The middle power paradox: South Korea’s refugee policy and identity construction

South Korea is a self-identified ‘middle power,’ aspiring to assume greater responsibilities, including the promotion of universal values and humanitarian diplomacy. Yet, it maintains one of the lowest refugee acceptance rates among OECD members. Existing research attributes this restrictiveness to ethnic nationalism, anti-refugee sentiment, and a refugee status determination (RSD) process shaped by an institutional ethos that prioritises law and order over refugee protection. This research shifts the focus from institutional and societal constraints to identity constructions. Adopting a critical constructivist framework, it analyzes National Assembly debates and Ministry of Justice policy discourses between 2008 and 2024 to examine how South Korea’s self-understanding as a middle power is constructed and negotiated through representations of refugees as ‘others.’ The analysis finds that although South Korea promotes humanitarian engagement, its middle power identity is continually negotiated through the way different refugee groups are constructed (i.e. as humanitarian subjects, security threats, reciprocal contributors, or fellow nationals) in relation to the national ‘self.’ Ultimately, this research argues that the coexistence of competing understandings of what it means to be a humanitarian middle power rather than a cohesive national narrative, is a significant factor underlying South Korea’s continued restrictive refugee policies.