KF뉴스레터-Moving toward a Korea- Southeast Asia Partnership

Moving toward a Korea- Southeast Asia Partnership

For many Korean people, their awareness of Southeast Asia is mainly related to tourism and trade activities. It is thus timely for the Korea Foundation Cultural Center to offer a lecture series on Southeast Asia in order to promote a better understanding of this strategic region and to bolster cooperation in various regards.

Understanding of Southeast Asia
The Korea Foundation Cultural Center regularly organizes lecture series on various topics that are presented in the evenings year-round. For the first half of 2009, Southeast Asia was the program’s selected subject, which includes ten lecture sessions. Starting with an overview of Southeast Asia’s history, society, and politics, the lecture series will present a variety of information about major countries of the Southeast Asian region, including Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, along with discussions of the role of ASEAN and the promotion of regional cooperation. The lecturers are all specialists of Southeast Asia and members of the Korean Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, which has supported the KF Cultural Center in the organization of this lecture series. As the first speaker, on the theme of “What Is Southeast Asia,” I was responsible for getting the lecture series off to a good start. However,
I knew it would be no easy task to present an impressive outline of Southeast Asia within a two-hour time frame. Accordingly, I needed to focus on the major aspects and characteristics of Southeast Asia, in order to lay a groundwork for the subsequent lectures on more detailed matters.
First, I discussed the geopolitical importance of Southeast Asia, lying between Northeast Asia and Southwest Asia, and how the region has been influenced by its monsoonal weather. These factors help to explain Southeast Asia’s ability to absorb diverse cultural influences from the East and the West, while being situated along key trade routes of the Indian Ocean and the China Sea. Examined next was the fact that all of the Southeast Asian countries, with the exception of Thailand, had at sometime been under the colonial rule of Western powers.

Colonialism has exerted a profound impact on the politics and economy of the region, as can be seen in the territorial boundaries of the countries and their adoption of a Westernstyle political system and capitalistic economic structure. Large numbers of Chinese and Indians migrated to the region after the mid-19th century, who today account for a considerable share of the local population and often maintain a broad economic presence in Southeast Asian countries. All this can be attributed to the region’s history of colonialism. Finally, attention should be paid to the prevalent role that religion plays in the everyday life of Southeast Asian people. Religion’s influential presence can be readily seen in the society, culture, and the political/economic activities of Southeast Asian countries. Therefore, a broad knowledge about religion is essential for a proper understanding of Southeast Asia and its people. A notable characteristic of Southeast Asia that is frequently mentioned involves its diversity. In comparison to other regions of the world, including Northeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, Southeast Asia is characterized by considerable diversity, in regard to ethnic groups, languages, and religions. Most countries in Southeast Asia maintain a multiethnic and multi-linguistic social structure. As previously mentioned, it is the geographical situation and history of colonialism of the region that have contributed directly to this wide diversity. As a specialist of Southeast Asia, I find the region’s diverse nature to be appealing and attractive for research studies.

Southeast Asia’s Vast Potential
Southeast Asia has attracted rather limited attention from Korean society thus far. Until recently, this relative lack of interest was apparent at the governmental and academic levels. The Korean government’s diplomatic and economic policy toward Asia has long been centered mainly on China and Japan. Meanwhile, the Korean public has been more aware of the cultural contributions of India and the Middle East, with little familiarity of Southeast Asia. More recently, exchanges have rapidly escalated, with more than 3.5 million Korean tourists visiting Southeast Asia in 2007 alone. The number of Southeast Asian workers in Korea has reached several hundred thousand, while that of Southeast Asian migrant women married to Koreans is said to exceed 30,000. With a combined population of 550 million people, along with an abundance of agro-fishery, forestry, and mining resources, Southeast Asia has emerged as a valuable partner for Korea’s future economic growth. Korea recorded a $9 billion trade surplus with Southeast Asia in 2008. Korea is now much better known in Southeast Asia thanks to the spread of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) there, centered around the popularity of Korea’s pop music, TV programs, and films among local residents. In order for Korea to take advantage of the vast potential of Southeast Asia, it must acquire a deeper understanding of the region and its people. Indeed, Korea’s attention to Asia today needs to be significantly expanded beyond Northeast Asia and include Southeast Asia. Although somewhat concerned my lecture might not be appealing enough for the audience, because of its academic emphasis, I was pleased that people asked questions, which showed a high level of interest in Southeast Asia. Based on this lecture series and related efforts, I look forward to the steady development of partnership relations between Korea and Southeast Asia.

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Moving toward a Korea- Southeast Asia Partnership

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Moving toward a Korea- Southeast Asia Partnership

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