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Northeast Asia Peace Initiative
T. Nakano: A Grand Design for Northeast Asia: Multilateral Cooperation and Physical Integration
May 29, 2005
Northeast Asia holds enormous potential for both dispute and development. The continuing uncertainty associated with the past 100 years of colonialism in Northeast Asia and the remnants of the cold war may create tensions and lead to some conflicts in the region. But regional development equaling that of the European Union or NAFTA is also a possibility if the region’s capital, technology, labor force and natural resources are used to complement each other to create a mechanism for multilateral cooperation.
D. Bayarkhuu: Mongolian Perspectives on the Korean Peninsula
May 29, 2005
Mongolia's foreign policy towards Northeast Asia can be depicted at two levels: bilateral and regional. At the bilateral level, Mongolia has been concerned with specific gains in relations with individual countries like Russia, China, Japan, U.S. and South Korea for economic and security benefits. After more than a decade Mongolia has accomplished a lot in its bilateral relations with the countries of Northeast Asia.
A. Lukin: Multilateral Cooperation in Northeast Asia and Prospects for Regional Community
May 29, 2005
Most Northeast Asian countries pursue highly pragmatic policies in the sphere of economic interactions which makes possible major multilateral projects, above all in such fields as energy and transportation. Russia is well placed to play a key role in implementing these projects which gives her a chance to raise her profile in the region and to encourage development of her Far Eastern territories.
H.S. Park: Cooperation in International Education in Northeast Asia
May 29, 2005
In the era of globalization and information, the world expects universities to effectively adapt to changing educational, societal and international environments. The world needs a new generation of work force and young leaders who are equipped to global standards with necessary skills and knowledge. At the same time, the world also needs to overcome through education the sources of hostilities, conflicts and tensions by reducing distrust and misunderstanding among different people, nations and religions.
A. Nikitin: Consequences for International Security of North Korea's Nuclear Program
May 29, 2005
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK/North Korea) gave notice on January 10, 2003, of withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. That same year was marked by a coalition of Western countries led by the United States using force against Iraq aimed at a political regime change. Thus, Washington illustrated what could happen to countries that try to obtain nuclear weapons for deterrence.
V. Petrovsky: The Helsinki Process Experience as a Model for Northeast Asia
May 29, 2005
The Helsinki process, culminating in the Helsinki Act, had led to the European détente, followed by the transformation of the bipolar system of international relations into the multi-polar (or post-bipolar) one. The application of the comprehensive security principles and practices to the Korean settlement (including the Six-Party Talks) could generate a durable and effective solution of the Korean problem, with Korean unification as a final goal. It could also result in the creation of a multilateral system of security and cooperation in Northeast Asia.
M.P. Barry: Background and Perspectives on the 1945 Division of Korea
May 29, 2005
As Allied victory gradually became more certain during World War II, the plight of Korea slowly came to be addressed by the West. By 1943, the Franklin Roosevelt administration advocated international trusteeship for postwar Korea to protect the interests of the nations directly concerned with the peninsula and forestall potential conflict. It was thought a neutral Korea would best serve peace and stability in Asia and require Soviet-Chinese consent.
X. Jiang: Chinese Perspectives on the Changed Political and Security Situation in Northeast Asia
May 29, 2005
The primary characteristic of the changed Asia-Pacific situation is a strengthened U.S. political and security influence in Northeast Asia.
Y.I. Kim: Could the Reunification of Korea Begin in Japan?
February 1, 2005
The division among Koreans living in Japan is a result of the division of the nation itself, and therefore harmony among them would be the model for the unification of the fatherland. The home nation is divided by a national boundary, but the Koreans in Japan are divided even though there is no boundary separating them. They are free to meet and hold dialogues if they choose to do so. That is why if they could come together in harmony they would show the possibility that their home nation could also break down the national boundary and unite.
E.S. Yang: Energy Requirements of North Korea: Cooperative Strategies for the Two Koreas
August 1, 2004
The world envisages a new paradigm in meeting energy requirements, because many countries around the world have experienced structural changes in the political and economic environment. Especially, with the advent of the Euro community, the world economy faces a new kind of regionalism, characterized by openness in national boundaries and densely inter-connected market expansion to a regional bloc.
Y.H. Park: Inter-Korean Relations: Current State and Tasks Ahead
August 1, 2004
Since the first inter-Korean summit held in June 2000, South and North Korea have expanded mutual contacts and exchanges. The two Koreas have been developing inter-Korean relations of reconciliation and cooperation on a practical level. In other words, Seoul and Pyongyang have begun a process to end the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula by establishing a stable peace structure and ‘real’ talks for improving inter-Korean relations toward the long-term goal of unification.
S.W. Nam: Food Shortages in North Korea
August 1, 2004
The agricultural sector in North Korea has never been able to supply enough food to satisfy the domestic market. In the 1970s and 1980s, Kim Il-sung set a goal of producing 10 million tons of grain a year, but it is unlikely that more than 8 million tons were produced. Grain production fell to 4 to 5 million tons in the 1990s, and after severe floods destroyed much of the crops and land in 1995, production fell to 2 to 3 million tons. North Korea will suffer from a lack of food for the foreseeable future unless urgent countermeasures are taken.
M. Hayashi: The Unification of the Two Koreas and an East Asian Union
July 28, 2004
Many present democracies in Asia including South Korea and Taiwan have gone through the stage of an authoritarian political system until their countries matured sufficiently to adopt a full-fledged western-style democracy. The Kim Jong-il regime might be a necessary evil in the process of a soft landing. We hear that he is a flexible and pragmatic man, and with proper guidance and aid from outside he may become a valuable instrument for the soft landing of North Korea.
K.H. Lee: The Frozen North Is Thawing
October 1, 2003
For several weeks beginning in September, 2003, groups of South Korean tourists flew directly from South to North Korea for five-day visits. These were first South Koreans to visit Pyongyang purely for the purpose of tourism. For many — especially those whose homeland is the northern half of the peninsula — this was not an ordinary vacation.
S.N. Cho: Sowing Seeds in the Spring
May 1, 2002
North Koreans are very ideologically oriented, strong in morals and ethics. But the problem is they do not have a lot to eat and wear. Once they solve these basic needs they will gain self confidence. When you are hungry you can still say that you are full, but ultimately you cannot hide your suffering face. For this reason, the North Korean authorities do not really look forward to the family reunions that are from time to time being arranged between families separated between North and South, because of the difference in appearance between the North and South Koreans.
Performing Arts Troupe from Pyongyang Performs in Seoul
May 29, 2000
When I saw the Pyongyang Children and Students Performing Arts Troupe, the notion that the people of the North and South are ideological enemies seemed to dissipate like smoke. And it was a group of young children who had shown us grown-ups the truth.
Little Angels Korean Folk Ballet Performs in Pyongyang
May 3, 1998
Pyongyang, North Korea - On May 2, 1998, the Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea arrived in Pyongyang via a special charter flight. The largest group in the history of north-south exchanges to date was invited by the North Korea’s Asia Pacific Peace Committee and met at their airport by their Northern counterparts. The young musicians and dancers took each others’ hands, bonding like old friends without even asking each others’ name.