South Korea must talk to US, Asean to boost regional security
Seoul’s close Southeast Asian ties fired strong economic growth but must focus on South China Sea and Korean Peninsula issues now, says analyst Lee Jae-jyon
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has enjoyed deep economic ties with South Korea and the United States for decades.
South Korea is the region’s second-largest trading partner while the US is the fourth-largest for the 10 members states.
While economic relations remain robust, it is in regional security that the three sides can increase collaboration, says Lee Jae-jyon, senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies think tank in Seoul.
Korea and Asean face huge strategic uncertainties coming from the superpower rivalry [between China and the United States]
“There’s potential for strategic and security cooperation,” says Lee, referring to Asean-South Korea bilateral relations. “Economic and socio-cultural cooperation is doing well and once governments pave the way for [it] it’s the private sector that will move ahead with cooperation. [But] security and strategic cooperation is different. From the beginning to end, [this] is the role of the governments.”
Lee adds: “What are the shared interests? Both Korea and Asean face huge strategic uncertainties coming from the superpower rivalry [between China and the United States].
“Maybe even the joint efforts of Asean and Korea are unable to compete with the superpowers, but definitely the combined efforts can enlarge regional influence and help protect the smaller countries’ autonomous strategic space in the region, as well as make their voices heard.”
He says South Korea’s relationship with the US is limited to security of the Korean Peninsula against the threat of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s Communist regime, while its ties with Asean are mostly economic and socio-cultural, with few discussions on security or strategic matters.
