the country’s strategy for a free, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region in November 2022 at the 23rd Asean-South Korea Summit in Phnom Penh.
It is South Korea's first comprehensive regional strategy, and it responds to rising economic uncertainty and geopolitical tension in the Indo-Pacific region.
The strategy emphasised Korea's commitment to deepening cooperation with Asean and positioning the region as a key partner in promoting Indo-Pacific peace and prosperity.
The Indo-Pacific region is home to 65% of the world's population, accounts for 62% of global GDP, 46% of international trade, and half of global maritime transport, according to data from the Korean government.
"As an Indo-Pacific nation, Korea's national interests are inextricably linked to the region's stability and prosperity," Moon said. "Not only Korea recognises the significance of the Indo-Pacific region. Many countries worldwide recognise it as well and have announced their respective Indo-Pacific strategies."
The Indo-Pacific strategy of South Korea includes three core principles – inclusiveness, trust, and reciprocity – and nine core goals:
- 1. Build a regional order based on norms and rules,
- 2. Cooperate to promote the rule of law and human rights,
- 3. Strengthen non-proliferation and counter-terrorism efforts across the region,
- 4. Expand comprehensive security cooperation,
- 5. Build economic security networks,
- 6. Strengthen cooperation in critical domains of science and technology and close the digital gap,
- 7. Lead regional cooperation on climate change and energy security,
- 8. Engage in "contributive diplomacy" through tailored development and cooperation partnerships, and
- 9. Promote mutual understanding and exchange.
Korea’s security and prosperity depend on the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region, Moon said.
Korea is a major trading nation in the region, with foreign trade accounting for nearly 85% of its GDP, he said. The Indo-Pacific region is home to the majority of Korea's top 20 trading partners, and the region receives 66% of foreign direct investment.
The region is a key shipping route and a hub for strategic technology sectors like semiconductors, Moon said.
He stressed that South Korea launched the Korea-Asean Solidarity Initiative (KASI) as a regional policy specifically tailored to Asean as part of its Indo-Pacific Strategy.
"Korea will pursue more mutually beneficial and substantive cooperation under KASI by aligning Asean's needs with its strengths, with a particular emphasis on digital, climate change, public health, and maritime security. The Korean government has already committed to increasing cooperation resources over the next five years," Moon said.
It will double its funding for cooperation with Asean and the Mekong region, he said.
Some participants at the forum expressed concerns about Seoul’s staying power and neutrality.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a senior fellow at the Institute of Security and International Studies, said the two major concerns about South Korea's latest strategy are continuity and neutrality.
South Korea must convince Asean that the strategies will continue even if a new president is elected, he said. South Korea's Asean policies have been inconsistent due to leadership changes, Thitinan explained.
Seoul’s strategy for the region is very similar to Washington’s, he said.
As a result, enhanced cooperation with South Korea may cause Asean to lose its neutrality on the global stage.
Participants at the forum also raised concerns about nuclear energy, the sharing of information and technology, and South Korea's interests in the region.
