Middle power South Korea’s disaster response contributions: A case of good international citizenship?
| Published date | 01 December 2021 |
| Date | 01 December 2021 |
| DOI | 10.1177/00207020221085740 |
| Subject Matter | Scholarly Essay |
Scholarly Essay
International Journal
2021, Vol. 76(4) 494–510
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/00207020221085740
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Middle power South Korea’s
disaster response
contributions: A case of good
international citizenship?
Alan A. Lachica
National Defense College of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines
Abstract
Middle powers tend to display their expertise in areas where they possess a significant
advantage, and this results in the creation of new international norms, especially on
non-security issues. Disaster response is one area of international relations where
middle powers project their images as good international citizens. This article discusses
how middle power South Korea has displayed good international citizenship through its
various contributions to global disaster response, such as participation in search and
rescue operations, management and coordination of relief operations, and funding for
humanitarian emergencies. South Korea’s involvement in disaster response is a middle
power behaviour that demonstrates good international citizenship by allocating re-
sources for global public goods. South Korea has utilized disaster response as part of its
public diplomacy to promote its identity as a middle power and in seeking recognition
as a reliable contributor to international development and stability.
Keywords
Disaster response, middle power, South Korea, good international citizenship
South Korea’s shift of its foreign policy priorities in recent years reflects the normative
behaviour of middle powers to address different problem-areas in international relations
that offer them the opportunity to exhibit their expertise. Middle powers often take active
Corresponding author:
Alan Lachica, National Defense College of the Philippines, Arturo Enrile Avenue, Camp Aguinaldo,
Quezon City 1100, Philippines.
Email: alanlachica@hotmail.com
leadership roles to address the most pressing global problems through policies that would
preserve and enhance their reputations as “good international citizens (GIC)”.Thismoveis
seen as counterbalancing the dominance of major powers on security issues or high politics,
areas in which middle powers have little influence. The active involvement of South Korea
in international humanitarian issues, particularly in disaster response, is the utilization of
public diplomacy and soft power to enhance its reputation both as a middle power and a
good international citizen. The diversification of its strategic interests—including con-
tributions to solving problems on climate change, peacekeeping, technological ad-
vancement and human rights—has strengthened South Korea’s role as a reliable actor in
international cooperation by allowing it to be seen as a willing contributor to global public
goods. South Korea’s humanitarian assistance during disasters can be viewed as part of its
quest for recognition as a responsible and a respected country in global relations.
Disaster response is a strategic tool that middle powers can use to demonstrate their
good international citizenship through an ethical foreign policy. Disaster response,
according to the United Nations (UN), is a set of activities involving services and aid
undertaken by localand international actors in the aftermath of a disaster. It is defined as
the “provisionof emergency services and public assistance during or immediately after a
disaster in order to save lives, reduce health impacts, ensure public safety and meet the
basic subsistenceneeds of the peopleaffected.”
1
Disasterresponse is a wide problem-area
in international relations because of the unpredictable nature of disasters and their de-
structive effects.The UN reported that the impact of disasterson vulnerable communities
between 1998 and2017 caused direct economic lossesof US$2.9 trillion and a death toll
of 1.3 million.
2
For most poor and developing countries with limited resources, re-
spondingto the catastrophic effects of disastersis often beyond their capabilities,which is
why global cooperation is crucial in rebuilding devastated communities.
This article explains the good international citizenship of South Korea by analyzing its
contributions to global disaster response. While good international citizenship is manifested
in several ways, it is worth exploring how participation in disaster response can be regarded
as such. Several studies, for example, have explored the concept of good international
citizenship through the defence and promotion of human rights
3
andparticipationinUN
decision-making,
4
but hardly any studies have been conducted on disaster response. This
1. United Nations (UN) Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2009 UNSIDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction
(Geneva: UNISDR,2009), 24. The UN has interchangeably used “disaster response”and “disaster relief.”
2. UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Economic Losses, Poverty and Disasters, 1998–2017 (Geneva:
UNISDR, 2018).
3. James Souter, “Good international citizenship and special responsibilities to protect refugees,”British
Journal of Politics and International Relations 18, no. 4 (2016): 795–811; Richard Shapcott, “Human
rights, extraterritoriality and the good international citizen: A cosmopolitan perspective,”International
Relations 34, no. 2 (2019): 246–264.
4. Suzanne Graham, “Gold star or bottom of the class? Is South Africa a good international citizen?”South
African Journal of International Affairs 15, no. 1 (2008): 87–97; Mehmet Karli, “Turkey, the UN and
WTO: The emergence of a tradingnation and a good international citizen,”Turkish Policy Quarterly 6, no.
4 (2007): 60–77.
Lachica 495
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