What is the issue?
- Recent political developments between India and South Korea have created an opening to share mutual security interests in Asia.
- However, cultural and political differences could present a challenge to forging effective regional ties.
What are the recent developments?
- South Korea - There is rising tension with China, concerning the US-supplied missile and radar deployment in its territory.
- The prolonged confrontation with China on the deployment of Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) constrained the relationship.
- The pros and cons of THAAD is debated among the US, South Korea, and China in terms of its purpose and application.
- Bilateral - South Korea is taking a bold step by inviting India into South Korea’s diplomatic domain.
- South Korean President dispatched a special envoy to Prime Minister Modi to reinforce bilateral relations.
- It reiterated its message of placing India on par with the US, Russia, China, and Japan.
- It expressed its desire for stronger security cooperation with India in designing various levels of official talks more regularly.
- It played a critical role in moderating opposing members in India’s application for the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group’s membership in a plenary meeting.
- India, on its part, started building an increasingly incompatible stance toward North Korea.
- It also implemented a plan to launch a strategic initiative, ‘Korea Plus’ to facilitate Korean FDI and forge larger economic cooperation.
- At Seoul’s request, it discontinued the provision of training courses to North Korean students in the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific, Dehradun.
- It also suspended the training of North Korean soldiers in Indian languages in a Madhya Pradesh-based military school.
What are the common interests?
- Regional Stability - The regional tensions in South Asia especially between India and China create a common interest for India and South Korea.
- This could be a collaborative approach for regional stability.
- Nuclear - South Korea’s key interest in managing their nuclear neighbour (North Korea) is similar to India’s considerations toward Pakistan.
- The US alliance system, established with South Korea and Japan, puts pressure on North Korea to cap its nuclear programme.
- Containing North Korea is beneficial to India’s economic and regional ambit in East Asia.
- It also adds to its approach to nuclear non-proliferation regime as a responsible nuclear state.
- Diplomatic - There is long lasting regional security dilemma with the continued verbal provocations and a conventional arms race.
- Thus, despite the alliance system, Seoul appears to be in searching for a stronger diplomatic stand on imminent regional issues beyond the alliance system.
- South Korea's approach to India comes with strategic optimism for expanding ties to ensure a convergence of interest in planning global and regional strategic frameworks.
What lies ahead?
- Thus South Korea's approach to India under these circumstances is a gesture towards balancing East Asian affairs more broadly than before.
- In all, the strategic ties between Seoul and New Delhi present promise for mutual interest as well as regional stability.
- However, the incipient stage of growing ties requires more careful study to overcome a number of shortcomings.
- The emerging political interests and motivations between the two countries still lag behind the regional and global demand.
- Moderating the dissimilar style of diplomacy and communication under cultural differences is another task.
Source: Business Line
