In the last months, after a phase of confrontation peaking in the second nuclear test, the relations US and North Korea saw a certain thawing. For the neighbours of North Korea, Japan, China and in particular South Korea, this means a re-valuation of their current approach to North Korea. Especially the question, how much regional cooperation can play a role in this readjustment was the topic of the 3rd Dong-A Global Forum, organized jointly by the Graduate School of Northeast Asian Studies of Dong-A University, Busan, Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea and the Korean Institute for National Unification on November 5, 2009 in Busan. At the same time an MoU for the further cooperation of the three partners was signed (see article below).

In his keynote speech Dr. Seo Byung-Chul, CEO of Geodis-Wilson Korea and former president of KINU and dean of the Institute for Foreign Affairs and National Security of the Foreign Ministry focused on the changing environment for regional cooperation on the topic of North Korean denuclearization. The first session, moderated by Prof. Park Sung-Jo (Free University Berlin and Dong-A University), looked at the change of US and Japanese government and its consequences for the Northeast Asian policy of both countries. Timothy Savage of Nautilus Institute in Seoul explained the shift from non-proliferation to denuclearization and its implications in the US administration. Prof. Eun-Gee Yun of Dong-A University in his discussion of this paper stressed the link of internal reforms and outside pressure. Prof. Yuji Hosaka of Sejong-University spoke about the expectations for Northeast Asian cooperation after the election victory of Democratic Party in Japan. Prof. Kisup Son of Pusan University of Foreign Studies discussed the four stumbling blocks of Northeast Asian cooperation, past issues, nationalism, security and marine resources.

The second session was moderated by D. Suh Jae-Jin, president of KINU, and was looking at the two central actors in Northeast Asia and on the Korean Peninsula, China and South Korea. Prof. Shegjun Zhang, Vice Dean of the School of Politics and International Studies of Beijing Normal University, explained the Chinese view of the different phases of cooperation with the US and its meaning for China’s position in Northeast Asia. Prof. Chang-Hoon Cha enlarged Prof. Zhang’s analysis, who mainly focused on the Japanese-Chinese leadership conflict resulting from policy changes in Japan. The North Korea policy of the Lee Myung-Bak administration was topic of the paper by Prof. Jae-Bong Lee of Wonkwang University. Prof. Lee sees the narrow focus on denuclearization as a problem of South Korean policy, in particular due to the impact on Korean-Chinese relations. Prof. James Strohmaier of Pukyong University pleaded for a change from a “grand bargain” approach to an approach of small steps of denuclearization, some of them solvable, others maybe not (immediately).

In a roundtable discussion moderated by Dr. Bernhard Seliger, resident representative of Hanns-Seidel-Foundation Korea, the question of an application of Northeast Asian integration to the question of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was raised. As an introduction to the discussion Aidan Foster-Carter, Leeds University, reviewed the actual development of North Korea.

Opening speech by Dr. Bernhard Seliger, HSS Korea

Participants of the 3rd Dong-A Global Forum