From Like-Minded to Like-Acting: The EU-ROK Strategic Partnership in Times of Crisis

In spite of economic cooperation being the most developed and productive form of interaction within this partnership, over the last six years, both ends of the Eurasian continent have shown steadfast commitment to expand the comprehensive collaboration largely in response to the changing global landscape. Following the presidential inauguration in May 2022, the Yoon administration sent a special envoy to the EU and Europe in continuity with Moon Jae-in, who was the first South Korean president ever to do so. Showing that Moon’s decision was not a one-off, the move of the then-newly elected president suggests that strengthening bilateral relations with Brussels is viewed by both sides of the political spectrum as beneficial for South Korea’s national interests. In turn, South Korea is high on the European chancelleries’ agendas, much more than before as the number of European embassies in Seoul has increased with four more that have been opened between 2020 and 2024 (i.e., Estonia, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Luxembourg). As the Yoon administration has pivoted more clearly towards the West and the US, the paper shows the extent to which the South Korea-EU relationship has evolved to become more multifaceted. Arguably, it has also increasingly come to be dominated by security and geopolitical issues beyond purely economic matters.