Is South Korea eyeing a new global order? A quiet debate is emerging over Seoul’s potential alignment with a rising alternative to Western governance.

A quiet but noticeable debate is beginning to surface in Seoul as to whether South Korea could get away with starting down the path towards joining the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) group. The premise: as BRICS expands and solidifies into a parallel ecosystem of global governance, early movers will secure benefits. The logic is based in Canadian and Australian activism in the UN system - essentially, get in early, and take lots of photos.

The early mover corollary comes from the United Nations Conference on International Organization (April–June 1945). In the archival images one figure appears again and again: Australia’s Herbert Vere Evatt. He’s in the foreground, background, smiling, concentrating, shaking hands, and signing papers. To exaggerate the point, Evatt got in early, took lots of photos, and secured Australia’s credibility with the primary supporters of the emerging system of global governance.

Despite  Trump’s threats to punish those that do, a number of states are positioning themselves to build credibility with the primary supporters of the next emerging system of global governance –BRICS. The diplomatic photo-bombing has started.

The UAE joined in the 2023 enlargement. Turkey and Thailand have signalled interest. Malaysia has shown interest but remains hesitant, while Indonesia – widely seen as the most significant potential member – engages diplomatically and is........

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