Page 58 - AEI Insights 2020 - Vol. 6, Issue 1

AEI Insights, Vol 6, Issue 1, 2020

reference point (Gill, 2008). This theory believes that with increased economic and politic
cooperation between two or more nations, it will likely have high levels on interdependency in
economic and politic, and that states will not go to war on one another.

‘New regionalism’ is a new phenomenon which took place in late 1980s after the end of Cold
War. Referring to (Either, 1998), there are six characteristic of the new regionalism which are;
a) the new regionalism typically involves one or small countries linking up with a large country
b) the small country have recently made, or are making a significant unilateral form c) the
degree of liberalisation and free trade progress are rather smooth and slow d) the liberalisation
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achieved is primarily by small countries e) regionalisation are often ‘deep integration’ the
partnership is not just focusing on trade barriers or economic policies but rather harmonising
in other matters as well f) most of regional arrangement are based on strategic location;
meaning that the countries are mostly neighbours. These characters concluded that regional
integration which involves small countries have links with its large neighbour country in order
to build “deep integration” between them.

It is also important to recognise that ‘new regionalism’ is characterized by its multi-
dimensionality, complexity, fluidity and non-conformity, and by the fact that it involves a
variety of state and non-state actors, who often come together in rather informal multi-actor
coalitions (Söderbaum, 2003). (O’Malley) also stated that the ‘new regionalism’ is closely
related to globalization by enhancing the integration and interaction amongst regions. In
layman term, the differences between ‘old regionalism’ and ‘new regionalism’ is that the ‘old
regionalism’ had a narrow focus (focus on trade arrangement and security alliances) and is
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basically towards Eurocentric and ‘new regionalism’ is plural and global, focusing more on
‘deep integration’ between countries.
The relationship between ASEAN-ROK came under various of platforms which showed the
commitments towards a successful regional cooperation. There are bilateral and multilateral
relationship that came under ARF, APT, EAS, and ADMM Plus which has improved the
mutual friendship between these two parties. With diverse issues and discussion brought into
the platforms served under ASEAN, ROK has been empowered in their country’s position
within the region.
The initial stage of the official relationship between ASEAN – ROK started with the
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establishment of the Sectorial Dialogue Partnership in 2 November 1989 – where both
ASEAN and ROK began concentrating in the areas of trade, investment, and tourism. Both
parties continuously expanded towards the development cooperation, transfer of technology,
and human resources development (HRD). The signing was done in the presence of the
Ambassadors of ASEAN member countries and Dialogue Countries, representatives of the EU
and the UNDP, foreign dignitaries, senior officials of the Government of the Republic of
Indonesia, distinguished members of the private sectors of ASEAN and the Republic of Korea,
as well as the Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat and his staff (ASEAN), 2017). In
this partnership, ASEAN-ROK agreed upon setting up an ASEAN-ROK Joint Sectoral
Cooperation Committee (ASEAN-ROK JSCC) represented by government officials from both

32 Deep integration, as defined by Simone Claar and Andrea Nölke, means trade agreements which not only
contain rules on tariffs and conventional non-tariff trade restrictions, but which also regulate the business
environment in a more general sense. Issues of deep integration include competition policy, investor rights,
product standards, public procurement and intellectual property rights.
33 Focusing on European culture or history to the exclusion of a wider view of the world; implicitly regarding
European culture as pre-eminent.
34 The Sectorial Dialogue Partnership officially commenced in 1989 between ASEAN and its dialogues partners
which includes South Korea, China, Japan, Russia, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and
European Union (EU).

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