On 23 December 2021, His Excellency Suh Wook, Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Korea, spoke at the RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture on “Republic of Korea’s Role for Regional Peace and Prosperity”. His presentation reaffirmed Korea and Singapore’s shared goal of bilateral defence cooperation and addressed the main security challenges in Asia, including navigating the US-China strategic relationship and the potential instability on the Korean Peninsula. The event was held in hybrid mode.
As China’s international stature grew amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the US-China competition for global leadership has intensified and exacerbated geopolitical uncertainties. Given that cooperation with the US and China are essential for peace on the Korean Peninsula, the Republic of Korea (ROK) aims to rely on two types of security strategies to cope with the current dilemma.
First, the ROK seeks to alleviate regional tensions caused by the US-China competition. Second, the ROK aims to pursue collaboration in the spirit of “solidarity and cooperation”. This is particularly relevant in the addressing the challenges of non-traditional security threats like climate change and pandemics that require transnational cooperation to mitigate.
Finally, the peace settlement of the Korean Peninsula will dissolve the last structure of the Cold War, removing the permanent threat of war and contributing to global security and economic prosperity. Through the consistent pursuit of the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, the ROK continues their endeavour to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and create a rules-based international order.
Watch it here on RSISVideoCast Youtube Channel:
