체제, 관계, 복잡성/복합성, 삼각관계 ― 지역의 이론과 실천 = System, Relations, Complexity/Compound, Triangular Relationship ― Theory and Practice of Region

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

It is not clear how much attention Korean scholars have paid to the theory and practice of ‘region,’ which is a frequently discussed subject these days. Starting from this reflection, this paper assumes the regional-level system in East or Northeast Asia, carries a conceptual review of it. and attempts to deliberate Korea’s national strategy through the review. The project tries to combine social theories dealing with the concepts of system, relations, complexity, and triangular relationship with the existing international relations theories and foreign policy analyses. Theoretically speaking, this kind of work makes us to think about the possibility to connect explanatory theories to normative and critical theories. Consideration of ‘relations’ also provides us with the ground to complement existing level-of-analysis and ontological debates in international relations. In other words, it helps us to overcome the dichotomy between micro and macro, or between agent and structure, and the simple logic of co-constitution. As an example, we can think about the ways in which we integrate conceptual/empirical analyses with normative orientation and strategic pursuit in the matter of regional system formation. Practically speaking, it means the inquiry of the East Asian/Northeast Asian regional system based on the triangular relationship among China, Japan, and Korea, the investigation of the rules that three countries can share, and the search for Korea’s role on them. This connotes the pending question for No. 3 actor to effectively link norm and strategy in the process of social system building.