New approaches to North Korean politics after reunification:the search for a common Korean identity

Whilst most of the literature focusing on the Korean peninsula has concentrated on how to achieve unification through confidence-building measures, dialogues, negotiation and diplomacy, little attention has been paid to how a unified Korean identity, a core component of any potential reunification scheme could develop and be sustained. The paper addresses this gap by: (1) defining what national identity is, and how Korean identities have been formed, (2) outlining how both South and North Korea have understood and used the concept of national identity, (3) suggesting possible grounds on which the two Koreas could build a new, common national identity

Threading on thin ice? Conflict dynamics on the Korean Peninsula

In 2018, both the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their separate governments. This is a sad reminder that much remains frozen on the Korean Peninsula. For one, families have been separated and communication channels between the two Korean populations are almost non-existent. Yet, stability is precariously established by an Armistice that was signed in 1953 and that was never replaced by a permanent peace mechanism. Moreover, North Korea’s rapid nuclear development has contributed to tensions and uncertainties, and the Six-Party Talks, originally designed to ensure the denuclearisation of the peninsula, has been at a standstill for almost 10 years. The Korean story is thus a prime case to study the dynamics of a frozen conflict and this article contributes to the existing literature and analysis of frozen conflicts by suggesting looking at peaceful and violent thawing, as well as conflict withering. In order to so, the paper focuses on three crucial levels: (1) the micro level, the impact of the Armistice in light of today’s Koreas as opposed to their status and standing at the end of the Korean War in 1953, (2) the meso level with geostrategic concerns concentrated over sectorial policies surrounding the Korean Peninsula in a globalised world, and (3) the macro level with the changing nature of security governance. It is argued that in a catch-22 motion, the thread of violent thawing maintains the conflict in its frozen state

From Balancing to Bandwagoning: Evaluating the Impact of the Sanction Regime on North Korea–Africa Relationships

Purpose—The DPRK has maintained an extensive array of foreign relationships over the past decades, both for political and economic gains. This article evaluates the impact of the current sanction regime on the DPRK’s activities with African countries. Design/Methodology/Approach—The analysis is conducted by using a bespoke behavior framework based on Stephen Walt’s “balance of threat” theory. This framework develops the concepts of balancing, defensive bandwagoning, and opportunistic bandwagoning as potential behaviors of African states following the imposition of United Nations Security Council Resolutions to sanction North Korea from 2006 until 2017. Findings—Evidence suggests that some long- standing relationships based on military and economic cooperation have been severed in recent years; thus, it supports a general balancing behavior. Findings also suggest that a specific group of countries subscribe to new opportunistic and defensive bandwagoning by embarking on talks and partnerships in the fields of health and science, regardless of the sanction regime, signaling defiance against Western- led world order

Failure to relaunch? The United States, nuclear North Korea, and the future of the six-party talks

During the past twenty years, Washington has oscillated between tentative engagement with Pyongyang under the Clinton administration and isolation and multilateralism under the Bush administration. With the Obama administration almost nearing its four-year tenure, the Six-Party Talks have stalled and North Korea's multiple attacks on the South in 2010 have created new instabilities. Why so little results despite promises of a radical departure away from the Axis of Evil rhetoric and hard-line politics? This paper suggests that the Obama administration has utilized approaches that no longer fit current circumstances and hence failed to create an original, coherent and effective foreign policy

Uncovering North Korea's energy security dilemma:past policies, present choices, future opportunities

Over the past two decades, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has allegedly developed nuclear energy while suffering near collapse caused by catastrophic economic policies. This article presents an evaluation of North Korea's contemporary energy policies and suggests that despite retaining communist ideals and "Chu'che" policies, North Korea has slowly started to modernise its energy sector and recognises the necessity to start engaging with the international community. While it is argued that Pyongyang's newfound concerns for sustainable development, equity and the environment are a welcomed departure from its usual belligerent rhetoric and present a number of exciting engagement opportunities, the regime has not abandoned its nuclear energy programme

Carrots and sticks:The construction of an American foreign policy toward North Korea

