This volume discusses Koreas role as a middle power in the midst of the 21st century global power shift. Focusing on Koreas middle power diplomacy from the perspective of coalition building, the book discusses structural factors that shape middle power strategy and diplomacy. Written by leading Korean researchers, the chapters use diverse methodologies to offer a range of perspectives on Koreas place in the developing global order. Topics discussed include South Koreas approach to technology policy in the midst of US-China cyber competition, the East Asian Thucydides Trap, MITKA and middle power diplomacy, Koreas role in the South China Sea dispute, and South Korean cyber security. Providing a unique treatment of middle power opportunities and motivations in the East Asia region, this volume will be of interest to students and scholars of international relations, Asian politics, diplomacy, security studies, and global governance.

Seungjoo Lee is a professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Chung-Ang University (Seoul, Korea). Professor Lee received both his B.A. and M.A. from Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea), and received his Ph.D. in Political Science from University of California at Berkeley (US). His current areas of research interest include East Asian regionalism, global FTA networks, middle power diplomacy, and development cooperation.

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Thucydides on Thucydides Trap: A Reading with the Emphasis of Middle Powers and its Application in the East Asian Context.- Chapter 3. Roles of Middle Power in East Asia: The Perspective of Network Theories of World Politics.- Chapter 4. Emerging Powers and a Middle Power: U.S.-China Competition and South Korea in Cyberspace.- Chapter 5. The Dilemma of South Korea as a Middle Power With Regards to the Conflicts Between the United States and China in the South China Sea.- Chapter 6. The Inter-network Politics of Cyber Security and Middle Power Diplomacy: A Korean Perspective.- Chapter 7. Power Shift, Power Diffusion, and Middle Power Diplomacy: MIKTA and Changes in Global Governance.- Chapter 8. Unpacking the Domestic Political Foundation of Middle Powers: Ups and Downs in South Koreas Middle Power Diplomacy toward China.