South Korea, also known as the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia in the Korean peninsula which is bordered by North Korea and has a population of more than 51 million. The capital of South Korea is Seoul which is the fifth-largest metropolitan city in the world.
South Korea has often been referred to as ‘a shrimp among whales’ as it is surrounded by powers like the US, China, Japan, and Russia. South Korea, as compared to these superpowers, is a weaker one and therefore has been metaphorically termed as a shrimp in comparison to these whale-like giants.
Security has always been a conundrum for South Korea since the Korean war of the 1950s. North Korea’s warmongering narrative and its quest for nuclear power have always been a concern for South Korea. Therefore South Korea has always relied on the US and Japan for the security of its borders.
South Korea, sandwiched between the US and China
South Korea has been heavily relying on the US and Japan for its security. North Korea, the neighbour of South Korea, has strong nuclear posturing and has been termed as one of the ‘axes of evil’ by the world. North Korea spends a lot on its military facilities and establishment. It is very advance in its missile technologies. As a result, South Korea has a security dilemma.
Therefore, for the past many years, South Korea has placed itself under the security umbrella of the US. North Korea is a nuclear-armed nation and considers South Korea as its biggest enemy. North Korea has many times threatened to hit South Korea with nuclear nukes. In response to such narratives the US, in 2016, deployed its advanced anti-ballistic missile system named THAAD in South Korea to intercept any incoming missile. This is why South Korea is overly dependent on the US for its security.
South Korea has trade and economic linkages with China for the past many decades. The economic co-operation between South Korea and China is increasing with leaps and bounds. Many giant industries in South Korea have high exports to China. China, with a population of more than 1.3 billion has a great attraction for many advanced economies. It is proving to be a great market for many value-added goods in South Korea.
This is where South Korea has found itself sandwiched between the great rival superpowers of the US and China. It would be a nightmare for South Korea to take a side and opt for between these two great Superpowers. On one end South Korea has security-related concerns and on the other hand, there is economic dependence.
Epilogue
South Korea has found itself in a great imbroglio to choose between the US and China. The major problem lies in, to side either with Indo-Pacific Strategy or the Belt and Road Initiative. Moon Jung-In, a special advisor to the South Korean President on Foreign Affairs and National Security said that Seoul has sought to avoid picking Sides in the great power geopolitical contest in the region. He has termed the Indo-pacific Strategy of the Us as ‘exclusive’ which excludes China and has laid emphasis on economic regionalism rather than security bloc.
South Korea has come up with its own anti-ballistic missile defence system to thwart its reliance on the US deployed missile defence system named ‘THAAD’. South Korea also came up with the ‘New Southern Policy’, which was a quest to improve its economic and trade linkages with the ASEAN countries, to reduce its economic dependence on China.
It is quite clear that South Korea was well aware of the fact that it used to be a mere ‘a shrimp among whales’ in the region, but it is working towards reducing its dependence on the rival superpowers. If everything goes according to the South Korean plan then it will no more be a shrimp among whales in the region and its economic prowess and military strength will increase many-fold.
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