South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s criticism of China by calling for ‘doing away with South Korea’s submissive diplomacy toward China’ and strong belief in robust democracy, independent of outside powers, have potential to further improve relations with New Delhi
India’s relation with South Korea is bilateral, regional and global. Both the nations are connected with history, as according to “Samguk Yusa” or “The Heritage History of the Three Kingdoms” written in the 13th century, a princess from Ayodhya (Suriratna) went to Korea, married King Kim-Suro, and became Queen Heo Hwang-ok in the year 48 AD. Buddhism made the relation strong and natural.
After India’s opening of the economy in 1991, Korean companies have seized the opportunity with Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Daewoo, Hanwha, Kia, SK, Lotte and more becoming Indianised from core. Indian companies like Mahindra and Mahindra, Tata Motors and banks like State Bank of India and Bank of Baroda have large investments in South Korea. Bilateral trade has crossed around $21 billion dollars. So happenings in Korea are important to India and vice versa.
Yoon Suk-yeol, candidate for the People Power Party, has been elected South Korea’s next President in the Presidential election. Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party lost by a small margin. According to the ballot count, Yoon won 48.6 per cent of the vote, a figure 0.8 percentage points higher than Lee’s 47.8 per cent. The Opposition lost because it didn’t learn its lessons from the ill effect of dragging on real estate policies, perceived hypocrisy and party’s losses in by-elections for the Seoul and Busan mayoralties on April 7 last year. Although there was some last-minute unity in the party, it was too late for it to save the situation.
In Korea, most of the former Presidents had political experience. Since 1987, most of the President-elects had been in the National Assembly. Former Presidents like Kim Young sam served nine terms, Nobel laureate Kim Dae-jung served six, Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak both had two, Park Geun-hye had five, and most recently Moon Jae-in had one. However President-elect Yoon’s journey is very interesting: Just 371 days after stepping down as prosecutor general for 27 year he won presidency on his political debut.
However, political analysts are worried about Yoon’s poll campaign promises and speeches. His remarks: “People ought to work hard for up to 120 hours a week”, and “The destitute and uneducated don’t even know what freedom is”, are some of the disturbing assertions for the Koreans. Yoon placed particular emphasis on the “rule of law” and rooting out corruption. His message externally to North Korea was hard-line attitude, while emphasising principles: “I plan to respond resolutely according to principle to illegal and irrational acts by North Korea, while always leaving the door open for inter-Korean dialogue.”
On China also, Yoon’s take is strong and special. During election campaign, he had called for “pursuing additional anti-missile system deployment,” and “doing away with South Korea’s submissive diplomacy toward China,” and had said “young (South Koreans) dislike China.”
Yoon argues that China deserves criticism for its return to authoritarianism and its high-handed behaviour in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the South China Sea. “We will also need to respond more assertively if China attempts to dismiss South Korea as a ‘small country’,” he had said during his speeches.
For major part of its history, South Korea has kept its diplomacy focused predominately on major powers around the Korean peninsula: China, Japan, Russia, and the United States. However, as US-China frictions intensify, South Korea is increasingly concerned about being entangled in great power competition. This has been especially true since 2017, when China launched a campaign of economic coercion in retaliation for Seoul’s decision to allow the deployment of a US THAAD missile defense system in South Korea. Seoul experienced first-hand Beijing’s willingness to weaponise economic ties to influence its strategic decisions.
Seoul is looking to diversify its economic and strategic partnership in the region by strengthening ties with India under South Korea’s New Southern Policy (NSP). The policy has three pillars: peace (meaning political and strategic cooperation), prosperity (meaning economic cooperation), and people (meaning socio-cultural cooperation).
The policy’s goal is to elevate ties with India to the same level as South Korea’s relationship with China, Japan, Russia, and the United States. But the new President, who is a conservative, wants to go with US very powerfully as he openly supported THAAD Missile System in Korea and pre-emptive strikes on North Korea. However, whether he will be partnering with US or buckle under the Chinese pressure has to be seen?
South Korea’s approach to Quad has been similar to its approach to the free-and-open Indo-Pacific narrative: Work with partners practically, while avoiding open endorsement of their regional strategies. South Korea is not a member of the Quad, it was a part of the Quad Plus meetings in March 2020, where it participated in talks on the pandemic response. How it will respond has to be seen in the changing geo-political scenario.
Finally one can say that a democratic South Korea likes India due to its democratic nature, freedom of press, religion, dissent and more. Geopolitics is becoming more dangerous, Ukraine as an example.
India needs a stable prosperous democratic South Korea and wants North Korea to stop nuclear brinkmanship and get back to the negotiating table resolve the issues with South Korea.
An independent South Korea, not crumbling under global superpowers’ pressure, is good for India. Therefore free market and strong democracy can bring South Korea closer to India. However militarisation in East Asia from China to Japan and assertiveness of Russia has to be watched.
For now, India needs Korean hardware for Indian software, and cooperation on defence, automobile semiconductors, battery joint production, cutting edge technology, supply chain, logistics, 6G research and people to people contact. If South Korea under the new President can respond on this favourably, it will be win-win situation for both India and Korea.
(The writer is a spokesperson of the BJP)
