This study tries to find a solution to problems of North-South relations through their Economic Cooperation and Integration Theories. Wars just make a nation into ruins rather than establish constitutionalism and abolish employment discrimination. Tro...
This study tries to find a solution to problems of North-South relations through their Economic Cooperation and Integration Theories. Wars just make a nation into ruins rather than establish constitutionalism and abolish employment discrimination. Troops can keep public order but they can not form community spirit and generous atmosphere. So this study approaches the problems of North-South integration in view of economic cooperation.
In view of an integration theory, the greatest achievement of North-South economic cooperation is a change of North Korea. The long-running strained relations between North and South have been changing. Products by North are being sold in South and South Korean companies do production activities in North Korea. In addition, laborers from North are working for South Korean companies. These series of alterations are causing changes in conflicting relations of North and South.
This study, in view of an integration theory, analyzes and evaluates the results of present economic cooperation and investigates new methods for economic cooperation. For this, I analyzed road and railroad operation, Gumgang mountain tourism industry and Gaesung industrial district development project. In order to form a theoretical analysis frame, I dealt with functional and neo-functional integration, principles and characteristics of the social integration theory.
Based on these three integration theories, I set up the hypothesis that economic cooperation and integration play the following three roles interrelatedly. First, the increase of dependence and frequency in contact through economic cooperation will perform positive functions for integration.
Second, spill-overs of economic cooperation and 'politicizing of the spill-overs' will affect not only the economic system of North Korea but the changes of the residents in North Korea.
And third, interdependency between spill-overs of economic cooperation(social integration domain) and 'politicizing of the spill-overs'(system integration domain) will be formed and it will act as a facilitator for achieving integrative aims.
I classified these hypotheses into three types respectively, 1) increase of dependence and spill-overs 2) politicizing of the spill-overs 3) interdependency between system integration and social one. I used these types as tools for analyzing road and railroad operation, Gumgang mountain tourism industry and Gaesung industrial district development enterprise.
The results are; First, road and railroad operation, Gumgang mountain tourism industry and Gaesung industrial district development enterprise increased spill-overs through the increase of dependence and frequency in contact and in consequence, performed positive functions for changing the conflicting relations of North and South.
Second, the increase of successful cooperation of spill-overs brought about 'politicizing of the spill-overs' and in consequence, resulted in 「The Agreement on Driving Vehicles and Trains」, 「Gumgang Mountain Tourism District Law」and 「Gaesung Industrial District Law」. In addition, it affected changes of the economic system of North Korea and of its residents. But the system has been improved considerably by changing systems, whereas the level of changes of the residents is still pretty low.
Third, even though dependency between the system integration and social one is being formed, the changes of the residents just stay in the level of following economic policies of the government but it can not reach the level of adapting to the capitalistic lifestyle.
So economic cooperation businesses should be done in the following ways.
First, road and railroad operation, Gumgang mountain tourism industry and Gaesung industrial district development enterprise should continue to be developed both quantitatively and qualitatively while North and South keep reciprocal relations.
Second, the negotiation for the system improvement related to road and railroad operation, Gumgang mountain tourism industry and Gaesung industrial district development enterprise should be done in various ways in accord with their own characteristics and in the direction of increasing the effects through more systematic operation with these three businesses connected.
Third, the economic cooperation businesses should be done in the direction of achieving integrative aims through establishing 'Imagined Communities(integration vision)' which connect system integration to social integration.
Especially, for the third, we should set up a foundation for national integration and try to get as many opportunities to talk as possible in various ways and fields.