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Book Launch of the "Reconstituting Korean Security: A Policy Primer"
22 December, 2008
A panel discussion of the UNU-ONY on security on the Korean peninsula took place on Tuesday, December 9, 2008. The discussion was based on the recent UNU Press publication "Reconstituting Korean Security: A Policy Primer".
Dr Hazel Smith, editor of the aforementioned book and the first speaker of the panel, emphasized that, when analyzing Korean security, it is imperative to consider the humanitarian issues that intersect traditional military matters. In her view, the conventional perspective fails to adequately comprehend the complexity and plurality of Korean security issues, distorting analysis of the situation through its "securitization lens". While nuclear disarmament understandably remains a central factor in any analysis of security on the peninsula, Dr Smith argues for the expansion of the analytical framework to include human security issues such as poverty, inequality, crime and health.
According to Dr Smith, the multiple actors involved ultimately share the common objectives of avoiding regional arms racing, obtaining durable regional stability and achieving a nuclear-free peninsula. Instruments of diplomacy, rather than being dismissed as tools of appeasement, should occupy the central role in achieving "multisectoral, multilevel and diachronic progress" in which successes in one area should not necessarily be contingent upon successes in others.
Ambassador Donald P. Gregg, former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and the second contributor to the discussion, heartily agreed. Sketching the historical context of international involvement in Korea, Ambassador Gregg provided insight into the complicated and often misguided American policy towards the peninsula. His interpretation of the divergent approaches of successive U.S. Presidents, in contrast to the relative consistency of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) leadership was particularly enlightening. Reiterating Dr Smith's optimism about the future of Korean security, Ambassador Gregg concluded by praising recent progress by the outgoing Administration and the policy indications of President-Elect Barack Obama.
A Senior Officer with the UN Department of Political Affairs, Mr Alexandre Ilitchev stressed that, when it comes to relations among the actors involved in Korean security, there is no alternative to multilateral diplomacy. He emphasized the importance of international contributions to diplomatic efforts to achieve denuclearization of the peninsula. Furthermore, Mr Ilitchev highlighted the political element as the common denominator behind the three intersecting areas of military, economic and food security, adding that the laudable work contained by the book Reconstituting Korean Security could have benefited from analysis of the UN influence on the situation.
The final contribution to the panel was offered by Mr John Kim, an NGO representative to the UN for the International Fellowship of Reconciliation. Mr Kim agreed with Dr Smith that the conventional focus on the nuclear weapon program and the human rights situation in North Korea should be enlarged to allow a better understanding of the Korean security dilemma. He discussed the way in which Korean security has been dealt with in the UN context, criticizing the general lack of objectivity and the politicization of debates.
In the question and answer session that followed the presentations, the discussion touched upon the issues of reunification, economic integration, the end goals of the Six-party talks, the role of China, the effectiveness of the international community's approach, the North Korean and South Korean leaderships, economic aid, human relations, as well as the likelihood of total denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. These issues highlighted the need for a multilateral approach that would reconcile solutions to the various concerns of the actors, thus enabling actions that would translate into solutions on the ground.
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Page last modified 2009.11.02.
