Considerations for South Korean Latin American foreign policy

During the 1960s, a milestone was reached in South Korean foreign policy when it established diplomatic relations with most Latin American countries. These included Brazil and Argentina in 1959 and Chile in 1962, along with several other nations in the region.

During the 1990s, faced with the consolidation of the South Korean internal political arena, a series of foreign policy principles was established that, according to the academic Kwak Jae Sung, included the concept of globalization, diversification, multi-functionality, regional cooperation and an orientation towards the future in foreign policy issues.

In this context, relations with Latin America may be seen as being reinforced by the first visit by a Korean president to this region; namely, President Kim Young Sam in 1996. Above all, relations were strengthened by Chile’s hosting APEC 2004, where Former President Roh Moo-hyun made a tour to several countries and reached several agreements such as Argentina in economic cooperation, education, mining, natural resources, technology, agriculture, information technology, etc. Brazil signed agreements on economic cooperation issues including trade, energy and information technology.

However, a major achievement for Korean foreign policy was the 2004 Free Trade Agreement with Chile, which increased bilateral trade significantly, in addition to the possibility of opening the door to future negotiations by South Korea with other countries, including MERCOSUR member states. In addition, Chile has signed other bilateral agreements with Korea such as the following: the Double Taxation Waiver; the Promotion and Protection of Investments Agreement; a cooperation agreement on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, among others.

The new South Korean government led by President Lee Myung-bak has defined a strategy for foreign policy that includes strengthening relations with regional powers and seeking the establishment of diplomatic relations primarily on the basis of the need for natural resources, followed by globalization and market economy.

Korea’s want to closen ties with Latin America would occur under the new premise of energy cooperation combined with trade cooperation in other areas such as the scientific, technological and cultural fields.

As part of a research study entitled "Perceptions of South Korean Foreign Policy towards Argentina, Brazil and Chile" funded by the 2008 Small Research Grants Program in Korean Studies awarded by the UCLA Center for Korean Studies and sponsorship of the Academy of Korean Studies in Korea, and performed by the Korean Studies Program of the Asia-Pacific Center of the Institute of International Studies at Universidad de Chile, and of which I am in charge of, South Korean academics were surveyed on their perception of Korean foreign policy towards Argentina, Brazil and Chile (ABC) during the administration of President Roh Moo-hyun and on how they view this issue during President Lee’s term.

The most interesting survey results included the fact that most academics do not expect any foreign policy changes, vis-à-vis the ABC countries, during the two administrations. Those who did expect a possibility of change see a burgeoning policy towards Latin America, and in no case did any academics expect a decrease in Korean interest in the region. However, this policy could be a low priority when when compared to relations with world powers like the United States, China or Japan.

In this research study, we expect to further understand the state of the ABC-Korea relationship, from the Korean point of view, and to explain the challenges to optimal maintenance of these bilateral issues in future. We also expect to publish these findings in future Portal columns.