The United States' involvement on the Korean peninsula has always oscillated between extremes, especially when dealing with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Washington has used a variety of policies ranging from engagement to threats in order to try to steer North Korea out of a seemingly roguish path. Some argue that American sanctions have been rather ineffective at pressuring Kim Jong-il's dictatorship since both China and South Korea have been helping North Korea financially, thus largely offsetting the sanctions' effects. However, others have stated that in order for an agreement to be reached, Pyongyang would have to receive assurance that its regime would not be toppled. Therefore, a review of American foreign policy actions toward North Korea will provide instruction on how to deal with a nuclear North Korea, especially in light of the 2008 American Presidential election

Hard, soft, smart? North Korea and power:it’s all relative

North Korea is notable for its isolation, yet the Korean Central News Agency’s daily editions are filled with articles outlining international admiration for Pyongyang and its leader. Is Pyongyang actively promoting soft power as an integral part of not only its survival, but its development strategy? While scholarship on North Korea tends to focus on Pyongyang’s “high profile” relations with China or Russia (Shambaugh 2003, McCormack 2004, Wu 2005) or with nations seeking to cooperate on weapons of mass destruction (Henriksen 2001), little attention has been paid to how the DPRK engages in seemingly peaceful ways with the world. This article examines the notion of hard, soft, smart and other power declensions, and applies a soft-power framework to investigate DPRK rhetoric and the development of partnerships with both states and non-state actors. It suggests that the DPRK has long pursued a strategy of diplomatic diversification, which includes a more sophisticated understanding of power than previously considered in the literature

Resonances and Synchronization in Two Coupled Oscillators with Stick-Slip Vibrations and Spring Pendulums

We study the dynamical behavior of a system of two coupled mechanical oscillators with spring pendulums and driven by a stick-slip induced vibrations. Each of the oscillator consists of the body placed onto a moving belt/foundation, mechanical coupling associated with the body load pressed the belt depending on the body movement as well as suspended spring pendulum. In addition, the influence of the presence of additional electric/electromagnetic forces acting on the pendulums are analyzed. Different kinds of resonance behavior can be found in the studied system, even if it is simplified to a single degree-of-freedom system. As a result, due to many degrees-of-freedom and strong nonlinearity and discontinuity of the considered system, novel nonlinear dynamical phenomena occur, both near and beyond to the resonance. The motion analysis for different cases is carried out by employing standard numerical methods dedicated for nonlinear systems, including both qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as original animations of the system dynamics created in Mathematica. Understanding the role of coupling, transition between fixed points and energy transition in the considered system can be potentially applied in other similar systems, especially in real electro-mechanical systems, power system or in structural engineering

On the Controlling of Multi-Legged Walking Robots on Stable and Unstable Ground

In this chapter, we developed and investigated numerically a general kinematic model of a multi-legged hybrid robot equipped with a crab-like and/or mammal-like legs. To drive the robot’s limbs, a novel generator of gait was employed and tested. The simulation model developed in Mathematica is suitable for virtual study and visualization of the locomotion process. In contrast to our previous papers, in this study we focused especially on precise control of the position of the robot during walking in different directions. In our study we were able to simultaneously control all six spatial degrees of freedom of the robot’s body, as well as all the robot’s legs. Therefore, the investigated robot can be considered and used as a fully controlled walking Stewart platform. What is more, the used algorithm can also be successfully employed to coordinate and control all limbs of the robot on unstable or vibrating ground. As an example, it can be used to stabilize spatial position of the robot when the supporting ground becomes vibrating or unstable, and it will keep the robot stable and prevent it from falling over. Eventually, the developed simulation algorithms can be relatively simply adopted to control real constructions of different multi-legged robots

A future, but at what cost? Cuba and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s quest for sustainable development

This paper looks at the question of development by focusing on both Cuba and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. At the heart of the project is the notion of sustainability, and how to achieve well-being even in the most challenging conditions, isolated economies, and sanction-laden realities. This is done by tracing both countries’ engagement and development in the fields of health and education. We suggest that political engagement with these countries should be prioritised, without challenging an established political order but with its consent, and with the hope that future generations are socialized to a culture of openness