North Korean Unification Policy:
North Korea’s Strategic Culture and its Implications
Sachio Nakato
Ritsumeikan University
College of International Relations
Abstract
This paper regards the Juche Ideology as a main component of North Korea strategic culture and explores how the Juche ideology as strategic culture influences and forms North Korean unification policy strategies vis-a-vis South Korea. This paper assumes that North Korean strategic culture has been developed through geopolitical, historical and ideological factors in the context of the Juche ideology and it has articulated the basic attitude of foreign policy and policy choices. In the context of North Korean unification policy, the Juche ideology not only provides guiding principles for North Korean unification policy but also develops North Korean strategic culture, which has endured over time and had an impact on North Korean unification strategies. This paper also explores some policy implications for peace and stability in Northeast Asia with reference to the nuclear and unification issues.
Outline
Introduction
I. Juche as North Korea’s strategic culture
・Juche as geopolitical context, historical experience, and nationalist ideology
・North Korean strategic culture
II. North Korean unification policy and inter-Korean relations
・The Cold war period
・The Post Cold war period
III. Implications for Peace Building in Northeast Asia
・Changes and continuity
・Implications for peace and stability in Northeast Asia
Concluding remarks