Overview

"Since the end of the Cold War, South Korea has taken on a greater role in global affairs. Ramon Pacheco Pardo provides a groundbreaking analysis of South Korea's foreign policy from its transition to democracy in the late 1980s through the present day, arguing that the country's approach to the world constitutes a grand strategy. This book examines the key factors and goals that shape South Korea's long-term strategy, with analysis that brings together its diplomatic, military, economic, and soft-power components. Pacheco Pardo shows that South Korea's fundamental aim has been to move beyond its past as a ""shrimp among whales"" and instead attain autonomy and freedom of action. He explores how South Korean leaders across parties and governments have pursued security, prosperity, and status. Pacheco Pardo tracks South Korea's core relationships with North Korea, the United States, and China, and he details the country's objectives and policies across East Asia, the Asia-Pacific region, and the rest of the world. Drawing on in-depth interviews with past and present policy makers, this book presents an analytical account of how South Korean strategy is made and practiced. It expertly lays out South Korea's grand strategy and, more broadly, makes a compelling case that middle powers like South Korea can implement grand strategies."

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9780231203227

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Reviews

Ramon Pacheco Pardo’s mastery of South Korea and South Korea’s grand strategy are well presented in this book. A must for all who want to see how South Korea has achieved autonomy and freedom of action in approaching the world. -- Sung-han Kim, Korea University

Ramon Pacheco Pardo’s mastery of South Korea and South Korea’s grand strategy are well presented in this book. A must for all who want to see how South Korea has achieved autonomy and freedom of action in approaching the world. -- Sung-han Kim, former South Korean national security adviser Ramon Pacheco Pardo’s new book South Korea’s Grand Strategy is an outstanding assessment of the country’s remarkable journey to become an influential and respected middle power. This book is required reading for those who study South Korean foreign policy as well as scholars of grand strategy. -- Terence Roehrig, author of <i>Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. Nuclear Umbrella: Deterrence After the Cold War</i> In South Korea’s Grand Strategy, Ramon Pacheco Pardo offers a theoretically compelling and empirically rich account explaining how a small, initially inward-looking country developed a formidable grand strategy. Scholars and practitioners interested in grand strategy, foreign policy, East Asian affairs and South Korean politics will benefit greatly from this book. -- Andrew Yeo, Brookings Institution This is an incredibly useful book that illuminates how South Korea thinks about its place in the world, what it aspires to achieve, and how it pursues its objectives. With its lucid and comprehensive presentation of South Korea as an international actor, the book is an excellent text for students and researchers alike. -- Ji-Young Lee, American University

Author Information

Ramon Pacheco Pardo is professor of international relations at King’s College London and the KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Brussels School of Governance at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. His books include Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop (2022) and, with Victor Cha, Korea: A New History of South and North (2023).

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