Can Culture impact Foreign Policies?(Indian-Korean Relations)

 

Hello everyone. Welcome to yet another blog. Today we are going to see something different.

So how does Culture affect Foreign Policy? Cultural ties between two countries can improve international relations. Culture can be a powerful foreign policy tool. Countries can use cultural exchange programs, art, music, and even cuisine to promote understanding and build relationships with other nations. This is often referred to as soft power. Culture shapes a country's sense of national identity, which can impact its foreign policy decisions. A nation with a proud military history might be more inclined to use force in international relations.

Let's take a good example of Indian and Korean Ties. When I say Korean - I mean both the North and South Korea. Today most Indians' connection to Korea is defined by its most iconic companies like Samsung and Hyundai. Many Indians are a big fan of Korean Dramas

But have you ever heard of Princess Sempavazham? Let me tell you the story of the princess who brought Indian (Tamil Culture) to Korea.

India’s historical connection with Korea goes back more than 2000 years when Korea was a collection of Tribal city-states. I would like to highlight a famous Tamil quote

 “Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir”

 by Kaniyan Poongunranar (600 BCE – 100 CE) which means, 

“Since I feel I am related to the entire humanity, I belong wherever I go”

 which is at present depicted in the United Nations Organization. The quote has been followed by the Dravidians for ages. The historical record clearly shows that the people of ancient Tamilakam had a good relationship with the rest of the world regarding maritime trade and soft power diplomacy. six million Koreans or almost 10% of the Korean population trace their ancestry to an Indian Princess who is said to have travelled to Korea in search of her groom? Yes, it is true. The reference is obtained from the Korean work Samguk Yusa written by a Buddhist monk in the 13th century where he mentions a 16-year-old Indian princess Sembavazham also called Heo Hwang-Ok who got married to Kim Suro and became the first queen of Geumgwan Gaya. The princess traveled to Korea along with her team of ministers, royal servants, and courtiers from Tamil Nadu. The convoy of Princess Sembavazham stayed there in Korea which might be a major factor that contributed to the spread of Tamil culture over there. It is said that Heo, Lee, and Kim clans trace their lineage to Queen Heo Hwang Ok as her descendants. She was the princess of Ayuta Kingdom which was located in the southern part of India. 

SOME MISCONCEPTIONS

Some people wrongly connect Ayuta Kingdom with Ayodhya. But the ancient name of Ayodhya was ‘Saketa’ during that time and Samguk Yusa was written long back in the 13th century. Therefore it does not refer to Ayodhya. Ayuta Kingdom here refers to “Ay Kingdom” that belonged to the Pandyan dynasty of ancient Tamilakam. This can be substantiated by the fact that Princess Heo carried with her the symbol of the Twin fish in a trident. The Pandyan Kingdom depicts two fishes on their flags, coins, and emblems. The fish symbol is considered to be one of the most meaningful symbols in the lives of the people living in the Pandyan Kingdom. Princess Heo was also known as Sembavazham in Tamil which means red coral. Interestingly, the Korean name Heo Hwang-Ok also shares the same meaning.  The Nadukkal Tradition followed by Tamils can be seen in Queen Heo Hwang-Ok’s tomb. Heo Hwang-Ok is worshipped as a deity in Korea. It is indeed proud to know that a princess from India is worshipped as a deity in Korea and at the same time it is sad that most of the Indians are unaware of this information. 

TRADITION

A unique similarity between Tamil Nadu and Korea is pearl hunting. Activities like pearl hunting in the industry for coral ornaments were familiar only in ancient Tamil Nadu about 2000 years ago when Princess Heo got married to Kim Suro. Surprisingly, even today women in Tamil Nadu and South Korea are involved in deep-sea diving for the purpose of pearl hunting. Koreans are largely rice eaters and their paddy cultivation was said to have been taught to them by the Tamils. Just like Tamils, Koreans have the habit of leaving slippers outside their house and bowing before elders as a sign of respect. 

LANGUAGES

The Linguistic relationship between the Korean and Tamil languages cannot be ruled out in establishing the actual history of the Korean people. There are many words found in both the Korean and Tamil languages which share the same meaning and are pronounced similarly. Researchers have found 500 words that are similar in Korean and Tamil. There has always been a lexical connection between Korean and Dravidian language according to the research done by Morgan E. Clippinger. In fact, there are plenty of videos that throw light on the similarities between Korean and Tamil languages that are trending on YouTube.

FOOD 

Rice is considered to be the staple food for Koreans which is similar to that of the Tamil people. They distribute, as the Tamils would do, sweets made up of rice, such as Adhirasam, on events such as the birth of a child, housewarming ceremony, etc. Some of the other items such as Oorugai (Kimchi), Kozhukattai (Songpyeon), Sesame cake (yeotgangjeong), Adaidosai (kimchi-jeon), Sweet Pongal (Yaksik) are very similar among the Korean and Tamil cultures. Koreans love to eat rice with pickles which is something every Tamilian would love to eat, especially with curd rice. Sundakanji in Tamil culture is a fermented rice wine as Makgeolli in Korea. The taste and the texture of food in both countries are almost the same. Nothing creates a more powerful bond with people than language and food.

Now what's the use of culture in foreign policy

Due to this, there are a lot of benefits. South Korean businesses sought to increase access to the global markets and began trade investments with India. India-RoK relations have made great strides in recent years and have become truly multidimensional, spurred by a significant convergence of interests, mutual goodwill, and high-level exchanges. South Korea is currently the fifth largest source of investment in India. 

The signing of the Long-Term Cooperative Partnership for Peace and Prosperity marked the beginning of the strategic relationship between India and the RoK. This was elevated to a “Strategic Partnership” in 2010, and further to a “Special Strategic Partnership” in 2015. To augment these ties, India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi revised the Look East Policy to become an Act East Policy in 2014, which focused on expanding business ties with the economies of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member nations, India and RoK. 

This policy shift signifies India’s commitment to actively engage with the dynamic economies and geopolitical landscape of the Asia-Pacific region, fostering collaboration in areas such as trade, investment, security, and people-to-people ties. 

Recently, in December 2022, under the leadership of President Yoon Suk Yeol, the RoK released its Indo-Pacific policy of “Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region”, which aims to elevate the unique cooperation with India.  

Economic Milestones

The economic collaboration between India and Korea has been a cornerstone of their relationship. The signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2009 marked a watershed moment, opening up avenues for increased trade and investment. The two nations have since witnessed a steady growth in bilateral trade, with sectors such as technology, automotive, and manufacturing leading the way. Today India is the 9th largest trading partner of Korea.  Since CEPA’s inception in 2010, the India-RoK trade has shown significant fluctuations. In 2010, trade surged by 40% to over $17.11 bn. Indian exports rose by 37% in 2010 while RoK exports increased by 42.7%. Though there was a dip in bilateral commerce in 2020 because of the global pandemic, it eventually recovered to record levels in FY23, totaling $27.8 bn.

Cultural ties can build trust between both countries that are democracies.

Recently South Korean government built a park in honor of the princess in Ayodhya, UP.

The UP CM inaugurated it in the presence of South Korean delegates in 2022 before the G20 summit . This was one of the reasons why South Korea also has immense respect for India and supports our neutral stand on the Russia-Ukraine War in the UNGA(United Nations General Assembly) despite opposing Russia.

So this was about how culture can affect the Foreign policy of a country. I hope you liked this blog post. It is a bit different from the normal one. Will see you with another exciting blog.

Bye