Friends or Seoul-mates?

Friends or Seoul-mates?

Article:

1. Rajiv Kumar, Research Professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, analyse India-South Korea relations in the era of U.S. and China power politics.

Important facts:

2. South Korean President Moon Jae-in’ recently visited to India to upgrade India-South Korea relations.

3. Mr Moon launched a foreign initiative called New-Southern Policy last year to step up Seoul’s engagement with India and the ASEAN countries.

4. He also sent a special envoy to India immediately after assuming office.

5. This year, South Korea set up a state-run research centre on India and ASEAN under the Korea National Diplomacy Academy to diversify strategic partnership across the Asian region.

6. Reasons for Seoul’s reshaping diplomatic relations towards India:

• Recently, South Korea has been heavily impacted by power politics between the U.S and China.
• The clash between the two countries over the deployment of the U.S. Thaad missile defence system in the Korean Peninsula set off an economic retaliation by China against South Korea, whose economy is highly depended on the Chinese market.
• The ongoing U.S-China trade war has heightened uncertainty surrounding South Korea’s core economic interests.
• This has led to Seoul reassessing risks associated with economic turbulence stemming from Chinese policies, which is a threat to the national security of South Korea in some cases.
• To escape the power politics in Northeast Asia, South Korean policymakers believe that Seoul should diversify its relations with major powers in the region including India.
• Mr Moon recently said that his government wants to elevate relations with India to the same level as with other major powers in the world- namely, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.

7. Way ahead:

• Both India and South Korea have multiple dimensions to boost up their strategic ties such as:

a) Ensuring freedom of navigation

b) Overflight and unimpeded lawful commerce in the Indo-Pacific region.

c) South Korea backing India’s bid for Nuclear Suppliers Group membership especially when New Delhi has faced sustained opposition from China.

d) Exemplified by plans for capacity building programmes in Afghanistan.