How Can Korea and Australia Cooperate in the Indo-Pacific?

Please join KEI for a discussion on South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and Middle Power Convergence with Australia. Over the past decade, the concept of the “Indo-Pacific” has replaced the late 20th century “Asia-Pacific” as a central frame of reference for strategy and external policy. Although the Indo-Pacific is often associated particularly with Japan and its influential prime minister the late Abe Shinzo, in fact, Australia was the first country to formally recognize the Indo-Pacific as its regional security environment. As a fellow middle power and independent-minded U.S. ally, with its own geopolitical complexities to navigate, Australia provides an illuminating example for South Korea as it operationalizes its Indo-Pacific strategy. Given the prominence of the Indo-Pacific concept and the fact that each country’s Indo-Pacific strategy is a function of their own unique geopolitical perspective, KEI is featuring Prof. Rory Medcalf’s work to help shed greater light on the concept and provide a unique perspective from within the region.