India's Role for the Koreas

What is the issue?

• The South Korean President, Moon Jae-in's visit to Delhi is of significance to India.
• It offers scope for India's role in reconciliation between the North and the South Koreas.

What are the recent developments?

• Talks between US Secretary of State and his hosts in North Korea ended in accusations.
• This has impacted the American diplomacy on denuclearising the Korean Peninsula.
• America demands for a quick and comprehensive denuclearisation of North Korea.
• However, North Korea's agenda on political and military trust building is a challenge.
• On the other hand, South Korean President is particular of reconciliation between the two Koreas.
• Amidst this, Moon's visit to Delhi offers possibility for strengthening India’s role in the Korean Peninsula.

How did India become a part of this?

• War - Independent India played a significant role in the Korean Peninsula.
• This was especially in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War.
• India also maintained diplomatic relations with the North and South during the Cold War.
• Economy - With 1991 economic reforms, South Korea became an important participant in India’s economy.
• Russia and China also increased their collaboration with South Korea for economic gains.
• North Korea - Resultantly, the socialist North Korea was increasingly isolated.
• It looked for making up for the loss of its old communist allies.
• It thus started focussing on developing nuclear capability.
• Pakistan - Eventually, the Indian Subcontinent became a part of North Korea's strategy.
• North Korea’s atomic quest found convergences with that of Pakistan.
• North Korea and Pakistan thus stepped up their nuclear and missile cooperation.
• Certainly, this strained the India’s relationship with North Korea.

What could India's role now be?

• India is now in a position to develop a more strategic view of the Korean Peninsula.
• For,

1. South Korean President is increasingly seeking reconciliation with the North
2. there is much international scepticism about the prospects for this peace

• Given this, Indian support for reconciliation would be of great political value to South Korea.
• Importantly, it will align Delhi with the long-term interests of the Korean people.
• For, they had been the victims of troubles in the divided peninsula over the last 7 decades.

What are the possible challenges?

• The post-Cold War Asian landscape is shifting.
• The relations between major powers - US, Russia, China and Japan - are strained.
• This is a new challenge that Asia had not to deal with in decades.
• Meanwhile, prosperity brought by globalisation to Asia over the recent decades is under stress.
• Measures against free trade and open borders, by the Western leaders are contributing to this.

What lies ahead?

• South Korea has announced a “New Southern Policy”.
• This looks beyond Northeast Asia to focus on Southeast Asia, Australia and India.
• Likewise, India's Act East policy now has a much wider coverage, the Indo-Pacific.
• These strategies should be taken forward, to reap the benefits of geopolitical developments.
• With global trade war unfolding, Delhi and Seoul have an urgent need to liberalise the bilateral trade relations.
• The two sides also need to focus on expanding bilateral security and defence cooperation.
• They should work with other countries to promote a stable Asian balance of power system.

Source: Indian Express