Rethinking and Re-energizing the Canada-South Korea Relationship

(Asia Pacific Bulletin)

Meeting for the first time since 2002, negotiators representing Seoul and Ottawa convened last month in Vancouver to discuss a bilateral open skies agreement. No agreement was signed, although a wide-ranging deal is expected to be finalized in a second round set to take place in the New Year. Despite lingering uncertainty over a Canada-South Korea FTA, the air services talks serve as an important reminder that Canada-Korea relations are moving forward.

In a rapidly changing global order in which giants like the US, China and India have cornered Canadian attention, relations with mid-sized Asian countries are easily overlooked. In a March 2008 national opinion survey conducted by APF Canada, only 37% of Canadians saw South Korea as important or very important to Canada's prosperity, and fewer than 1% saw the country offering the greatest market potential for Canada in Asia. Only 40% supported a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Seoul compared to 41% who opposed it. When asked about the state of bilateral relations compared to two years ago, 10% saw them as better, 7% worse, 56% the same, and a significant 27% did not know. Clearly, the picture of Canada’s relationship with Korea, or what it could become, is underdeveloped and unclear. Yet now is the time that Canada should refresh and re-prioritize collaboration with countries such as South Korea. Read the complete article here (PDF).