Evolution of EU-DPRK Interactions: From Engagement to Stalemate
Park J.B. Spezza G. Bridges B.
June 2022Johns Hopkins University Press
Asian Perspective
2022#46Issue 3549 - 581 pp.
The article examines the European Union (EU)s policy toward and interactions with North Korea (DPRK) in order to answer the question, “To what extent, despite prima facie ruptures in the relationship, has the EU been engaged with the DPRK, which is conventionally understood as an unreliable state.” Although the EU is seemingly inactive in North Korean affairs, yet it is a powerful institution that can play a significant role in the peacemaking process in Asia including on the Korean peninsula. This article explores, firstly, how the EUs policy toward Asia has evolved historically; secondly, how far such an agenda and principles have been implemented in the North Korean context; and finally, the extent to which previous practices pave the way for the two parties to be included in the process of forming a kind of extended regional governance in future. A common view is that the EUs strategical/political motivation for getting involved in North Korean affairs is negligible due to a lack of economic interests to counterbalance high political risks. This article highlights that, contrary to the common understanding of its soft issue-focused approach to Asia, the EU has been persistently engaged in DPRK affairs, notwithstanding the significant structural barriers. This role underpins the EUs growing intention and potential to enhance interactions under the aegis of comprehensive security (third generation cooperation) covering the economic, social, cultural, and human security-focused aspects of the relationship.
aid , European Union , North Korea , security governance , shadow diplomacy , Six-Party Talks , trade
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The London School of Economics and Political Science (UK), Held academic positions at Lingnan University, Hong Kong
KIMEP University, Kazakhstan
Associated Research Fellow of ISDP’s Stockholm Korea Center and Visiting Research Fellow, ERINA, Economic Research Institute for Northeast Asia, Niigata, Japan
Lingnan University, Hong Kong
The London School of Economics and Political Science (UK)
KIMEP University
Associated Research Fellow of ISDP’s Stockholm Korea Center and Visiting Research Fellow
Lingnan University
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
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