The Republic of Korea’s Motivations for Cooperation and Development with ASEAN in the 21st Century

Abstract

Because of its middle power status, Republic of Korea (ROK) diplomacy has allegedly made strategic adjustments, a shift from placing importance on the alliance with the US and Japan in the 20th century to actively cooperating with lower or equally ranked countries in East Asia since the beginning of the 21st century. It is a return to the trajectory of regional diplomacy made by Korean presidents which puts Southeast Asia at the center where cooperation with ASEAN plays a key role. On such a practical basis, the paper focuses on explaining major motivations (both objective and subjective) that prompted ROK’s foreign policy change with ASEAN, and on the other hand, provides remarks including comparisons with Vietnamese diplomacy in the new context.