Indo-Pacific Strategy: Korea and the World

On December 28, 2022, the Korean version of the Indo-Pacific Strategy ("In-Tae Strategy"), which will be the foundation for Korean foreign diplomacy for decades to come, was announced. The Strategy focuses on promoting its vision of freedom, peace, and prosperity through the establishment of the following three principles: inclusivity, trust, and reciprocity. The key to the successful implementation of Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy is to strengthen comprehensive cooperation with neighboring countries that have shared values and establish an "inclusive approach" that does not exclude China based on the approach of mutually beneficial pragmatism. Recovery of "trust" is also essential for the improvement of relations with Japan. Management of risks arising from any United States-China conflicts is an unavoidable task for Korea. In this light, policy makers and the people of Korea need to understand that the participation in the United States-led Indo-Pacific Economic Cooperation Framework (IPEF) is not merely to take sides with the United States in the system of competition between the United States and China. While attempting to remove the legacy of ideological diplomacy under President Moon Jae-in's administration, the current administration of Korea should not pursue another ideological diplomacy under the name of "value alliance." The process of materializing abstract principles of Korea's Indo-Pacific Strategy into concrete policies must be thoroughly rooted in good neighbor and practical diplomacy in the true sense.