External Actors and Transitional Justice in a Reunified Korea

Abstract

As countries emerge from periods of authoritarianism and armed conflict, they face the often monumental task of engaging past human rights violations. Determining which transitional justice mechanisms—ranging from trials and truth commissions to amnesties, reparations, and the construction of monuments—to pursue and how to implement them are some of the most difficult choices domestic actors face in times of transition. Moreover, transitional justice choices can have significant ramifications for the future of society, ranging from avoiding renewed conflict and achieving reconciliation to strengthening the rule of law and consolidating democracy. Yet increasingly transitional justice is not solely a domestic process. International actors now play a sizeable role in shaping the trajectory of transitional justice processes in countries around the world, and societies are no longer able to come to terms with their own pasts without taking into account the interests of external actors. This external influence can take a variety of forms. In its most benign form, states may feel pressure to comply with international or regional norms, and, in turn, take a particular type of approach to transitional justice. In other cases, international actors provide important support, including advice, expertise, funding, and technical assistance for domestic transitional justice efforts. Yet in some cases, external actors take control of transitional justice efforts directly, by operating mechanisms themselves, blocking the pursuit of specific transitional justice efforts, or applying coercive pressure to force states to pursue specific mechanisms.