Honest Broker Korea? The G 20 meeting in Seoul and the international perception of South Korea as a global actor

Stefan Niederhafner

In 2010, South Korea hosted a G20 summit. In line with its Global Korea strategy, the South Korean government sought to promote the country during the event as the “honest broker” that successfully mediated between developed and non-developed countries for sustainable global agreements. Contributing to the discussion about South Korea’s status in the international arena, this paper investigates the extent to which the host country was able to present itself in such a role. Using an analytical framework based on the middle power concept, this paper analyzes the newspaper coverage of eight leading English-language newspapers from the UK, the USA, and South Korea on the G20, and specifically on South Korea’s role during this event. Concerning South Korea’s perception as an “honest broker” and influential mediator, the result is rather negative, contradicting statements that South Korea proved its middle power qualities during the G20 summit. The paper concludes with some policy recommendations deduced from this result, as well as reflections on the general possibilities smaller countries have to utilize global high level events to promote their interests and international status.