Korea needs a big idea
Seoul should play more proactive, creative global role
Dating back to last year's presidential election, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has sought to transform Korea's foreign policy to give it global reach and to advance Korea as a "global pivotal state."
In his article in Foreign Affairs, then candidate Yoon Suk Yeol in describing shifts in global foreign policy said that "South Korea should no longer be confined to the Korean Peninsula but rise to the challenge of being what I have described as a 'global pivotal state,' one that advances freedom, peace, and prosperity through liberal democratic values and substantial cooperation."
In taking part in the last two NATO summits and the recent G7 summit in Japan, the Yoon administration has taken initial steps towards raising Korea's global profile. Moving forward, how Korea chooses to contribute to global challenges and the development of global norms - such as the values President Yoon has articulated - will shape how successful Korea is in becoming a force in the international community.
Additional elements of a pivotal state can be seen in the previous experience of the Lee Myung-bak administration's "Global Korea" policy. During that period, Korea began to carve out a larger role on the international stage by hosting the G20 during the global financial crisis and the second Nuclear Security Summit advanced by the Barack Obama administration. The Lee administration also worked to site the U.N.'s Green Climate Fund in Incheon and established the Global Green Growth Institute.
However, broader global outreach was scaled back under both the conservative Park Geun-hye administration and the liberal Moon Jae-in administration. Had they maintained the level of international engagement, especially on climate change, Korea may have developed a pivotal role in helping the world to manage the climate crisis. While the Moon administration would eventually embrace dealing with climate change, momentum on Korea carving out a leading role on this issue had been lost.
Another path to expanding Korea's role on the international stage is engaging more in crisis management. We've seen on President Yoon's recent visit to Europe this month begin to take shape with the agreements for Korea and Korean firms to take part in up to $52 billion in postwar reconstruction projects in Ukraine, but Seoul remains reticent to contribute in an area where Korea could be pivotal to the war effort.
Because of the manufacturing capacity of Korea's arms industry, Seoul is in a strong position to support Ukraine's efforts to secure its freedom, enforce the international norm that states should not invade their neighbors and hasten the end of the conflict. While the problems of Ukraine may seem far from Seoul, the Korean Peninsula likely seemed far away for the European troops that defended Korea's freedom during the Korean War. Providing arms to Ukraine is one way Seoul can provide support to Europe.
These are all examples of ways that Korea could expand its influence as a global player, but one critical area rarely discussed is for Seoul to develop a "big idea" to advance in the international community.
What would be an example of a "big idea"? In the lead up to his recent summit meeting with Biden, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak floated the idea of creating a "CERN for AI" to promote the ethical development of AI modeled on the international particle physics project in Switzerland and the development of a regulatory AI body modeled on the International Atomic Energy Agency. While the U.S.-U.K. summit didn't result in these two specific proposals, the United States announced its support for the U.K.-led Global Summit on AI Safety which in time could lead to the development of some of Sunak's proposals.
In developing a "big idea," the United Kingdom identified a critical issue facing the international community, devised a reasonable plan for managing that issue and then began to seek international support. While the process that is developing may be different than what was initially envisioned by the British government, the U.K. has now placed a claim to being a pivotal player in the area of artificial intelligence. This could be a path for Korea as well.
Becoming a "global pivotal state" will take time and consistent effort. It will entail elements of attending international meetings, hosting key summits and contributing more globally in areas where Korea has relative advantages. But it also will require Korea to find a way to stand out among other states. Developing a "big idea" could be a key part of that process. However, as the experience of the Lee administration demonstrates, it will also require commitment on the part of Seoul across administrations if Korea is to remain a major international actor.
Source: Yonhap News Agency