North Korea has done it again. This trigger-happy country, which keeps turning a deaf ear to warnings from the international community, launched a missile again recently, this time a long-range one. South Koreans wonder why the United States let this happen, even as Washington aggressively pressured Iran to give up its nuclear weapon program.

Once again, China did not seem particularly enthusiastic about sanctioning its unruly neighbor. It is well known that China does not want to see North Korea collapse and thus cannot assent to international sanctions wholeheartedly. North Korean politicians take advantage of this and do whatever they want. Besides, North Korea has a hidden card: Russia. Just in case China turns its back on it.

Some Koreans, unable to see the big picture, complain in disappointment, muttering, “We thought China was our friend. Why is China reluctant to sanction North Korea?” To those naive people, perhaps the answer is, “China is our friend, all right. But China’s main concern is to minimize American influence in Asia and to impede Japan’s rise as a military superpower, not to look after the national security of South Korea.” That is why we cannot expect too much from China, despite our best diplomatic efforts.  

The problem is that under the circumstances, South Korea is likely to be caught up in the vortex of power politics between China and North Korea, or between China and Japan. The United States is too remote geographically, even though American troops are currently deployed in South Korea. Thus, we need more friends and allies nearby that we can count on in times of crisis.

Fortunately, we have many trustworthy nations in Southeast Asia that can be our friends. The Philippines and Thailand are two nations that helped us by sending combat troops during the Korean War. In that sense, the two nations have strong ties with Korea.

Vietnam, too, is a close friend of Korea. Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Min City recently expanded its Department of Korean Studies to the Division of Korean Studies. Such a structural change reflects the Vietnamese people’s growing interest in Korea. The two countries are good business partners as well; quite a few Korean companies have entered the Vietnamese market. The two nations are also connected by familial ties: there are a great number of Vietnamese brides in Korea these days.  

Indonesia and Malaysia are friendly toward Korea too. In Indonesia, you can see LG products splashed across billboards everywhere. LG home appliances are reportedly the Indonesian people’s favorite. In Malaysia, Samsung dominates the billboards and the market. Moreover, Malaysia and Korea have been good friends for the past few decades. In accordance with its “Look East Policy,” the Malaysian government awards scholarships to about 150 students every year to study at Korean universities.

Korea has many more good friends in Southeast Asia. Taiwan, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Bangladesh come to mind. Further south, Australia is a friend that also sent their young soldiers to help us during the Korean War. Then there is New Zealand and Brunei. In South Asia, India, too, can become a good friend. India is rapidly rising these days thanks to the Indian people’s fluency in English and their good command of math and technology.

To the north, Russia can be our friend too. There is a saying that Koreans and Russians have many things in common. For example, both people are warmhearted and caring. Both enjoy drinking and value friendship dearly. Both like singing and dancing. Both like sports, banquets, and literature. In both countries, great writers can become as popular as movie stars. North Korea may be on good terms with Russia, but the South too can befriend Russia. 

People in the abovementioned nations admire Korea mainly for three reasons: Korea’s pop culture called hallyu, its miraculous economic success, and its cutting-edge technology represented by Samsung, LG and Hyundai. Thus, government officials from these countries frequently visit Korea to learn about things like Korea’s e-governance, economic development and technology. 

One way to make friends with other nations is to bring students from those countries to Korea on scholarships. It may be costly now, but it is a worthwhile long-term investment. Upon completion of their studies, these students are likely to occupy important positions in their countries later. Then, we will have many influential friends in those nations in the future. The United States did the same thing in the 1960s and 1970s and as a result, even in difficult times of anti-American sentiment, the U.S. could still get invaluable support from those who had studied in America.

Now is the time that we strengthen and renew our friendship with Southeast Asian countries. If we build strong friendships with them, we will not be alone or lonely, and can get moral support from them in difficult times ahead. What are friends for, after all?

By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and the president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. -- Ed.