► On the 29 and 30 May 2023, President Yoon Suk Yeol hosted the country’s first summit with leaders of Pacific islands countries (PIC) in Seoul.

► While South Korea currently has only a modest influence in insular Pacific, this summit provides an opportunity to strengthen partnerships at the highest level, while targeting the needs of PIC to provide appropriate responses to increase their overall resilience.

► Being able to find autonomous room for maneuver to consolidate its position between the United States and China, South Korea also could play an important role as a diplomatic intermediary between the superpowers and the island states.

► With this Summit, Seoul wants to be seen as a true Indo-Pacific player, aware of all the regional issues and close to the micro-island states. But for this to happen, it needs to demonstrate a consistent and long-term commitment.

On the 29 and 30 May 2023, President Yoon Suk Yeol hosted the country’s first summit with leaders of Pacific islands countries (PIC) in Seoul. The historical event gave to South Korea a unique opportunity to boost its influence and gave substance to its recently released Indo-Pacific Strategy in a region that has become the focus of intense geopolitical rivalry. President Yoon spoke of a “new beginning of cooperation between South Korea and the Pacific islands,” in his opening remarks.

For their part, PIC intent to use this new platform for dialogue with an influential political and economic partner to assert their vital interests, particularly in areas of priority to them such as the climate crisis and its impact on the health of coastal populations and the oceans. The island states, which are seeking greater funding for climate change mitigation and sustainable development, have taken a collective approach to dealing with major powers. All are Small Island Developing States (SIDS). But they know they are being courted. This summit with South Korea is the 3rd of its kind for May 2023: Indian Prime Minister Modi chaired the India-South Pacific forum in Papua New Guinea on 21 May and the United States, represented by Secretary of State Blinken, held a similar meeting also in Papua New Guinea on 23 May.

While South Korea currently has only a modest influence in insular Pacific, this summit provides an opportunity to strengthen partnerships at the highest level, while targeting the needs of PIC to provide appropriate responses to increase their overall resilience. Small islands countries are particularly vulnerable to non-traditional security issues and transnational risks such as the effects of climate change, the management of natural disasters, the digital divide and the protection of their blue economy, particularly their fisheries resources. The two sides will be able to compare their strategic agendas on a more regular basis and share their views on regional challenges.

South Korea has long-standing relations with the island nations of Oceania. It became a dialogue partner of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in 1995 and created a ROK-PIF Cooperation Fund in 2008 to develop initiatives in the fields of health, trade, climate change and fisheries. The Pacific islands have the world’s largest tuna fishery where South Korea fleet has been fishing since 1958. The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is funding many aid program in the region. However, South Korea's contributions are lower than those of the main players in the region, such as Australia, Japan and the EU. This is set to change as Seoul shows its willingness to promote the Pacific islands as key partners in development cooperation by establishing an annual summit with the PIF.

Unlike South Korea and many Pacific powers such as the United States, Japan, Australia or France, the island nations do not adhere to the Indo-Pacific concept but have developed a specific strategy around the Blue Pacific narrative in which they proclaim their attachment to the ocean, their “oceanity” and their desire to protect it.  Like South Korea, the Pacific Island nations are convinced of the importance of multilateral platforms and the United Nations. They are counting on multilateralism and global governance to define new standards to protect the oceans. As an active middle power and global pivotal State, South Korea could use the annual Summit as a forum to push forward international negotiations in favor of better maritime governance: for example, supporting the fight against the impact of climate change on ocean warming, strengthening the protection of biodiversity and helping to sign the awaited treaty against plastic, which denatures the oceans.

This Korea-Pacific Islands summit was held against a backdrop of growing power competition between China and the United States in the region, as each seeks to assert its influence. The stakes were raised in 2022 when the Solomon Islands signed a security agreement with Beijing - a first in the region - raising the fears of traditional neighboring powers Australia, the United States and France about the possible installation of Chinese military elements in their vicinity. This agreement has prompted a resurgence of diplomatic activity and promises of aid and cooperation on their part, particularly in maritime security. The US President has invited the leaders of the island nations to a first-ever summit in Washington in September 2022. An agreement including commitments on climate change, development, maritime security and the opening of new US embassies has been signed. In March 2023, France organized a regional maritime conference in Noumea. In May 2023, Papua New Guinea and the United States signed a security pact providing access to Papua's ports and airports for US forces, in exchange for Papua New Guinea's access to US surveillance satellites.

The growing strategic importance of the Pacific islands is one of the factors behind South Korea's greater involvement in the region. While Seoul maintains solid political and economic relations with Beijing, it is also one of the United States' closest allies. Being able to find autonomous room for maneuver to consolidate its position between the United States and China, South Korea also could play an important role as a diplomatic intermediary between the superpowers and the island states. The country can find a unique opportunity to act as an influential middle power and put its pivot state policy into action.

Island states with vast Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)and few resources to defend and protect their maritime domain are interested in Seoul's support in maritime capacity building and the fight against transnational crime, such as illegal fishing and smuggling of all kinds. However, the region's main concern remains climate change, which represents an existential risk for the island territories, with rising sea levels threatening their inhabitants and their livelihoods. South Pacific leaders can only encourage Seoul to take a proactive approach to this issue by sharing knowledge and training people in the fight against climate change. The country can also leverage its expertise in digital technology to improve climate forecasting and develop early warning systems.

The latter could lead to innovative cooperation between South Korea, France and the EU. France, a resident nation of the Indo-Pacific, is the only EU Member State present in the region. It can act as an active bridge to strengthen Seoul's foothold in the South Pacific and promote synergies between South Korea, the micro-island states and the EU. France is a member of the PIF through the territories of French Polynesia and New Caledonia, which were invited to the Seoul Summit and showed an interest in developing exchanges with South Korea, particularly in sustainable energies, the digital sector and, of course, the environment. These areas are crucial to strengthening the economic resilience, connectivity and human security of the islanders of the South Pacific.

With this Summit, Seoul wants to be seen as a true Indo-Pacific player, aware of all the regional issues and close to the micro-island states. But for this to happen, it needs to demonstrate a consistent and long-term commitment.