Confidence-Building Measures and a Peace Regime on the
III. Direction of Establishing Peace on the Korean Peninsula through Confidence-Building
3. Establishing a Peace Regime on the Korean Peninsula According to Denuclearization and Confidence-Building
In the case of pursuing inter-Korean trust, there are ways to carry out rudimentary confidence-building measures by linking the provision of economic aid, economic cooperative projects, and the provision of loans. For example, South Korea can utilize a part of the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund or form a separate North Korean loan fund and provide loans to North Korea. Also, depending on the degree of trust built between South and North Korea, military trust building can be linked to cooperative projects that construct North Korea’s infrastruc- ture, including electricity, transportation, and communication.
3. Establishing a Peace Regime on the Korean Peninsula
forum may be, the initiative of both South and North Korea must be respected. Based on this principle, the two Koreas must lead the res- olution of the problem on the peninsula, and the international com- munity must fulfill the role of supporting and cooperating with the two Koreas. This principle also implies that it excludes the influence of neighboring states that compete for the upper hand in the affairs of the Korean Peninsula. Moreover, it will block the interference of neigh- boring states during the process of and after unification. The principle is an elucidation of the right to self-determination in resolving prob- lems concerning the Korean Peninsula, which is necessary to recover national dignity damaged due to division and inter-Korean conflict.
In order to attain North Korea’s consent to the principle, South Korea should persuade North Korea that establishing peace will not be realistically possible without South and North Korea’s agreement. It should be made clear to North Korea that establishing peace is fun- damentally a problem between South and North Korea, and that the role of neighboring countries, including the United States, should be limited to that of assuring peace. South Korea should remind North Korea that only after the autonomy principle of South and North Korea is respected can inter-Korean leadership in the construction of a Korean Peninsula economic community and inter-Korean eco- nomic cooperation have meaning.
Second, the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Penin- sula should be promoted at multiple levels. Conditions to estab- lish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula should be created by inter-Korean military talks, and measures to control arms in South and North Korea should be discussed. In addition, the Korean Pen- insula peace forum should discuss the means to manage the peace
regime, the contents, and the methods to implement the peace treaty.
The Six-Party Talks should discuss how the international commu- nity will guarantee a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
Third, it is desirable to maintain a flexible position toward the method of establishing a peace regime and the measures to control the peace. There are several measures regarding the specific methods of establishing a peace regime, signing the peace treaty, and creating measures for assurances. It is desirable to adopt an open position that allows for plausible alternatives among several methods and takes into consideration the positions of interest states, the corre- sponding effectiveness and the like.12
Fourth, establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula should be done in parallel with arms control. North Korea’s stance is that arms control should first take place in order to eliminate elements that threaten peace on the Korean Peninsula. However, without specific plans to establish a peace regime and set up measures to manage the peace, North Korea’s stance is unrealistic. Therefore, it is desirable to discuss the basic structure of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and arms control at the same time.
IV. Conclusion
It has been over 60 years since the armistice, yet unstable peace
12 For various measures such as the formation, methods, and assurance plans in establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, refer to Jong-Chul Park,
“Denuclearization and Establishing a Peace Regime on the Korean Peninsula [in Korean],” South Korea and International Politics, vol. 22, no. 1 (Spring 2006), pp.
118~134.
persists amid the malfunctioning armistice system. Moreover, with North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons, the security con- dition on the Korean Peninsula has changed qualitatively. The Kim Jong-un regime stipulates in its constitution that North Korea is a nuclear power and has officially adopted a national strategy of simultaneously developing its economy and nuclear weapons.
In this situation, the Park Geun-hye administration pursues the dif- ficult task of carrying out the trust-building process on the pen- insula, normalizing inter-Korean relations, and establishing peace.
Considering the security circumstance on the Korean Peninsula and North Korea’s position, it will take much effort and time to establish peace and trust on the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, it is desirable to build trust on the Korean Peninsula and establish peace through a gradual process. First, peace should be maintained by deterring North Korea and setting up national security. Then, an environment for peace must be made through measures to build military trust.
Afterward, in accordance with the degree of trust-building and the progress of denuclearization, measures must be sought to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
The trust-building process on the Korean Peninsula, the peace pro- cess on the Korean Peninsula, and the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative are all interconnected. Normalization of inter-Korean relations, one of the tasks of the trust-building process, is related to denuclearization and establishing peace. In order for inter-Korean relations to improve qualitatively, denuclearization and establishing peace are necessary. The denuclearization and peace pro- cess will create an environment to improve inter-Korean relations. In addition, the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative will
not only cultivate an environment that can develop inter-Korean relations but will also create the circumstances needed for denucle- arization and establishing peace. Therefore, it is necessary to devise a comprehensive strategy that can link the trust-building process on the Korean Peninsula, the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, and the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative.
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