The role of the “soft power” and “Korean Wave” of South Korea in resolving geopolitical questions and in establishing strong relations with the Central Asian countries
Mirsharipov Behzod
Joseph Nye pioneered the concept of soft power in the early 1990s. Soft power was originally defined as cooperative behavioural power, which meant "getting others to want what you want." In other words, soft power entailed appealing to and attracting yourself to others to influence their preferences. Soft power currency is primarily based on culture, political beliefs, and foreign policies.
The "soft power" strategy and the "Korean wave" plan worked together to help South Korea build a positive image around the world and aid in the resolution of important geopolitical challenges. It also improved the security conditions of many overseas Korean residents, as pictures of Korea and Koreans are portrayed as lovely, polite, and developed. As a result, they face less discrimination and have a better chance of integrating into the society in which they live wherever they travel. The role of Korean celebrities and stars stands out the most here. They have become a symbol of Korea in countries where the Korean wave is popular, and the message those stars represent has had a significant impact on the minds of many Korean wave followers. As a result, Korean wave stars have become vital soft resources for the country, and they are expected to play more active, albeit understated, political roles representing Koreans as well as regional and global arenas.
Korea's soft power capacity is not as limited today as it was a decade ago, thanks to the "Korean wave" and "Pop culture." It used to be weak, not because Korea lacked soft resources, but because Korea was uninterested in developing and deploying soft resources to generate influence in the area and on the global arena until the turn of the century. However, with Korea's current intellectual talent, it is highly possible for Korea to generate more soft power potential than ever before. As a result, Korean officials must acknowledge the significance of Korea's soft resources and soft power and invest more in the development of Korea's soft power through national and systematic efforts.
On the one hand, the Republic of Korea has always been appealing to Central Asian countries in terms of broadening its economy and trade partners, and on the other, as a model for implementing an economic miracle, advanced technology, and investments. In response to the region's collective interest, the Republic of Korea's newly developed New North Policy in 2017 identifies Central Asia as one of three locations for economic cooperation in resource and infrastructure development. Seoul is actively collaborating with other entities with comparable aspirations and geopolitical interests in this area.
Many people in Central Asia admire the Republic of Korea's success, economic miracle, advanced tech, and culture. Furthermore, the Republic of Korea's soft power is more appealing and is not viewed as a threat to local culture in Central Asian states. This can be explained by the original experience of living together with preexisting Koreans for several decades, during which Koreans not only learned Russian but also learned local languages and became members of local communities.
The Republic of Korea was one of the first republics in Asia to recognize the independence of all Central Asian republics, and diplomatic ties were established in 1992. The Republic of Korea maintains diplomatic missions in each of the five republics' capitals. Central Asian states also have diplomatic missions at the embassy level in Seoul.
For tightening mutual relations since 1992, 16 summits have been held between Korea and Uzbekistan, 14 with Kazakhstan, 5 with Turkmenistan, 2 with Kyrgyzstan and 3 with Tajikistan. If the number of summits reflects the dynamics and depth of cooperation, the number of formal visits by top officials highlights areas of interest. Visits by top officials are not intense, but they are planned well in advance with a specific event, such as the launching of a strategic partnership or a cultural centre. The presidents of all Central Asian republics paid trips to Seoul, although the leaders of the Republic of Korea were only in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at the level of the prime minister.
In this regard, Tajik leader E. Rahmon conducted two visits to Seoul in 2005 and 2015, while Prime Minister Lee Nak-Yon paid a visit to Dushanbe in 2019. The Uzbek leader visited the Republic of Korea in 2017, and the country's President, Moon Jae-in, paid a visit to Tashkent in 2019.
The Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has an agency called KOICA - the Korean International Cooperation Agency - that undertakes initiatives of free aid to states. KOICA has been supporting initiatives in Central Asian republics since 1994. For example, from 1995 to 2018, the Agency allocated 94.32 million USD for the development of 29 projects in Uzbekistan.
