ASEAN and RoK : More Than Just Alternative Partnership
Vol. V / No. 2 | March 2024
Authors:
Wildan Faisol (Lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Universitas Al Azhar Indonesia)
Summary
The region of Southeast Asia and Korea is bound by historical ties of Japanese colonialism in the mid-20th century. Currently the two regions are again bound in more strategic aspects such as aspects of economic cooperation and defense technology through the multilateral cooperation framework of ASEAN and the Republic of Korea or bilaterally. involving each of the ASEAN member countries. In a political context, Southeast Asian countries are in the midst of a sovereignty dispute with China, establishing deeper relations with the Republic of Korea as a strategic partner is ideal. From an economic aspect, in the shadow of the threat of debt trap diplomacy practiced by China, building a strategic economic cooperation framework with the Republic of Korea is an ideal solution. According to the author, this collaboration should receive serious attention from policy makers because the Republic of Korea does not have hegemonic interests in the Southeast Asia region.
Keywords: ASEAN, Southeast Asia ,Korea, Defense, Economy
