Fitting South Korea in the United Kingdom's Indo-Pacific tilt

Abstract

As the UK seeks to build stronger relations with countries in the Indo-Pacific, an important factor for its relations with South Korea will be the extent to which South Korea can clarify its own geopolitical orientation, including how it grapples with issues linked to China's rise. As the UK projects its leadership in a post-Brexit era, it is identifying, through the Indo-Pacific tilt, aspects where it can exercise influence in the region. Through the process, it will orient itself in new and existing networks and seek to identify reliable partners. There is potential for South Korea to be a bigger partner, but it will depend on how far South Korea can move out of its comfort zone and how deeply it is willing to imbed itself in the transforming networked architecture.