North Korea’s response to the trust-building process on the Korean peninsula and future tasks

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe Park Geun-hye administration in South Korea indicates that the engagement policy towards North Korea lacked reciprocity in terms of inter-Korean relations even if it emphasized inter-Korean cooperation. On the other hand, South Korea’s hard-line policy towards the North lacked policy flexibility. Therefore, the Park Geun-hye administration recognizes that unstable inter-Korean relations have stemmed from mutual distrust. Therefore, as a solution to the issue of the Korean peninsula from a long-term perspective, the South Korean government has pursued a trust-building policy between the two Koreas and expects to create a different environment.The purpose of this paper is to analyse how this trust-building policy between the two Koreas has been implemented and how North Korea has reacted to the new South Korean policy towards them. The goal of this analysis is to infer specific strategies or alternatives to achieving better inter-Korean relations. This study looks at South and North Koreas’ policies towards each other and mutual perceptions based on the policy analyses. With a focus on issues and circumstances in inter-Korean relations since the inauguration of the Park Geun-hye administration, we attempt to identify implementation tasks relevant to the Park administration’s policy towards North Korea and contribute to better inter-Korean relations.