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ASEAN will remain important to Korea under new leader
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has acknowledged the need to continue engagement with ASEAN, especially amid the intensifying United States-China competition.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (third left) meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-In (second right) in Busan, South Korea, on Nov. 25, 2019. During the meeting, Moon expressed his appreciation for Indonesia's role in cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. (Handout/Presidential Press Bureau/Laily Rachev)
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outh Korea has elected Yoon Suk-yeol of the opposition People’s Power Party (PPP) to become the nation’s next president. The election was a close call, with only a 0.8 percentage point margin between the conservatives and progressives.
Domestically, the election has highlighted the divided electorate since the start. The new government will commence its term in less than two months, yet the president-elect has been sending a strong signal that his administration will take the opposite trajectory from the administration of outgoing President Moon Jae-in.
Under Yoon’s rule, it is quite likely that South Korea’s foreign policy will change. His administration will focus on strengthening ties with the United States based on the bilateral alliance system and reestablishing relations with Japan, as the two close neighbors are major US allies in Northeast Asia.
The conservative preference for the US will shift South Korea’s approaches in dealing with the rivalry between China and the US in Asia. During his presidency, Moon introduced the New Southern Policy (NSP), which aimed to expand the room for South Korea to maneuver within the great power struggle by “elevating” its relationship with ASEAN member states.
Based on three pillars – people, prosperity and peace – the NSP provided scope for comprehensive engagement, signifying the increasing importance of ASEAN. Noting the divergent attitude Yoon has in comparison to his predecessor, will South Korea shift away from the foreign policy engagement toward its southern neighbor?
During a campaign rally last November, when asked whether he would continue the NSP initiative, Yoon replied, “Cooperation with ASAN is very important. Although it is not known exactly how effective the current NSP has been and whether it has succeeded to earn ASEAN’s trust in South Korea, I will do my best to build a regional community in which capitals and manpower can freely move around,” as quoted by South Korean news outlet MBN.
Yoon acknowledged the need to continue engagement with ASEAN, especially amid the intensifying US-China competition. But at the same time, he appears to be skeptical about the effectiveness of Moon’s signature foreign policy program.
