Transforming East Asian Domestic and International Politics by Robert Compton

Author:Robert Compton [Compton, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, International Relations, Arms Control, Reference, Essays, Social Science, Sociology, General
ISBN: 9781000160802
Google: KRb8DwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-09-10T03:51:53+00:00

Chapter 6

South Korea as a Middle Power: The Growing Globalization of South Korean Foreign Policy in the 1990s

Dlynn Armstrong-Williams

Introduction

The confluence of the post-Cold War era and South Korea’s meteoric economic rise contributed to a diversification of its foreign policy. The multipolarity evidenced by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the increased globalization of economic activities and transnational issues place middle-powers in a unique position to contribute to global peace and stability. In the case of South Korea, the post-World War II era witnessed the transformation of its foreign policy. A clientelistic foreign policy, one in which South Korea depended on foreign aid to survive and thrive, shifted toward one of providing overseas development assistance (ODA). With this new diplomatic tool, its foreign policy tone changed from emphasizing unanimity with the United States to one of greater independence.

This chapter investigates the transformation of South Korean foreign policy, in the context of ‘middle power theory’, resulting from greater globalization and South Korea’s new economic power. It looks at the extent to which South Korea works actively within the auspices of the United Nations in the area of multilateral and bilateral development assistance and peacekeeping support. Furthermore, this chapter examines the change in vision among South Korean diplomats and examines how this newfound activism benefits the emerging democratic South Korea.

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