Introduction: Towards a Northeast Asian Security Community and the Role of North Korean Negotiation Tactics

Abstract

The spectacular rise of the South Korean economy in the past half century has been duly highlighted as one of the most successful cases of economic development worldwide. The rise of the hard-hit Korean economy after the crisis of 1997/1998, and its resilience in the current economic crisis that started in 2008, have added to the well-deserved admiration for the “miracle on the Han river.” However, among the factors curbing South Korea’s economic growth perspectives has been, from the very beginning of its rise, the coexistence of the difficult brother, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“North Korea”). While during the Cold War this coexistence had to be accepted as inevitable, after the end of the Cold War, there were hopes this obstacle to further growth could be overcome, either through the collapse and absorption of North Korea into South Korea, or through enhanced cooperation with North Korea, which would gradually decrease its threat potential and support peaceful relations.