Best of 2023: South Korea
BEST OF 2023:
SOUTH KOREA
4 January 2024
South Korea's (ROK) role in global politics has evolved significantly in recent years, with the country emerging as a pivotal player in the Indo-Pacific region. Under President Yoon Suk-yeol, it has strengthened its security alliance with the US and pursued a more assertive stance towards North Korea.
Domestically, however, 2023 saw the country’s political landscape marked by a number of challenges, including rising inflation, economic inequality, and social unrest. The Yoon administration has faced criticism for its handling of these issues and South Korea's political parties remain deeply divided making it difficult to achieve consensus on important policy matters. Here, we review some of our most-read analyses about South Korea from the last year.
SEOUL’S INDO-PACIFIC STRATEGY WILL NOT MAKE BIG WAVES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
WRITTEN BY ALESSANDRO VESPRINI AND MATTEO PIASENTINI, JUNIOR FELLOWS AT THE RESEARCH CENTRE GEOPOLITICA.INFO
The Indo-Pacific’s rising geopolitical importance is reflected in the growing number of strategies devoted to the region announced by countries across the world. Vesprini and Piasentini review South Korea’s strategy for the region released by President Yoon Suk-yeol at the November 2022 ASEAN Summit. They explain some of the problems the South Korean government will have to grapple with as it implements this strategy, such as its limited material capabilities, and explore some possible future developments including developing more strategic partnerships with countries in the region. However, Vesprini and Piasenti conclude that the ROK’s ambition to serve as a ‘Global Pivotal Power’ is constrained by the ongoing conflict with North Korea as well as tensions between China and the US.
SHOULD SOUTH KOREA DEVELOP NUCLEAR WEAPONS?
WRITTEN BY YULGOK KIM, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ROK FORUM FOR NUCLEAR STRATEGY (ROKFNS)
Whether South Korea will join the nuclear arms race has been a topic of much debate among analysts and policymakers worldwide. In this widely read article from last year, Kim explores this issue in the context of how the ROK’s threat perception is influenced by the US’ nuclear policy and extended deterrence. Given North Korea’s continuing efforts and China’s reluctance to influence Pyongyang to move towards denuclearisation, Kim makes the case for why the South must pursue nuclear latency.
EVALUATING SOUTH KOREA'S DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING
WRITTEN BY DR MI-SON KIM, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS, USA
Democratic backsliding has gripped democracies across the world over the past decade or so, and it seems South Korea may be at risk of falling victim to this trend. Dr Kim explores how political scandals and widening ideological divides are undermining the ROK’s democracy and presents an insightful discussion of the nuances of the South’s political culture. The author notes, “[g]iven the persistent weakness of the National Assembly and political parties, Korean people have been increasingly relying on non-institutional channels of representation, such as protests and demonstrations, making politics more contentious and volatile”.
CONSERVATIVE ZEALOTS: EVANGELICAL POLITICS IN SOUTH KOREA
WRITTEN BY DR YONG JAE KIM, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AT HAWAII PACIFIC UNIVERSITY AND A RESEARCH FELLOW AT PACIFIC FORUM
In this fascinating piece, Dr Kim discusses the rising influence of evangelical protestants in South Korea and the wider competition between conservative groups to shape the country’s society and politics. Tracking shifts in the ROK’s political landscape since democratisation in the late 1980s, he explores the strategies adopted by conservative groups to cement their status as an important voting bloc. He concludes by considering how this may develop in the coming years and emphasises the significance of the 2024 election as a crucial tipping point in the political fortune of Korea’s conservative evangelicals.
NO COUNTRY FOR ASYLUM-SEEKERS: THE COMPLEXITY OF REFUGEE PROTECTION IN SOUTH KOREA
WRITTEN BY DR ANGELA Y. MCCLEAN, POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE AT THE COUNCIL ON EAST ASIAN STUDIES AT YALE UNIVERSITY
In this article, Dr McClean highlights a puzzling aspect of South Korea’s policies — its restrictive stance on asylum seekers. Indeed, although it is one of the wealthiest democracies in the world, its refugee recognition rate (RRR) in 2022 was about 2 per cent (compared to 40 per cent in EU+ countries) and its average RRR over the past decade is less than 3 per cent. McClean explores the bureaucratic and legal hurdles of Refugee Status Determination (RSD) in the ROK — among the toughest in the Global North. Noting that there is “very little political conversation about protecting refugees”, the author urges “the Korean government to reflect on what its role ought to be in international refugee protection”.
DISCLAIMER: All views expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent that of the 9DASHLINE.com platform.
Image credit: Unsplash/Emanuel Ekström (cropped).