This study is to research the foreign policy of North Korea toward the Four Powers and its influences on the Korean peninsula in the post-cold war ear.
To achieve such a purpose of research, the period to be analyzed in this study is from the latter part of 1980s to that of 1990s and this study consists of the following research methods and systems.
First, it analyzes the changed goals of the foreign policy of North Korea and the element of variation in the post-cold war era are analyzed. The changed goals of the foreign policy of North Korea in the post-cold war era are greatly divided into three dimensions such as justification of succession of power, solution of economic problems and improvement of security environment.
In analyzing the elements of change of goals in the foreign policy, dependent variables are considered to be the goal of the foreign policy of North Korea in the post-cold war era and the internal urgent task of North Korean system, changed international order in the post-cold war era and international order of the Northeast Asia, changes of policy of four powers toward the 'Korean peninsula, change of the relation between South and North Koreas and continuance of international are regarded as independent variables.
Second, it analyzes the foreign policy of North Korea toward the Four Powers in the post-cold war era and views in what level North Korea carries out the policy toward the Four Powers to achieve the changed goals of foreign policy and how about the future relations between North Korea and the Four Powers.
For these, this study examines the actual conditions of relations between North Korea and other countries, policy goals and strategies and outlook.
Third, it analyzes how the policy of North Korea toward the Four Powers in the post-cold war era affects the system of North Korea and the relations between South and North Korea.
Especially, in analyzing the effects of the policy on the system of North Korea and the relation between South and North Koreas, the phenomenal sides resulted from the policy of North Korea toward the Four Powers are examined.
Finally, it evaluates the policy of North Korea toward the Four Powers in the post-cold war era and emphasizes the direction of future foreign policy of North Korea and the active diplomatic correspondence of Korean government to it.
This study consists of six chapters; chapter 2 analyzes the changed goals of the foreign policy of North Korea in the post-cold war era and the elements of changes and the goals of the foreign policy are three, the justification of succession of power, solution of economic problems and improvement of security environment. In addition, it divides the elements of changes of foreign policy into internal and external elements and then analyzes the elements.
The major internal element of changed foreign policy is the urgent problem in the system of North Korea and it includes increase of the dissatisfaction due to the economic problem, weakening of ruling ideology and social control.
On the other hand, the major external element is the international environment changed in the post-cold war era. That is, it includes the end of cold war structure, the reflux of military and security value, the deepening of mutual dependence among states, the hegemonism-governed trend led by America, the continuance of international isolation and the change of relation between South and North Koreas.
Chapter 3 and 4 are on the foreign policy of North Korea toward the Four Powers to achieve the golas of its foreign policy in the post-cold war era, analyze and examine the actual conditions of the relation between North Korea and each country of the Four Powers, the goals, strategies and future outlook of the foreign policy of North Korea.
First, it is related to the foregin policy of North Korea toward America. The most remarkable thing among the foreig policies of North Korea in the post-cold war era is the effort to improve the relation of It to America and Japan.
North Korea focused on the relation to South Korea and America in developing the foreign policy since the establishment of government and it has made the relation to American with the hostile emotion.
However, since North Korea which opened the channel for dialogue with American through nuclear problem recognizes the actualization possibility of attracting capital from the West, introducing advanced technology and offering economic support depends on America, it makes efforts to improve the relation to America by fair means or foul. In addition, since it considers that the improvement of relation to America brings the effective restraint on the relation to South Korea at the same time, the improvement of relation to America in the foreign policy in the post-cold -war era is more important than any other foreign policies.
Especially, North Korea seeks the improvement of relation to America with the diversified effects such as escaping from international isolation, acquisition of economic support and guarantee of system security.
Second, it is on the relation to Japan. Although the bad historical emotion in the relation of North Korea to Japan coexist, it takes into account that Japan is the only state which can recover economy of North Korea with America and is active in making friendly relation to Japan. Especially, a possibility of inflow of huge compensation in treating the post-war compensation problem is the element that North Korea is active in making friendly relation to Japan and it occupies the important part in the foreign policy of North Korea in the post-cold war era with the improvment of the relation to America. In particular, it is viewed that since North Korea can break up the mutual assistance system among Korea, Japan and America by making the friendly relations to Japan and America in the foreign policy of North Korea in the post-cold war era, it will make more efforts to settle such a foreign policy.
Finally, it is on the relation to China and Russia. Dilema North Korea experiences in the foreign policy in the post-cold war era is primarily due to the defect of the system itself,. but the conversion of its foreign policy into pragmatic policy was decisive.
From the pragmatic dimension, it is in the position that these states take more serious view of the relation to South Korea than North Korea. Nevertheless, the reason that China and Russia cannot keep away from North Korea is just the importance of interests between South and North Koreas in the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia. Therefore, the discussion on the establishment of relation among these states and North Korea is in progress unlike early establishment of relation between Korea and China, Korea and the Soviet Union. Especially, the consolidation of the military alliance between America and Japan forms Russia and China as the companion relation and make the position of foreign policy of South and North Koreas among the Powers more difficult. Especially, North Korea is in the turning point of foreign policy which may cause a good chance or crisis depending on how it can use the direction of foreign policy of the Powers. So considering the present situation of North Korea, the establishment of relation to the Four Powers will be very important in the post-cold war era.
Chapter 5 analyzes the influence of the foreign policy of North Korea toward the Four Powers on the relation between South and North Koreas in the post-cold war era. Consequently the aspect of policy making in the system of North Korea was greatly changed, the changes in essential characteristics of its foreign policy were shown and it affected the continuous development of economic reform and open-door policy of North Korea. Unlike these affirmative sides, it is found that North Korea may be the arena of competition of the Powers by carring out such a foreign policy toward the Four Powers.
On the one hand, it causes the result of increasing the involvement variable of the dialogue between South and North Koreas and it is analyzed that it will affect the prolonged continuance of division of the Korean peninsula.
Chapter 6 describes the evaluation and future task of the foreign policy of North Korea toward the Four Powers in the post-cold war era and emphasizes the active diplomatic efforts of Korean government as the conclusion part. In conclusion North Korea shows the efforts to improve the relation to Japan and America which has been hostile and to recover the relation to China and Russia which was estranged from China and Russia and these are evaluated as the affirmative efforts to adapt itself to the changes of international environment. However, such efforts are not shown as visible results, these cannot be evaluated effective. If North Korea accelerates open-door policy and escapes from the previous closed diplomatic behaviors, its foreign policy toward the Four Powers will be helpful to settle its urgent problems. On the one hand, if the relation of North Korea to Japan and America is improved and the relation to China and Russia is newly established, the diplomatic position of Korean government may be weakened. Accordingly, to cope actively with such a change, Korean government must escape from the biased foreign policy to Japan and America and follow the changed international order by enhancing the relation to China and Russia.
It is hoped that this study will be helpful to understand a phase of the foreign policy of North Korea tow&d the Four Powers in the post-cold war era and it will be referred to establish the effective policy of Korean government to North Korea.
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