북극의 관리체제와 국제기구 : 북극이사회(Arctic Council)를 중심으로

Abstract

There is increasing consensus that global warming is seriously affecting the Arctic region. Sea Ice decreases and sea level rise have led to environmental change in Arctic Ecosystems, while also making the Arctic sea route more accessible to humans. There are complicated international governance dynamics in play, in addition to commercial and scientific interests in the Arctic region. This provides a unique opportunity for Korea to lead the future direction of Arctic policy in response to the global issues such as climate change and economic or scientific interests. Korea acquired Ad-hoc Observer status of the Arctic Council(AC) in 2008, which is the only pan-Arctic intergovernmental organization. It consists of six working groups: ACAP, AMAP, CAFF, PAME, EPPR, SDWG that implement research, survey, and monitoring. AC's Observer country has the opportunity to participate in a diverse range of activities such technical and expertise support, research and monitoring, financial support and conference organization. In order for Korea to expand its activities in the Arctic region, we suggest the following approach: First, Korea should become more actively engaged with the Arctic Council and its activities; Second, Korea should construct organized collaborative networks of national experts to respond to Arctic issues; Third, Korea should develop collaborations with Arctic states; Finally, Korea should intensify its research on international relations and international laws related to the Arctic region.