The Warmest Pieces of the Cold War:

Following the landmark Afro-Asian Conference in Bandung, an initial camaraderie blossomed between the founding leaders of Indonesia and North Korea, exemplified by Sukarno’s 1965 gift of the "Kimilsungia" orchid to Kim Il-sung. However, by the late 1960s, a dramatic shift occurred: under General Suharto, Indonesia pivoted towards South Korea, to the extent that sensitive information collected by Indonesian diplomats in Pyongyang often ended up in Seoul. By examining diplomatic archives and government records, this talk reveals how the reversal of fortunes in Indonesia expanded during the 1970s into a fierce competition between the two Koreas for the support of Southeast Asian nations pursuing neutrality in the Cold War. The analysis shows that the two Koreas exploited the ambiguity of Cold War allegiances in Southeast Asia, seeking to break away from the rigidity of Cold War alliances in Northeast Asia and thereby improve their positions on the global Cold War map. By underscoring the importance of regional dynamics and the agency of smaller powers, this talk complicates the narrative of the Cold War in East Asia and beyond.

Ria Chae is a lecturer in Korean Studies at Seoul National University. She specializes in the history of diplomacy and intellectual thought in modern East Asia, with an emphasis on Korea.