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The Korean Pivot and the Return of Great Power Politics in Northeast Asia

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The Korean Pivot and the Return of Great Power Politics in Northeast Asia AtlanticAtlantic Council Council MILLENNIUMMILLENNIUM LEADERSHIP LEADERSHIP PROGRAMPROGRAM THE KOREAN PIVOT AND THE RETURN OF GREAT POWER POLITICS IN NORTHEAST ASIA THE KOREAN PIVOT AND GREAT POWER POLITICS IN NORTHEAST ASIA SUNGTAE JACKY PARK THE KOREAN PIVOT AND THE RETURN OF GREAT POWER POLITICS IN NORTHEAST ASIA SUNGTAE JACKY PARK ISBN: 978-1-61977-978-5 Cover photo credit: Province of British Colombia/Flickr. A South Korean soldier and a US soldier stand guard at the Korean Demilitarized Zone between South Korea and North Korea. This report is written and published in accordance with the Atlantic Council Policy on Intellectual Independence. The author is solely responsible for its analysis and recommendations. The Atlantic Council and its donors do not determine, nor do they necessarily endorse or advocate for, any of this report’s conclusions. November 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS TENT Executive Summary 1 Introduction 3 Korea: A Shrimp among Whales 3 Future of the Two Koreas and Great Power Politics in Northeast Asia 5 The North Korean Collapse Scenario 8 Unified Korea: Where Europe’s Past Could Become Asia’s Future 11 Korea in US Foreign Policy: A Lynchpin of Peace and Security in the Asia-Pacific 12 A Comprehensive Strategy for Korea 14 Conclusion 18 About the Author 19 THE KOREAN PIVOT AND THE RETURN OF GREAT POWER POLITICS IN NORTHEAST ASIA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Korea has been a contested domain among great powers in surrounding North Korea’s future further adds to the Northeast Asia since antiquity. Today, as China reemerges, possibility that the Korean peninsula might turn into a Japan reenergizes, and the United States rebalances toward Asia, the competition over Korea will likely return and rapid change in Korea could trigger interventions by great become a critical issue among the contending powers. powers,sudden flashpoint which could in Northeastattempt to Asia. secure Serious their interestsinstability on or To explore the problem, this report will examine Korea’s the Korean peninsula in unpredictable ways as situations grand strategies toward great powers, discuss the future on the ground change rapidly. of the strategic dynamic on the Korean peninsula, explore the potential North Korean collapse scenario and its Therefore, the United States has an interest in formulating a strategy to reduce great power tension on the Korean the United States. peninsula over the long term. In addition, Washington implications, and finally offer policy recommendations for should seek to subvert the Kim regime at the grassroots Korea is a weak power surrounded by great powers. level and bring about regime change in Pyongyang. While To maintain its security and sovereignty, Korea has any North Korean collapse scenario is likely to be a historically aligned closely with dominant great powers in tumultuous affair, the United States cannot base its North Northeast Asia or has sought to manipulate and navigate Korea policy on the unrealistic premise that the regime, between them. For decades, North Korea has sought to pit great powers against each other while developing nuclear weapons to maximize its autonomy and status. South Korea aboutin its current “when” state, the collapse will remain should stable occur, indefinitely not “whether,” or will (also known as the Republic of Korea or ROK) has pursued becausemake significant the Kim reforms.regime’s Theeventual relevant collapse policy is questionlikely is more subtle strategies to maximize security and stability— inevitable. bandwagoning or hedging depending on circumstances. The full return of great power politics in East Asia could A NORTH KOREAN allow North Korea to better exploit the great power COLLAPSE WILL BE rivalries in the region and prevent the United States and the regional powers from cooperating to deal with Pyongyang. FAR MORE DANGEROUS Furthermore, South Korea’s strategy of hedging might become unsustainable, as pressure to choose between WHEN THE RELATIONSHIP China and the United States increases. In addition to the BETWEEN THE UNITED shifting dynamics on the Korean peninsula, there is also the possibility of the North Korean regime’s sudden demise. STATES AND ITS ALLIES The totalitarian nature of the Kim Jong-un regime AND CHINA WILL combined with its failed economic model means that the HAVE BECOME MORE system is likely to collapse at some point in the future. Moreover, North Korean society has been changing PRECARIOUS IN THE gradually since the famine of 1994–98 with the irreversible introduction of a pervasive black market economy and FUTURE. massive corruption. In the long run, one also cannot rule out the possibility of cracks emerging at the elite level, A North Korean collapse today might be safer and more given Kim Jong-un’s youth and lack of experience. manageable than it would be twenty years from now. A North Korean collapse will be far more dangerous If not carefully managed by the major stakeholders in when the relationship between the United States