Indonesia and South Korea

Abstract

East Asia is an arena of rivalry between the US and China. China has enhanced its regional influence through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The US has pushed back against perceived Chinese assertiveness in the disputed East and South China Seas through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) and the trilateral security pact comprising Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS). Amidst intensifying rivalry between the US and China, middle powers like Indonesia and South Korea share a dilemma: how can they maintain autonomy and agency in the international system without being trapped by the great powers? This chapter argues that Indonesia and South Korea have pursued ambitious middle power strategies, which complement each other. Both Jakarta and Seoul have practiced open regionalism by cooperating in ASEAN-centric multilateralism, the New Southern Policy (NSP) and the NSP Plus. Through a discussion of contemporary Indonesia-South Korea relations and an examination of the diplomatic strategies of Indonesia and South Korea in relation to the superpower rivalries in the region, it will be seen how both middle powers can leverage on their status as G20 countries to play larger roles in international affairs and boost multifaceted ties within ASEAN centrality, G20 and the NSPP in the twenty-first century. By acting in concord with each other, Indonesia and South Korea can develop close relations that promote East Asian multilateralism, infrastructural development and economic growth, environmental protection and global health.