South Korean engagement with the United States and China under Park Geun-hye: creating an environment conducive to Korean unification
Author
Kurbelova, Veronika
Term
4. term
Publication year
2015
Submitted on
2015-07-23
Pages
72
Abstract
This thesis examines how South Korea’s engagement with the United States and China under President Park Geun-hye was used to create a more favorable environment for Korean unification. It begins with a historical review of the US–ROK alliance, the ROK–China rapprochement, and inter-Korean relations, and employs institutionalism (emphasizing rules, institutions, and cooperation) alongside Lowell Dittmer’s strategic triangle to analyze both geoeconomic and geopolitical dynamics of Park’s “bridging strategy.” The study considers ROK–US initiatives such as the KORUS FTA and the TPP and ROK–China steps including the bilateral FTA and participation in the AIIB, noting the FTA’s recognition of the Kaesong Industrial Complex. It assesses how Seoul’s long-standing alignment with Washington interacts with deepening economic and diplomatic ties to Beijing, while acknowledging that some sectoral changes may be occurring in North Korea. The main finding is that economic factors strengthen Park’s unification agenda, but persistent geopolitical constraints related to trust and security leave the United States and China reluctant to take decisive action toward the Kim Jong-un regime.
Specialet undersøger, hvordan Sydkoreas engagement med USA og Kina under Park Geun-hye blev anvendt til at skabe et mere gunstigt miljø for koreansk genforening. Udgangspunktet er den historiske udvikling af USA-ROK-alliancen, tilnærmelsen mellem ROK og Kina samt interkoreanske relationer. Analysen kombinerer institutionalisme (med fokus på regler, institutioner og samarbejde) og Lowell Dittmers strategiske trekant for at belyse både geøkonomiske og geopolitiske dimensioner af Parks såkaldte “brobyggerstrategi”. Den gennemgår ROK-USA-initiativer som KORUS-fta og TPP samt ROK-Kina-tiltag som frihandelsaftalen og deltagelsen i AIIB, herunder betydningen af Kaesong-industrikompleksets status i FTA’en. Specialet vurderer, hvordan den langvarige forankring i Washington balanceres med voksende samhandel og diplomati med Beijing, og inddrager, at visse ændringer i Nordkorea kan være undervejs. Hovedkonklusionen er, at de økonomiske elementer understøtter Parks genforeningsdagsorden, mens vedvarende geopolitiske barrierer omkring tillid og sikkerhed gør USA og Kina tilbageholdende med at tage afgørende skridt over for Kim Jong-uns regime.
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