Utilizing the platform of the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue, the U.S. under the leadership of the second Trump administration, proclaimed its full reorientation towards the Indo-Pacific region. Primarily, the U.S. government clarified that its intention to pivot to the region lies in countering China’s aspirations for regional hegemony. Simultaneously, while embedding the belief that an objective for such recalibration embodies a MAGA-like ideology at the forefront of security in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. also remained vigilant about its regional allies’ attempts to employ strategic security by urging them to take more responsibility in the region, including increasing military spending. After returning to the geopolitical gravity, the Indo-Pacific region is evolving into a theater for proxy warfare in the ongoing competition for supremacy among global superpowers. This transition requires attention for its correlation with the United States’ downgrading North Korea’s threats to a lower tier within its policy priorities. Thus, South Korea should promote the solidarity of the ROK-U.S. alliance by capitalizing on its shipbuilding strengths and other leverage points with the United States, thereby pursuing a virtuous cycle that elevates the priority of the Korean Peninsula on the agenda. 

Overview: Shangri-La Dialogue and Defense Diplomacy

The 22ndShangri-La Dialogue and Competition for Leadership in the Indo-Pacific between Major Powers

The 22ndShangri-La Dialogue and the U.S. Proclamation of Pivoting to the Indo-Pacific

Implications for South Korea