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North-South Economic Cooperation Strategy for Coevolution: A Joint Consideration by Conservatives and Progressives
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| "North Korea's changes must be intertwined with our own changes. Only then will they be meaningful and can they promote North Korea's transformation. If we demand changes from North Korea without changing ourselves, it will be difficult to achieve results. This applies not only between North and South Korea but also between conservatives and progressives. Scholars must continuously evolve their perspectives on North Korea and inter-Korean economic cooperation through meticulous research on North Korea's changing policies and realities, the international environment surrounding North Korea, and the changes in our own North Korea policy." — From the Preface |
Coevolution
This study is grounded in the perspective of coevolution. Coevolution, originally a biological term, refers to the process where multiple species influence each other as they evolve. For instance, moths evolved to increase the sensitivity of their auditory cells to avoid predation by bats, and bats, in response, evolved to emit ultrasonic waves in various forms. This applies not only to predator-prey relationships but also to cooperative ones. Plants and animals have coevolved according to each other's evolution, and minerals and organisms have also coevolved. Similarly, North Korea's changes must be intertwined with our own changes. Only then will they be meaningful and can they promote North Korea's transformation. If we demand changes from North Korea without changing ourselves, it will be difficult to achieve results.
This applies not only between North and South Korea but also between conservatives and progressives. Scholars must continuously evolve their perspectives on North Korea and inter-Korean economic cooperation through meticulous research on North Korea's changing policies and realities, the international environment surrounding North Korea, and the changes in our own North Korea policy. Furthermore, in this process, coevolution must be fostered between conservative and progressive camps. The research team participating in this project shared a consensus on coevolution and actually experienced it through discussions and joint writing. The reason for including the modifier 'coevolution' in the book's title lies precisely here.
Beyond Conservatism and Progressivism
The most significant contribution of this study is that conservatives and progressives gathered together to contemplate the present and future of inter-Korean economic cooperation. We believe that organizing what we can agree upon and what we cannot agree upon for each sub-topic is also a meaningful endeavor. Therefore, it is expected to serve as a reference for policymakers related to inter-Korean economic cooperation, as well as for scholars, and can also be utilized as textbook material for students studying the North Korean economy and inter-Korean economic cooperation.
Moreover, the fact that this research is the first of its kind is another significant aspect of this study. While there have been cases of books that combine conservative and progressive perspectives, they were either about the necessity of integrating conservative and progressive views, or, even if multiple researchers participated, they discussed grand theories such as distribution strategies, political reform, or overall North Korea policy, or explored the historical and philosophical origins of conservatism and progressivism, making them qualitatively different from the current study. In other words, while previous studies covered broad areas and merely listed the thoughts of conservatives and progressives on each topic, this study focuses on the specific subject of inter-Korean economic cooperation, clearly delineating differences in viewpoints while simultaneously seeking alternatives on which both camps can agree, thereby establishing its distinctiveness.
《North-South Economic Cooperation Strategy for Coevolution》is broadly divided into three parts. The first part covers the 'Basic Perspective' within a broad framework, such as the strategy and vision for inter-Korean economic cooperation or an evaluation of inter-Korean economic cooperation by past governments. The second part addresses 'Principles and Direction,' such as the issue of reciprocity. The third part deals with 'Individual Projects,' such as the evaluation and implementation plan for the Kaesong Industrial Complex project. It is further composed of 16 sub-topics that require discussion for each subject.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I: Basic Perspective
Chapter 1: Strategy and Vision for Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation
Chapter 2: North Korea's Economic Strategy and Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation
Chapter 3: Evaluation of Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation
Part II: Principles and Direction
Chapter 4: Separation of Politics and Economics
Chapter 5: Reciprocity
Chapter 6: International Cooperation
Chapter 7: Institutional Improvement
Part III: Individual Projects
Chapter 8: Humanitarian Aid
Chapter 9: Kaesong Industrial Complex
Chapter 10: Geumgangsan Tourism
Chapter 11: Implementation of the October 4th Declaration Agreements
Chapter 12: Inter-Korean-Russian Gas Pipeline Connection Project
Chapter 13: Infrastructure Construction
Chapter 14: Special Economic Zones
Chapter 15: Development Cooperation
Chapter 16: Mineral Resource Development
Expert Roundtable
Appendix
A portion of the manuscript is released for the convenience of our readers.
*This text is an AI translation of an original written in Korean. Some translations or nuances may be inaccurate.