During formal visits by top officials, mutual expectations and a desire for cooperation have always been clearly conveyed. Of course, expectations are regularly altered in light of global trends in international politics, regional changes, and changes in state internal politics. On the one hand, the initiation of the PRC's Eurasian projects such as the "Belt and Road Initiative," Russia's Greater Eurasia Initiative, the United States’ New Silk Road Initiative, Japan's Silk Road Diplomacy, and so on pushed Seoul to advance its strategic vision through the New Northern Policy Initiative.
Following all of these initiatives, the prospect of getting new sources of economic growth through Eurasian integration associations will allow for long-term conversation with Russia on the resolution of the "Korean issue," as well as participation in the future of the Eurasian area. In this sense, the Republic of Korea will need to handle difficulties in the context of current conflicts among key global actors, specifically finding a balance between its own national objectives and the plans of other regional actors.
When it comes to developing strong mutually beneficial relationships, we must not overlook the cooperative forum established by South Korea to strengthen its role in the global arena - the "Republic of Korea and Central Asia" arrangement, commonly known as the "RK + 5 Central Asian States." The event serves as a diplomatic venue for discussing project progress and planning collaborative actions and initiatives at the level of the Republic of Korea and Central Asian countries. The regional strategy, as practically all non-regional actors have discovered, is not an effective tool for achieving goals. In practice, bilateral relationships are far more efficient.
Until present, the forum has established the following six goals in various elements of Central Asian development: transportation and logistics, energy, including modernization and diversification of industry, climate change, healthcare and medicine. Members have also emphasized the need for collaboration in the everdemanding field of education.
When discussing future diplomatic ties and how this cooperation will unfold, one must not overlook the continual clash of interests. Because the potential for collaboration is established by the context of the Republic of Korea's broad opportunities and the readiness of Central Asian countries to put Korean know-how into effect, which necessitates not only reformatting the digital infrastructure, but also large investments. Positive aspects of collaboration in this regard include "Seoul's relative flexibility and negotiability, as well as its lack of substantial geopolitical interests in Central Asia."
The Republic of Korea portrays itself as an economic development model for Central Asian countries. The "Miracle on the Hangang River," or the Korean economic miracle, transformed the country from a poor farming country to a centre of technological and innovative development, allowing it to become a leader in advanced technology in a relatively short period of 30-40 years.
South Korea's quick development may appear appealing to Central Asian countries, but the country itself faces "worrying" issues, which Central Asian countries may greatly assist with. Some of these issues include the Republic of Korea's high demand for inexpensive labour, which has been at an all-time high since 2005, continuously dropping birth rates, and the presence of old people, which forces the government to look for solutions outside of itself. Even encouraging the return of 8 million Koreans residing outside the country and attracting foreign labour is not enough to meet these issues.
Immigrants from Central Asia can fill open positions, providing a source of both legal migrations of cheap labour and a viable resolution to demographic challenges. The creation of a visa-free policy between the Republic of Korea and the Central Asian republics is seen as a mutually beneficial collaboration in this regard. South Korea will need to aggressively collaborate with other entities with comparable aspirations and geopolitical interests in this regard.
Resources used:
1. Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics; Joseph S. Nye, Jr. Public Affairs, 2004, 192 pp.
2. Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power (Basic Books, 1990)
3. Hong Yu Korean Wave. How did a small country conquer the whole world – M., 2021.
4. Om Goo Ho. The strategy of the New Northern Policy and Its Restrictive Factors // Bulletin of St. Petersburg University. International relationships. – 2020. – T. 13. – Issue. 3. – P. 354–373
5. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea https://www.mofa.go.kr/eng/wpge/m_21618/contents.do
6. Bulanakova M.A. Eurasian vector of the foreign policy of the Republic of Korea: the factor of Central Asia // Eurasian integration: economics, law, politics. 2020. No. 4. P. 70 – 87.
7. The Korean Wave: A New Pop Culture Phenomenon https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/08/120_314235.html
8. Friendly and strategic relations between Uzbekistan and Korea will develop and strengthen year by year
9. https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220828000197
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