Time for 'K-diplomacy'

Significant increase in official development assistance should be first step

By Kim Won-soo

These days, there is plenty of buzz around South Korea's popular culture, sometimes called "K-culture," which comprises a wide variety of domains such as K-pop, K-movies, K-dramas, K-food, K-beauty and so on.

There could be many factors at work behind the dramatic surge of K-culture. One of the most fundamental reasons could be because K-pop or K-culture more generally has found universal appeal ― with Korean characteristics ― among people around the world, especially the younger generations.

We could potentially apply this idea to international politics and start thinking about "K-diplomacy." Korea could make a meaningful contribution on the global diplomatic stage by tapping into a set of its strengths, with both universal and regional appeal.

Globally, South Korea is one of the few exemplary cases to overcome both economic and political backwardness following the end of World War II. In 2021, Korea was reclassified by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as an advanced economy, the first-ever upgrade made by the U.N. agency since its inception in 1964. This shows why Korea has become a model that many developing states around the globe want to emulate. Simply put, Korea has universal appeal in international relations.

Regionally, South Korea is facing one of the hardest diplomatic challenges, stemming from its unique geopolitical location. It is under constant threat as a divided country, surrounded by the four most powerful states in the world, namely the United States, China, Japan and Russia. The politics of division is rearing its ugly head around the Korean Peninsula in ways that are somewhat reminiscent of the Cold War era. A major difference is that the land-based authoritarian bloc of China, Russia and North Korea is now led by China, not Russia. Another difference is South Korea's relatively increased power compared to that of the other five countries.

South Korea has maneuvered with reasonable success both diplomatically and economically in one of the toughest geopolitical environments between the United States (its foremost ally) and China (its largest trading partner). Now it requires even more political finesse as the U.S.-China rivalry is intensifying in all domains of international relations. This is not entirely bad news, however. South Korea is in fact uniquely positioned to play a bridging role between the U.S. and China. It could help identify issues of mutual concern, such as climate change and terrorists gaining access to weapons of mass destruction.

South Korea could try to combine its universal appeal and regional maneuvers into a diplomatic brand of its own called K-diplomacy. To that end, I firmly believe the aspirations of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration to become a global pivotal state are both desirable and achievable. They are desirable because they can pave the way for K-diplomacy to flourish. It is possible if they are backed by creative thinking and dexterous execution.

In this regard, I applaud the efforts by the Yoon government to increase South Korea's official development assistance (ODA) significantly this year. The Yoon government recently announced an ambitious plan to raise next year's ODA budget by 43 percent. If this plan moves ahead as announced, it deserves a big welcome for two reasons. First, it would send a clear message around the world about South Korea's resolve to contribute to the successful development of less developed states. Second, it would be regarded as a politically courageous move, as it would be immensely unpopular nationally, significantly raising the government budget for international assistance at a time of economic slowdown. This could in turn help solidify South Korea's global image as a donor country following its entry into the OECD's Development Assistance Committee in 2020. The share of ODA in gross national income would rise from a meager 0.17 percent to 0.29 percent, moving one step closer to the OECD average of 0.36 percent.

Increasing ODA is clearly a welcome first step. Efforts must be made to ensure that it has a real impact on recipient countries. Effective aid will be an enabler for K-diplomacy. But there is still a long way to go before K-diplomacy can be recognized globally. Above all, it requires collective efforts by all stakeholders in South Korea, whether they be the government, the National Assembly, businesses, civil society or academia, to define its diplomatic priorities carefully and implement them consistently while contributing to the global development agenda. Its success will eventually hinge on whether and how much the South Korean people and government are collectively willing and ready to turn their geopolitical challenges into diplomatic opportunities. Together we may succeed, but divided we will perish.

Kim Won-soo (wsk4321@gmail.com) is the former under-secretary-general of the United Nations and a high representative for disarmament. He is a chair professor at Kyung Hee University.