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Ha Young-sun's International Politics Columns 1991-2011
Two Decades of Turbulent International Politics
This book compiles columns and interviews published by Professor Ha Young-sun of Seoul National University's Department of Diplomacy and International Relations in major domestic daily newspapers and media outlets over the past two decades. The last twenty years have been a period of upheaval in international political history. The Berlin Wall fell, and the Cold War, which had divided the world for half a century and engaged in extreme ideological confrontation, came to an end. The world experienced ethnic conflicts and disputes in various regions, and tensions in the Middle East flared up. Amidst this, Europe took a significant step towards integration by forming a single currency area, presenting a creative model as a new historical experiment. The United States exercised its exclusive leadership as the sole superpower. In 2001, terrorism led by Osama bin Laden targeted the heart of America. After the 9/11 attacks, while focusing on the war on terror, the U.S. faced its largest financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 20th century, and its repercussions struck the global economy.
Two Decades of Turbulent Korean Diplomacy
Korean diplomacy could not have been peaceful during these two decades of global turbulence. While navigating numerous diplomatic challenges over the past twenty years, Korea has been solidifying its position as a key middle power playing a significant role on the world stage. During the two decades since the end of the Cold War, the Korean Peninsula has yet to escape the Cold War division. The mood of reconciliation following the end of the Cold War materialized in Korea's Northern Policy. Diplomatic relations were actively established with the Soviet Union, China, and other Eastern Bloc countries, and North Korea's simultaneous admission to the UN with South Korea was achieved. However, this was short-lived, as North Korea's nuclear development presented a persistent challenge without a clear resolution. Experiencing the anti-historical nature of the North Korean regime's third-generation succession following the deaths of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, and enduring the Cheonan sinking and the Yeonpyeong shelling incidents, the Korean Peninsula continues to face unresolved security anxieties and tensions. Looking at the surrounding geopolitical landscape, Korean diplomacy is at the center of a great vortex. The United States, experiencing relative decline after the global financial crisis; China, newly emerging; Japan, an economic power that once rivaled the U.S., now in decline; and Russia, which has begun to reassess the importance of the Far East, all surround the Korean Peninsula, characterized by tension and confrontation.
Utilizing America, Transformation, and Complex Network Diplomacy
Professor Ha Young-sun advocates for a clear-eyed assessment of the situation and thorough policy responses based on national interest and practical gains, rather than ideology and principles, in Korean diplomacy from the post-Cold War era to the present. The three key concepts for understanding international politics and Korean diplomacy over the past two decades are: Utilizing America (용미), which means leveraging the United States, a core great power in Korean diplomacy, not through pro-American or anti-American dichotomies; Transformation (변환), which entails moving beyond Cold War thinking, overcoming modernity, and formulating new strategies for the 21st century; and Complex Network Diplomacy (복합 그물망 외교), which involves exercising diplomatic capabilities across diverse actors and issue areas in international politics to create layered connections and integration.
Readers will find joy in understanding the history of the past twenty years and preparing for the next 100 years through the insights and perspectives of a leading international relations scholar of this era. Through a dialectical dialogue between the unresolved challenges of Korean diplomacy and the proud achievements Korea has made over the past century, we must exercise clear perception and new imagination to stand tall as protagonists of the new century.
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| Throughout the past twenty years, while writing 300 columns and 100 editorials, the phrase left by Park Gyu-su, who played a pivotal role in Korea's modernization policies and thought in the 19th century, has always remained in my heart and mind: “冷眼看時務 虛心讀古書” (Observe current affairs with a cool eye, read ancient books with an open mind). This is invaluable advice for anyone seeking to understand and engage in international politics. Current affairs and ancient books are complementary. One cannot truly understand current affairs without cultivating insight through ancient books, nor can one properly comprehend ancient books without knowledge of current affairs. Furthermore, a clear, unclouded eye is necessary to observe current affairs accurately, and an unbiased, open mind is essential for reading ancient books properly. Writing international politics columns for 20 years has served as a foundation for the birth of a complex international relations theory different from the past, and simultaneously, the newly established perspective has provided clues for newly approaching international politics and inter-Korean issues over the last two decades. The 20 years of international politics columns are not mere writing. They are historical records aiming to accurately read and convey the turbulent reality. The US-Soviet centered Cold War order is transforming into a US-China centered complex order faster than anticipated, yet North and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula are struggling to escape the Cold War order despite leadership changes. Meanwhile, anachronistic progressives and conservatives domestically are failing to keep pace with the rapid changes of the complex era, engaging in belated and tedious debates. The driving force behind continuing to write international politics columns for 20 years was the dream of finding a path of beautiful triple resonance (共進) among South-South, South-North, and US-China relations, and to begin by resolving at least the domestic South-South conflict. At the same time, just as Hwang Hyun's "Maechon Yarok," which recorded the reality of the Korean Peninsula in the 19th century in diary form, conveyed the contemporary reality from its own perspective and provided much help to us today, I wanted to leave a small historical record of the post-Cold War and complex twenty-year period for future readers. — From the Author's Foreword |
Table of Contents
Ha Young-sun's International Politics Columns 1991-2011 Vol. I
1991 - 2000
Ha Young-sun's International Politics Columns 1991-2011 Vol. II
2001 - 2011
For the convenience of readers, parts of the manuscript of this book are made public.
*This text is an AI translation of an original written in Korean. Some translations or nuances may be inaccurate.