From ASPAC to EAS : South Korea and southeast Asia

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Asian Affairs: An American Review

Publication Date

5-28-2014

Volume

41

Issue

2

First Page

33

Last Page

55

Publisher

Routledge

Keywords

middle power, regionalism, regionalization, South Korea, Southeast Asia

Abstract

South Korea's diplomatic and security focus has inevitably been on northeast Asia and its difficult relationship with its northern neighbour, but South Korea also has a role to play in the broader Asian Pacific region. This article analyzes South Korea's increasing economic, political, and cultural links with the wider region, in particular with Southeast Asia, and its role in the development of Asian Pacific regionalism. Utilizing the concept of "middle power," it argues that, while clearly South Korea cannot ignore what is happening in its immediate geographical environment of North-east Asia, it does have the economic and political resources to enable it to take advantage of the opportunities for greater interactions with other parts of the Asian Pacific region, particularly Southeast Asia, if the political will exists.

DOI

10.1080/00927678.2014.910422

Print ISSN

00927678

E-ISSN

19401590

Funding Information

This article is prepared under the auspices of a research project funded by the Institute for Modern Korean Studies, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, whose support is gratefully acknowledged.

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2014 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Bridges, B. (2014). From ASPAC to EAS: South Korea and southeast Asia. Asian Affairs: An American Review, 41(2), 33-55. doi: 10.1080/00927678.2014.910422

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