Vol. V / No. 1 | March 2024
Authors:
Resi Qurrata Aini (Associate Lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Universitas Indonesia)
Summary
After deferring its support for the US terminology of Free and Indo-Pacific Initiative (FOIP) during the past Moon Jae-in administration, Korea is getting bolder by launching its own conception of Indo-Pacific strategy in the current Yoon Suk-yeol rule. Yoon first disclosed it at the ASEAN-Korea Summit on 11 November 2022. He complemented it by launching the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI), reiterated a few days later at a side event of the G20 Meeting in Bali. This diplomatic gesture reflects the acknowledgment of ASEAN and Indonesia as prominent for Korea Indo-Pacific Strategy. As the facto key driver of ASEAN and the chairman of ASEAN in 2023, Indonesia’s response to Korea’s Indo-Pacific conception and KASI will significantly influence how ASEAN bring it on and determine the implementation of KASI. This commentary will discuss how Indonesia perceives KASI and whether it would be a pathway to elevate Indonesia-Korea middle power strategy in dealing with geopolitical turbulences in the region. They will be assessed from Indonesia’s development priorities, geopolitical dynamics, and Korea-Indonesia middle-power interests.
Keywords: KASI, Power Interest, FOIP, Indonesia-Korea, ASEAN.