and its Northeast Asia, the North Korean regime’s demise and allies and China will have become more precarious in the future. As of now, the United States is still powerful consequences. Currently, the United States, China, Japan, enough in Northeast Asia to act as a stabilizer to allow the Russia,subsequent and Southunification Korea could agree have in principle potentially that destabilizing North major powers in the region to settle the Korean question Korea should be denuclearized, that there should be no diplomatically. In the future, the current favorable situation war on the Korean peninsula, and that an abrupt collapse might not exist. Moreover, a collapsing North Korea with of the Kim regime is undesirable. With North Korea’s far more developed nuclear and missile capabilities could demise, a point of consensus on the Korean peninsula crumble with a bang instead with a whimper. Long-term contestation over Korea once again. The element pose significant danger if the Kim regime decides to ofwould unpredictability suddenly disappear, and unintended leading toconsequences intensified regional outweigh the short-term costs. benefits from North Korea’s demise in the near future ATLANTIC COUNCIL 1 THE KOREAN PIVOT AND THE RETURN OF GREAT POWER POLITICS IN NORTHEAST ASIA The United States needs a comprehensive strategy toward 3. The United States needs to maintain strong, but Korea that places the country within the context of strictly bilateral alliances with Japan and South Northeast Asia’s great power politics. The strategy laid out Korea to bolster deterrence against North Korea, in this report consists of four elements. balance China, and manage the region’s numerous political and security issues. The United States 1. President Obama or the next president should should not pursue serious US-Japan-ROK trilateral rally Congress and the American public to increase security cooperation or a trilateral alliance the defense budget to at least 4 percent of the GDP because it would likely be dysfunctional while in order to bolster the rebalance to Asia and to overly antagonizing China. maintain stability and robust deterrence on the Korean peninsula. 4. The United States should convince China to discuss with all relevant parties (the United States, Japan, 2. The United States should have mid-level State Russia, and South Korea) and come to a rough Korea. At the same time, the United States for Northeast Asia’s geopolitical order, what role shouldDepartment seek toofficials subvert engage North in Korea talks andwith bring North Koreacompromise should on play what in the Korean arrangement, unification and means how about regime change by covertly facilitating the the parties involved should cooperate to achieve the desired outcome. the country to empower North Koreans at the grassrootsblack market level. flow of goods and information into 2 ATLANTIC COUNCIL THE KOREAN PIVOT AND THE RETURN OF GREAT POWER POLITICS IN NORTHEAST ASIA INTRODUCTION KOREA: A SHRIMP AMONG Situated at the heart of Northeast Asia, the Korean WHALES peninsula has historically been the pivot of contention An old proverb describing Korea’s unfortunate geopolitical whenever great power competitions emerged in the region. Chinese and Japanese political and military involvement in between whales.” Even today, the two Koreas are surrounded Korea goes back to antiquity; the Mongol invasion of Japan, position says that “a shrimp breaks its back in a fight the only invasion of Japan’s home islands before World War presence in Northeast Asia, China, and Japan respectively), II, came through Korea in 1274 and 1281; the second major andby the Russia, world’s which first, is second, still a great and militarythird largest power. economies To survive (US in between 1592 and 1598. During the modern era, three closely with dominant great powers in the region or has majorconflict wars, between the First China Sino-Japanese and Japan was War fought (1894–1895), in Korea soughtsuch a difficultto manipulate environment, and navigate Korea between has traditionally them in pursuitaligned the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), and the Korean of security and sovereignty. War (1950–1953), broke out over the status of Korea. As China reemerges, Japan reenergizes, and the United States During the pre-modern era, Korea, particularly during the Joseon period (1392–1897), accommodated and aligned the region, the Korean question will inevitably return. with China. The Sino-Korean relationship has always been rebalances to Asia to compete for influence and security in uneasy, but nominally acknowledging the China-centered Yet, compared to other Asia-related topics, discussions world order ensured Korea’s sovereignty and allowed the about the Korean peninsula’s place in Northeast Asia’s country to maintain its culture and identity. Nonetheless, great power politics are relatively few and far between Korea has not always been a pliant tributary state. Early in the Washington policy community. Debates on the Korean kingdoms often challenged and went to war with region’s great power relations almost always focus on the far more powerful Chinese dynasties and northern tribal United States, China, Japan, and occasionally Russia.
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