Page 61 - AEI Insights 2020 - Vol. 6, Issue 1

Rosland, 2020

organization established under agreement between ASEAN-ROK countries with aims not only
to enhance the ASEAN-ROK partnership but also to promote mutual understanding between
ASEAN and Korean societies by encouraging people-to-people exchanges. Korean Culture
Centers for ASEAN countries additionally opened in Jakarta in Indonesia and Taguig City in
Philippines in 2011, and also Bangkok, Thailand in 2013. Funding by FOCF increased in 2010
and ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF) begin to operate with seven million USD
annually in 2015 (MOFA - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2012). Numerous seminar and forum
underlining socio-cultural exchanges between ASEAN-ROK have been funded by the
government, including the ASEAN-Korea Culture and Art Forum (since 2010) and the Seminar
on Korea-ASEAN Socio Cultural Partnership (since 2014). With these efforts, the socio-
cultural exchanges become more dynamic and the number of visitors between two sides also
increased which shows the importance of the relationship to continue stronger and stable.

‘New regionalism’ theory in Socio-cultural and Education ASEAN-ROK

ASEAN-ROK today have seen a long standing of more than two decades of a cooperative
relationship. There has been huge progress in economic ties – with ASEAN now being Korea’s
second largest trading partner and investment destination. Socio-cultural exchanges between
both sides such as tourism, pop-culture, and food have been equally blossoming(AKC, 2015).
The first diplomatic partner of Korea within Southeast Asia was Philippines in 1949, followed
by Thailand and Malaysia in 1960, Indonesia in 1973, Myanmar and Singapore in 1975, and
Brunei in 1984 (Korean Ministry of Foreign Affair 2011). Early diplomatic relations were
accompanied by treaties to promote socio-cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges
including cultural agreements, agreements for air services, scientific and technological
cooperation agreements, and agreement on visa waivers(MOFA - Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
2012). The first establishment of diplomatic partner with Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia
did not result in any socio-cultural and people-to-people changes. The relationship then
become an official dialogue partnership in 1989 and transformed to ‘full dialogue partner’ in
1991. The partnership was then elevated to ‘comprehensive cooperation partnership’ in 2004
and is now known as a ‘strategic partnership for peace and prosperity’ since 2010. The
elevation of bilateral relations was aimed to promote ASEAN-ROK exchanges and at the same
time reflect the intensification of human interactions. The recognition is shared that ASEAN-
ROK socio-cultural interactions are mutually beneficial and indispensable for the prosperity of
East Asia.

Referring to the comparison on ‘old regionalism’ and ‘new regionalism’, ‘new regionalism’
took place in late 1980s after the end of Cold War. Characteristic of the new regionalism
referred to (Either, 1998) 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 achieved is primarily by small countries, e)
regionalisation are often ‘deep integration’ the partnership 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.
In the matter of ASEAN-ROK, the relations fulfilled all four characters of ‘new regionalism’.

The elaboration of these characters is as below:
a) the new regionalism typically involves one or small countries linking up with a large
country. ASEAN-ROK involve a partnership between ASEAN as one of the successful
regional association and ROK as the rising middle power country. In addition, ASEAN-

61