Becoming and Being a Middle Power

Abstract

The article documents the evolution of the structural dimension in South Korean foreign policy through a study of middle-power diplomacy in the post-2008 financial crisis period. This article argues that middle-power diplomacy, which propounds a global role for South Korea assuming leadership and substantially increasing international contribution is a paradigm shift in South Korean foreign policy posture, which until recently was limited to issues of the Korean peninsula. Through the middle power discourse South Korea projects its role in international affairs as a facilitator, interlocutor and norm entrepreneur focusing on international security, development and environment and is aims to create a space for Korean diplomatic entrepreneurism in the emerging international order.

South Korea’s (Incomplete) Middle-Power Diplomacy Toward ASEAN

“…A group of scholars promoted the concept to feed into national and international branding efforts at the start of the Lee presidency (SM Kim 2016). Under the overarching slogan of "Global Korea," the concept of middle power was used to support the aspiration to increase the country's international influence by enhancing its networking capacity and convening power (Jojin 2014;Green 2017). The government emphasised the functional aspect of middle-power diplomacy to legitimise South Korea's role as a convener, conciliator and proactive agendasetter in international negotiations and multilateral platform such as the 2010 G20 Seoul Summit, the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2011 and the Nuclear Security Summit in 2012 (Teo et al 2013;Jojin 2014; SM Kim 2016; Green 2017; Lee and Park 2017).…”

“…In particular, Lee's "niche diplomacy" focused on issues such as international development cooperation and the environment, known as "green growth promotion" (Jojin 2014;SM Kim 2016). It sought to associate its middle-power role as a bridge between developed and developing countries based on South Korea's development experience, technological advancement and growing economic influence (Teo et al 2013;Green 2017;Teo 2018).…”