Dynamic Middle Power: Exploring South Korea’s Response to the Military Rise of China

The rapid military rise of China and its contempt for the established ‘rules-based system of international order’ have created an atmosphere of insecurity and instability in the Indo-Pacific region. As a result, the United States (US), Japan, India and Australia have been promoting the ‘Indo-Pacific strategy’. Meanwhile, despite being a close military ally of the US and a ‘middle power’, South Korea has maintained a largely ambiguous position on the Indo-Pacific strategy. However, South Korea could adopt a more active engagement with ‘like-minded’ middle powers in the Indo-Pacific region for maintaining stability and solving the disputes in a peaceful manner. Being an export-oriented economy and a divided nation, South Korea would probably be the worst affected in any military confrontation between the US and China. This article endeavours to explain South Korea’s response to the military rise of China, as well as explore the benefits of Seoul’s more active and dynamic ‘middle power diplomacy’ in the Indo-Pacific region.