Does South Korea Exercise Middle-Power Diplomacy Toward Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan?

Abstract

It is widely accepted that South Korea has obtained middle-power status because it has fulfilled the necessary behavioral principles in its diplomacy. Even though the Republic of Korea is an active player in Central Asia, the topic of relationships between South Korea and Central Asian republics has barely been explored. Using case studies, the author attempts to evaluate how much South Korea’s policy matches its middle-power status in relationships with two major partners in the region—Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The author concludes that South Korea’s policy toward the two Central Asian partners only partly matches middle-power behavior criteria. The article discusses the practical obstacles to South Korea’s middle-power diplomacy toward Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and elaborates on the shortcomings of the middle-power concept as an analytical framework.