Towards Closer European Union and German Cooperation with South Korea in the Indo-Pacific

Abstract

In November 2022 South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol unveiled his country's new Indo-Pacific strategy, which shares points of convergence with the European Union's "Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific" and Germany's "Indo-Pacific Policy Guidelines." As one of the few liberal democracies in the region, an advocate of inclusive multilateralism, and the world's tenth-largest economy, South Korea is very suited to being a close cooperation partner for the EU and Germany in the Indo-Pacific. Such cooperation can build on a very solid basis of achievements, especially in the economic realm. This includes a "Free Trade Agreement" in place since 2011. A "Digital Partnership," also at the EU level, was also signed very recently. And, as a producer of high-tech goods such as semiconductors, South Korea figures as a critical partner in the quest for more resilient supply chains. The EU, Germany, and South Korea should seek to buttress their oft-emphasised commonalities regarding support for inclusive multilateralism globally with the taking of concrete joint action. Such endeavours should involve the institutions that have been sidelined by the intensification of great-power rivalries - from the G20, to the World Trade Organization, to the United Nations. The EU, member states like Germany, and South Korea see eye to eye on issues of international security, including most recently the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, collaboration on strategic matters has yet to reach its full potential. Its central location in East Asia, alliance with the United States, and rich but ambivalent ties with China make South Korea a particularly interesting partner for consultation and cooperation on regional governance, including on security affairs. In 2023, 60 years of diplomatic ties between the EU and South Korea and 140 years of such relations between Germany and Korea will be celebrated. Summits and high-level official visits on the occasion of these anniversaries should be used to invigorate coordination and cooperation on questions of global governance and regional security. Dedicated Track 1.5 exchange can support and lend continuity to this official dialogue, too.