Abstract
Past and recent efforts at regional security cooperation with North Korea have not been successful. It is argued that these attempts failed due to the predominant strategy of confrontational cooperation. With reference to standard IR theories, the author explores the limits and options for the DPRK to participate successfully in East Asian regional initiatives based on a promising multilateral strategy, called cooperative cooperation. In conjunction with an assessment of activities conducted, a number of conditions are inferred on which East Asian regionalization could serve as an alternative approach to the solution of various issues pertaining to the North Korean problem. Among these are most importantly the country’s nuclear programme, the DPRK’s meagre economic relations with other East Asian economies and reform challenges typical to a socialist system under transformation pressure. According to the author a multilateral, ASEAN-based regional institution with China leading from behind could help providing new impetus to managing these problems and could also contribute to East Asian community building.
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Notes
- 1.
For more details on historical precedents and the continuation of this strategy to present time see Frank (2008).
- 2.
See also Chen in this volume who discusses the prospects of “a two-hub-formation” of regional integration in East Asia.
- 3.
This includes the issue of naming the sea between Korea and Japan, the ownership of two rocks situated between both countries, the question of historical texts in Japanese schoolbooks on the colonial period, etc.
- 4.
Kornai (1992:19) identifies four stages of socialism: revolutionary-transitional system, classical system, reform system, and post-socialist (transition) system. However, “interpretation of the prototypes as consecutive historical periods can be accepted only as an initial and not entirely accurate approach... In some countries the order of appearance is different, or the stages alternate with one another.”
- 5.
A fictitious type of human being: self-interested, rational, utility-maximizing, responsive to restrictions, with clear preferences, and possessing (complete) information (Franz 2004: 4).
- 6.
In autumn 2005, allegations were raised by the U.S. Dept. of Treasury that Banco Delta Asia in Macao was hosting North Korean accounts that were used for illegal purposes. The result was a collapse of the DPRKs ability to make international financial transactions.
- 7.
According to the CIA World Factbook, North Korea is a member of: ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO.
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Frank, R. (2018). East Asian Regionalization and North Korea: From Confrontation to Cooperation. In: Loewen, H., Zorob, A. (eds) Initiatives of Regional Integration in Asia in Comparative Perspective. United Nations University Series on Regionalism, vol 14. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1211-6_9
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