Korea’s linkage strategy between FTA hub policy and middle power leadership in regional economic integration

This article focuses on Korea’s free trade agreement (FTA) hub policy and its implication for Korea’s role in the regional integration process of the Asia-Pacific. It particularly bridges a gap in the existing literature, addressing why Korea, pursuing an FTA hub nation, simultaneously takes a proactive approach toward a range of regional projects. It argues that Korea’s FTA hub policy has not been solely driven by economic consideration, and the Korean government’s intent to use an FTA hub status to gain political objectives is equally, or even more, important. In particular, Korea has linked its FTA hub policy and the exercise of middle power leadership in the shaping of the regional trade architecture. The Korean government has perceived Korea’s FTA hub status as a useful instrument for Korea’s leading roles such as facilitating regional trade liberalization, managing its manners and sequence, and mediating between the USA-led and the China-led regional initiatives.