5 research outputs found
The Implementing System of the Policy towards North Korea and Smart Power
This paper explores how the concept of smart power could be adapted
into the implementing system of the policy towards North Korea. Given the
unresolved nuclear situation with North Korea, it would be useful to
consider a new paradigmatic shift for the mid- and long-term policy towards
North Korea, with the concept of smart power that recently stemmed from
the United States. Although smart power denotes combination of the hard
power consisting of the military and economic strength with the soft power
based on culture, political value, and foreign policy, is not clear in
conceptualization. However, it is bringing attention to what we call the
attraction resources of South Korea, in the discussion for the policy towards
Pyongyang.
The North Korea policy could not be expected to be effective until it
takes North Korea, domestic and international society into account in its
implementation stage. Previously, the policy towards North Korea was
predominantly involved with hard power, that lacked interest in the efforts
by the government to incorporate various resources in the process of the
policy-making and policy-implementation. Smart power strategy focuses on
mobilizing attraction resources vis-a-vis North Korea, and on legitimizing the
policy-making and policy-implementation of North Korea policy. This paper argues the following four points in order to enhance the
implementing system of the policy towards North Korea in the context of
smart power. Firstly, government should improve the function of the control
tower in coordinating the policy-making process. Secondly, in order to
implement the smart power strategy in its policy, it needs to reform the
human and organizational institutions within the government. Thirdly, the
cooperating system between government and civil society should be elaborated.
Fourthly and lastly, it would be necessary to improve the civil societys
understanding of the North Korea problem and national reunification