Exploring ROK-EU Security CooperationThe Asan Institute for Policy Studies

Asan Roundtable

“Exploring ROK-EU Security Cooperation”

Date/Time: Thursday, June 7, 2012/13:30 – 15:00

Place: Conference Room (2F), The Asan Institute for Policy Studies

A Roundtable was held with the European Union (EU) delegation to the Republic of Korea (ROK) under the title: “Exploring ROK-EU Security Cooperation.” The bilateral track-two dialogue came amid the visit of Dr. Gerhard Sabathil, the European External Action Service’s newly appointed Director for Asia and the Pacific, during his visit to countries in Northeast Asia.

Dr. Sabathil stipulated that the EU does not see itself as a leading power in East Asia, but as an organization that has mounting interests in promoting democracy, human rights, non-proliferation, and free market economic values. Throughout the discussion, the EU and South Korea were characterized as ‘middle powers’ that can potentially play intermediary roles in mitigating security dilemmas within their respective regions.

The EU delegation opened the discussion by addressing the disarray in attempts at dealing with North Korea, particularly in the aftermath of Kim Jong-il’s death. The recently attempted North Korean launch and the increased construction of North Korean nuclear facilities have led to the belief that efforts invested in the Six-Party Talks have been in vain. China’s reluctance to openly censure the North Korean provocations of 2010 have further let down hopes that heightened economic interaction with China would have an overflow effect on regional security cooperation.

Similarly to South Korea, the EU recognizes its strategic relationship with China as an opportunity to work with China on issues pertaining to North Korean nuclear procurement, North Korean ties to Syrian and Iranian nuclear development programs, North Korean human rights violations, and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Karl Friedhoff presented the Asan Institute’s South Korean Public Opinion Survey in which it assessed Korean public perception toward the United States, Japan, China, and North Korea. Both sides exchanged their views on different threat perceptions toward their regional countries, accentuating the distinct trajectories of historical reconciliation in both regions. It was discussed that the European effort to deal with its tortured past are often held up as a model for East Asia.

In search of common ground for security cooperation, the EU and Korean delegations agreed upon investing their resources in both traditional and non-traditional security issues, through continued dialogue and information sharing on both official and track-two levels.

The list of participants for both Korean and U.S. delegations is as follows:

The Asan Institute for Policy Studies

1. HAHM Chaibong

President, The Asan Institute for Policy Studies

2. BONG Youngshik

Senior Research Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies Program,