Research Proposal on "South Korea: Multilateralism, Regionalism and Its Future"

Research Proposal 15 pages (4551 words) Sources: 4 Style: Chicago

[EXCERPT] . . . .

South Korea: Multilateralism, Regionalism and Its Future Political Outlook

The Korean Peninsula is frequently the provocateur for headlines in the global community, both for its proclivity toward tension and conflict and for its relative importance in its region and the world. Perhaps most problematically and tellingly captured by the Korean War that brought so many American, Soviet and Chinese forces and resources to the peninsula from 1950 to 1953, the two-state landmass remains today a focal point for many of the world's industrial powers. This is at least in part due to South Korea's great economic capability and a political orientation that has especially in the two decades to follow the Seoul Summer Olympics (1988), opened itself to the graces of the world community. Channeled most directly through its relationship with the United States, initiated by their alliance in the Korean War and cemented through phases of occupation, military installation and economic stimulation, South Korea would become one of the great and dynamic economies of the world, a genuine military power, a force of instrumental relevance to affairs in its region and a leader in free trade developments. All of that noted, its present is steeped in contentious regional relations and a great deal of uncertainty with respect to its future.

Past:

It should certainly be seen as scarcely surprising that the Korean Peninsula remains steeped in conflict. Indeed, it is a region that was outfitted according to its current model by a state of brutal war. The Korean War was, like so many conditions set in motion on the world stage in the latter part of the 20th century, a repercussion of the events leading up to and occurring during World War II. Occupied by the Japanese at this juncture, the peninsula exited the war in a diminished economic, infrastructural and educational state, leaving it subject to the interests of outside forces. The 38th Parallel became the logistical dividing line, north of which became a Soviet occupied territory and south of which became an American occupied territory. In the years to immediately follow the war, this dividing line would become a flashpoint in the emergent Cold War. The point of conflict over the form of governance between communism and democracy would take hold amongst the domestic populations, with tensions ultimately spilling over into outright conflict. In 1950, according to a primary source compiled by Evanhoe (2008) the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea Army (DPRK - North Korea) artillery and mortars open fire on Republic of Korea (ROK - South Korea) Army positions south of the 38th Parallel, the line then serving as the border between the two countries. The opening barrage is followed shortly by tank/infantry attacks at all points along the Parallel. At 11 a.m. North Korea announced a formal declaration of war and what is now known as 'The Korean War' officially began." (Evanhoe, 1)

The conflict would persist for three years, taking a terrible toll both on the Korean people as a whole and on the long-term relationship of the warring sides. Unique to the conflict in the Korean Peninsula, and a testament to the causal force of foreign occupation, the two sides would be characterized by no ethnic or, at least initially, ideological differences. However, the imposition of communism and democracy respectively would demand a commitment of the respective publics to conflicting ideologies.

So ingrained would these ideologies and their power-seats become in so short a period of time -- likely owing to Korea's long-standing subjugation by foreign occupiers -- that the war would settle nothing. At its resolution, no reunification could be resolved. According again to a primary source, on July 27th, 1953, "The United States, North Korea and China sign an armistice, which ends the war but fails to bring about a permanent peace." (Evanhoe, 6) By consequence, the two nations would develop along distinctly different, separate and counter-balancing paths. North Korea would take on the mantle of Soviet and Chinese totalitarianism, institutionalizing policies of oppression and strict governmental authoritarianism. By contrast, South Korea would develop into something modeled more closely after the democracies established in Japan and Western Europe. These differing paths would prevent any reconciliation between the sides, persisting to present date and defining for the larger part South Korea's regionalist disposition.

Indeed, "to date, the Republic of Korea (South) and Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (North) have not signed a peace treaty. North and South Korea did sign a non-aggression treaty in 1991." (Evanhoe, 6) Though both sides are guilty of detectable human rights violations, their differing paths would ultimately leaving North Korea more isolated and, thus, more prone to widespread abuses. This has deeply impacted its standing in the world community, leaving it prone to an orientation directly the opposite of South Korea's relative multilateral success outside of the Asian Pacific region.

Present:

With respect to its region, South Korea's present circumstances are both unique and precarious. As a neighbor to the secretive, isolated and embattled 'rogue state' to the north and, simultaneously, as a long-occupied ally of the imperial impulses of the United States, South Korea's record on political affiliation is mixed but rife with potential for improvement. Its relationship with the United States will be addressed more extensively as we come to speak more comparatively of its virtues and challenges. But first and foremost, it is acknowledged here that South Korea is imperfect, given over both to a democratic progressivism stimulated by its relationship to the west and to a simultaneous tension with its public over resentment toward the very same western allies.

This might best be highlighted by an incident occurring during the spring of 2008, which helps to denote the clear correlation between American interests and the South Korean public's interaction with its government. As we address this condition, we note that the two primary realities to emerge here do help to largely sum up the political challenges in South Korea. Contending both with the pressures of applying national security that is simultaneously effective and respectful to the rights of the individual citizen and with those relating to international economic trade relations, the government has attempted to find balance without ceding its authority. In April May of 2008, this would come to a head for the South Koreans, with issues of unilateral American corporate interest and national security coinciding.

As the Korean government renegotiated a trade pact with the U.S. concerning the importing of American beef -- in the midst of a global 'mad cow' scare -- the South Korean public expressed distress over the absence of proper protections against the spread and transmission of the potentially fatal bacterial disease. (AP, 1) The protests which spontaneously organized against the trade deal -- distinguished by its free trade principles of battering through obstructions to unfettered commercial interaction -- highlight the challenge to a nation which has in many ways defined its human rights stance based on international relations. In this instance, "South Koreans held a candlelight rally on Monday [May 26] against a beef import deal with the United States, following clashes that led to dozens of people being detained by police." (AP) The candlelight vigils, which would persist for more than two weeks, would suggest a South Korean public with a resentment toward American entitlements which might seem at times to undermine the entitlements of South Koreans themselves. The centrality of the unilateral relationship between South Korea and the U.S. is observably problematic to a nation with great economic prospects.

And even more than that, the incidences surrounding the vigils also highlighted a number of immediate human rights matters with which the South Korean government is currently contending. Particularly, the incidences would highlight the matter of protest and peaceable assembly, which would be subject to reports of oppression and abuse during this time. Accordingly, Amnesty International, the global human rights watchdog group, observed the protests and the law enforcement efforts to contain or curtail them. In a report which it released in October of 2008, it identified a series of disconcerting behaviors with respect to the policing of protests which helps to point to South Korea's current quandaries. Namely, Amnesty International reports that police were observed to engage in "unnecessary or excessive use of police force, including the misuse of police and security equipment during the protests; arbitrary arrest and detention; a lack of adequate training of the police; and a lack of police accountability." (Amnesty International, 1) All of these are conditions which, Amnesty International denotes, qualify as abuses of human rights and point to a need for improvement in these areas within the context of South Korea.

This reflects a general discontent in South Korea over what is proving to be an inherent byproduct of its increasing economic entanglements both globally and regionally. According to a press release submitted by the Human Rights Education Associates, South Korea has experienced waves of peaceful protest in recent years, stimulated by a sense amongst the public that South Korea's government has sought to insulate itself from… READ MORE

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