Under the national vision of a “global pivotal state (GPS),” President Yoon Suk Yeol came up with South Korea’s own Indo-Pacific strategy. The ambition of Yoon administration, which is to make South Korea a global power leading further international cooperation and upholding the liberal international order, is worthy enough to be recognized, but some cast questions on how South Korea could become a true global power while it is still positioned as a middle power struggling with its own issues within and around the Korean Peninsula.
This paper will look into South Korea’s GPS vision as well as Indo-Pacific strategy, lay out levels and range of engagement South Korea can take, and apply them into three major sub-regions within the Indo-Pacific. It will also look into South Korea’s capabilities and limitations in each region, and analyze where South Korea currently is between its
proclaimed ideal and situated reality. And lastly, the paper will conclude with what South Korea can actually do in the present and prepare for the future.
