SMLC Seminar
South Korea's Elusive Middlepowermanship in the US-South Korea-China Strategic Triangle

Dr. Soon-ok Jamie Shin
Chinese University of Hong Kong

Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Time: 4:30-6:00pm
Venue: Room 4.36, Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU

Bio: Dr. Soon-ok (Jamie) Shin is currently a lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and was a research professor at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. She was awarded a Ph.D. in Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick in 2010. Her research focuses on East Asian IR, middle power studies, inter-Korea relations, Asian regionalism, and Asian development studies.

Abstract: The term ‘middle power’ has been used in South Korean political discourse in characterising its foreign policy. A growing economic confidence has aspired Seoul to seek to differentiate itself from other powers through active foreign policy initiatives. Yet, the security conditions in the Korean Peninsula have constrained Seoul’s policy choices, and its diplomacy has been cautious, often passive, and reactive in nature. This paper investigates how South Korea’s middle power aspirations have been translated into foreign policy initiatives over the last decade, and the impact and implications for the US-South Korea-China strategic triangle.