• Opinion

What Can China and the US Learn from S Korea’s Approach to Cambodia?

• By Sokvy Rim
• December 8, 2023 4:10 PM

The US and China have been role models for Cambodia. It is not only a development model that Cambodia should learn from but also a close relationship it needs to build. Most Cambodian leaders in modern history struggled to follow either the US or China; the trend can be witnessed from former king Norodom Sihanouk to General Lon Nol, Pol Pot, and former Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Either of them was forced to choose either the US or China. For this reason, the US and China have been the main subjects when discussing Cambodia's foreign policy, particularly in the present context. There are two camps among Cambodian academics whose opinions favour the US or China. One camp argued that Cambodia's close relations with China was a loss for Cambodia. Cambodia is falling into China's debt trap, and Chinese investment has led to environmental degradation and societal issues. Other camps argued that the US is applying a double standard on Cambodia, which has violated Cambodia's sovereignty by interfering in Cambodia's domestic politics and supporting a particular group against the government.

Regardless of the differences between the two groups, it is undeniable that the US and China have put effort into improving relations with Cambodia and sustaining a certain level of relations with Cambodia. China is Cambodia's ironclad friend, and there has been reciprocal interest between the two countries, including political, economic, and strategic interests. China is Cambodia's largest trading partner and source of investment. The two countries have also come to defend each other internationally. Similarly, the US has actively provided development assistance to Cambodia.

While China is Cambodia's closest ally, many Cambodian people still have a favourable view of the US. The 2023 survey report released by ISEAS Yusof Ishak Instituted shows that 26.9% of respondents chose China, and 73.1% chose the US when asked which country to align between the two countries. This indicates that while the US is favourable to Cambodian people, the US is lagging behind China in having good relations with the Cambodian government. The above discussion shows that the US and China need more substance in building ties with Cambodia.

South Korea is a relative newcomer compared to the US and China in building diplomatic relations with Cambodia. However, South Korea is relatively better at building ties with Cambodia, including government-to-government and people-to-people relations. On the former, relations have improved significantly, which can be seen via the exchange visits between the two countries. Cambodian former Prime Minister Hun Sen visited South Korea eight times, while former Minister of Foreign Affairs Prak Sokhonn visited the country two times in 2019 and 2021.

From 2006 to 2022, South Korean presidents visited Cambodia, including former President Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myung-bak, Moon Jae-in and the current President Yoon Suk Yeol. The two countries have also provided diplomatic support to each other as well. For example, the Cambodian government supports South Korea in dealing with the Korean peninsula.

This can be exemplified by the Cambodian effort to close all North Korean business operations in Cambodia despite North Korea being a former ally of Cambodia; during the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which the chairmanship of ASEAN released a statement indicating its commitment to denuclearize the Korea Korean peninsular and expressed its concerns of North Korean’s testing ballistic missile and intercontinental ballistic missile. While previous ASEAN chairmanship released a similar statement on the Korean Peninsular issue, there was no specific mention of North Korea testing nuclear weapons despite North Korea testing missiles four times in 2020 and double in 2021. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) also released a report saying Cambodia increased its performance in response to the UN sanctions against North Korea.

The people-to-people relations also improved dramatically. South Korean culture, including K-pop, movies and food, is very famous among Cambodian youth. While there is no survey or data to support the argument, one can see the spreading of Korean restaurants and the popularity of K-pop music in Cambodia. In addition, the Korean government also provides scholarships and job opportunities to many Cambodian people. In 2023, the Korean government provided scholarships to around 300 Cambodian students. In April of the same year, it was revealed by the then Minister of Labour and Vocational Training that about 60,000 Cambodians were working in South Korea, with an average salary of US$500 to US$600 per month.

Job opportunities in Korea help to reduce the unemployment rate in Cambodia. That positive image indicated the success of the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI) despite the initiative being only announced last year in Phnom Penh. Korea is also trying to strengthen relations between ASEAN and Korean youth, which can be seen via the Youth Camp for ASEAN & Friends' Engagement (YCAFE). YCAFE is among many other programs created mainly to encourage the Korean and ASEAN youth to enhance their cooperation on regional issues and to work together to cope with future threats.

There are at least two reasons why South Korea can maintain good relations with Cambodia, in which Korea is viewed positively by the government and the people. Firstly, the South Korean government has always respected Cambodia's sovereignty. Although South Korea is one of the developed and advanced democratic countries, South Korea has never been pressuring the Cambodian government regarding any other political issue or democratic backwardness. This stems from South Korea's experience of great power politics during the Cold War, which led to the divide between South Korea and North Korea. This can be exemplified by the case of the dissolution of Cambodia's largest opposition party, Cambodia's National Rescue Party (CNRP), and Cambodia's accusation of hosting a Chinese military base.

The South Korean government was silent on this issue and maintained diplomatic relations with Cambodia. It is from the understanding that the democratic process takes time, just like the democratic process in South Korea, which took around five decades to reach its present form. Cambodia's democratization only started in 1993. 

South Korea respects Cambodia's sovereignty, and its development assistance to Cambodia has benefited both the government and the general Cambodian people. In addition, the South Korean project and aid to Cambodia have always ensured that they are for the benefit of the kingdom, and those development projects are closely watched by the Korean development agency known as the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOIKA). On the contrary, China needs a development agency to oversee the project implementation in Cambodia. Thus, its project development often affects the environment and local people.

Overall, South Korea was relatively late in establishing relations with Cambodia compared to the US and China. South Korea has been successful in building healthy and sustainable relations with Cambodia. 

RIM Sokvy is a Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) research fellow. His research interest focuses on Cambodia's foreign policy