Brexit and Korea: Carving out a New Road
By Tom Norris
The United Kingdom’s recent decision to break from the European Union, or Brexit, is a chance for Britain to carve its own road in foreign policy and, rather than threatening trade relations with Korea could even bolster it, says His Excellency Charles Hay, British Ambassador to Korea.
Speaking at Seoul National University on Monday, Hay discussed the British people’s decision to leave the EU and its implications for UK-Korea relations. Despite the dramatic fall of the pound and the various economic uncertainties Britain now faces, Hay says the nation’s faith in the strength of UK-Korea trade relations remains unshaken. He asserted that there is “still a constant stream of Korean companies seeking business in the UK” and pointed out that Korean exports to Britain have risen 27% in the last year.
Asked whether the same levels of trade could continue with Britain not party to the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement, Hay acknowledged that both countries “have a lot to lose if trade is interrupted” and declared that both governments “are eager to make a new UK-Korea trade agreement to replace the EU-Korea FTA and ensure a seamless transition”.
As part of the UK’s efforts to secure a smooth transition, in September, Ambassador Hay welcomed UK trade ministers to Korea for economic discussions with the Korean government. During the meetings, the two sides looked for new ways to expand bilateral economic cooperation and decided to continue the talks in London in December.
Ambassador Hay sees “huge future potential in the UK-Korea bilateral relationship” and this is not restricted to solely economic matters. One of the new ways in which British-Korean cooperation is expanding is military partnership. Just four weeks ago, the British Royal Air Force took part in joint military exercises with the United States and Korea for the first time in 60 years.
Despite the success of the exercises, Ambassador Hay lamented the fact that Britain’s participation in the exercises drew “lurid headlines of attack preparation against North Korea”. Hay claims that Britain’s participation was not, as the press reported, a response to nuclear tests conducted by the North, but instead a product of British-Korean cooperation and were, in fact, arranged months before the nuclear tests occurred.
Speaking on North Korea more broadly, Ambassador Hay shared his belief that Brexit will have a large impact on Britain’s policies towards the country going forward. Independent of the EU, Britain will not have to follow EU sanctions against North Korea and can craft its own, unique policy in response to human rights violations and security challenges.
From peninsular security to bilateral trade, Brexit presents a huge challenge to all aspects of the UK-Korean relationship and now, in the words of Ambassador Hay, Britain must carve out its own road.
*Tom Norris is a student at Seoul National University Graduate School of International Studies, majoring in international cooperation. As a Korean Government Scholarship recipient, he previously studied Korean language at Yeungnam University and received a level 5 on the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) exam. Mr. Norris is involved with several NGOs based in Seoul. He is Director of Cooperation for the Arirang Institute and a volunteer English tutor for Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR). He received his B.A. from UCLA in political science and global studies and intends to pursue a career in international relations.