Progress and Obstacles
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MULTI-DIMENSIONAL SECURITY COOPERATION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND SOUTH KOREA: PROGRESS AND OBSTACLES Se Hyun Ahn London School of Economics and Political Science Department of International Relations A thesis submitted to the University of London for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations 2006 UMI Number: U213461 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U213461 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 F £5 ibU I o S ’ 3 3 q. Abstract This thesis explores the progress in, and the obstacles obstructing, the building of comprehensive security between Russia and South Korea since diplomatic relations were established in 1991. It focuses on oil and natural gas projects, linking the Trans-Siberian and Trans-Korean Railroads, industrial development in the Nakhodka Free Economic Zone, fishery cooperation, and the arms trade, and examines whether these five aspects of cooperation serve to contribute to building Russian-South Korean bilateral and regional economic security. The study pays particular attention to three aspects of security: definitions of economic, comprehensive and regional economic security, the security building process between states, and security threats. The thesis argues that in order to establish a favourable bilateral and regional economic security environment, bilateral and multilateral cooperation is essential because it generates trust and confidence between nation states. Although Russia and South Korea have emphasized both traditional and non- traditional security cooperation, the focus of the security building process has gradually changed from traditional military and strategic concerns to non-traditional economic . dimensions. The two countries have been engaged in enhancing bilateral and regional economic security in the regions of the Russian Far East and the Korean peninsula since 1991. The thesis argues that energy, transport networks, the Free Economic Zone project, fishery cooperation, and the arms trade all have the potential to enhance comprehensive bilateral security and further regional economic security in Northeast Asia. However, Russian-South Korean economic cooperation has been hampered by a number of obstacles, including domestic factors on both sides, and external factors such as the unresolved North Korean nuclear issue. In each of the five projects studied, the obstacles have been greater than the progress that has been made. In sum, the obstacles have prevented Russia and South Korea from fulfilling their potential for creating a cooperative comprehensive security relationship. 2 Acknowledgements No dissertation writer ever completed a thesis on his own, and many individuals deserve and rightfully share the credit for my having completed this one. Listing them here insufficiently acknowledges the gratitude that I feel. First and foremost, I would like to thank Professor Margot Light for her excellent supervision, dedication, advice, support, guidance, extraordinary patience, and uncommon generosity. I have been unusually fortunate to study under her direction. She has the remarkable ability to bring clarity to cluttered argument no matter what the topic, and this dissertation has greatly benefited from her thoughtful counsel and attention to detail. She has been extraordinarily supportive and encouraging over the past four years. Without her help, completion of this dissertation would have been impossible. I have met so many professors and great people in my life, and she deserves the highest respect both as a superb academician and as the warmest and the most generous human being that I have ever met in my life. I am also thankful to Dr. Keun-Wook Paik from Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, who has been exceptionally generous with his time in reading draft chapters, identifying source materials, and suggesting improvements, especially on the energy chapter. He continually interrupted his personal and scholarly pursuits to make certain I had access to a wide variety of sources in this matter. Professor Seung-Hwan Kim from MyongJi University and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, Professor Sung Deuk Hahm from Korea University, and Professor Kwang Ho Jung from Seoul National University have also been an invaluable source of strength to me personally. They have my gratitude for their lifelong encouragement and affection. I was always able to tap their excess energy and enthusiasm when my own tank needed refilling. I am also indebted to the Kwanjeong Educational Foundation, Seoul Korea, particularly President Chung Su Lee, and the International Relations Department of LSE for financing part of my studies at LSE. I am grateful to representatives of many organizations for agreeing to my requests for interviews, information, or offering invaluable suggestions: Dr. Trevor Gunn, Director of Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS) at the United States Department of Commerce International Trade Administration, Washington DC, Mr. Chang Ki Wook, my friend from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fishery, Seoul, Korea, Mr. Chung Yun, Special Assistant for Defence Policy, Office of Assemblyman Hwang Jin Ha, Republic of Korea National Assembly, Ms. Natasza Nazet and Ms. Asa Blomstrom, Project Secretary for Arms Transfers, Arms Production and Military Expenditure from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Mr. Alan McCavana, Export Manager from the Sakhalin Energy Investment Corporation, Dr. Sang Sun Shim from the Ministry of National Defence, Seoul, Korea, Mr. Jin Hyun Lee from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Jin Bae Hong, Director at the Ministry of Information and Communication, Seoul, Korea, Mr. Shoichi Itoh from Economic Research Institute for Northeast Asia (ERINA), Japan and Jong Kyu Seo from the Korea Energy Economics Institute. My friends and colleagues also helped to inspire me along the tortuous route to this project’s conclusion. I thank Joon Ho Byun, Hyun Seok Chang, Hyung Kyu Chey, Choong II Choi, Stacy Closson, Sung Soo Hong, Ki Sik Hwang, Yu Min Kim, Professor Wang Whi Lee, Dr. Dae Won Ohn, Jeong Won Park, Daniela Passolt, and Jong Hyun Yi for their cheerful encouragement and constant companionship. I also thank Gisela Mclvor for proofreading my thesis, and Mei-Ling Chen for editing a few maps for the thesis. Finally, I have no doubt that without my parents’ love and unconditional support, this dissertation could never have been undertaken, let alone completed. I have drawn strength from their loyalty and unwavering patience. No amount of thanks here can begin to repay my debt of gratitude to them. So it is to them that I dedicate this work. Most importantly, I would like to thank God for everything. Without His help, completion of my Ph. D would have been impossible. I strongly feel His existence, belief, and strength both inside and outside of myself. He has guided and formed my life. 4 Table of Contents Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................2 Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................................3 Figures and Tables .......................................................................................................................8 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 11 1. Historical overview ................................................................................................................ 13 1.1. Gorbachev’s South Korean policy ..................................................................................14 1.2. Russian-South Korean relations during the Yeltsin presidency ...................................18 1.3. Putin’s policy towards South Korea ............................................................................... 22 2. Previous studies of Russian-South Korean relations ......................................................27 2.1. Descriptive historical narrative approaches .................................................................. 27 2.2. International Relations theory approaches .....................................................................29 2.3. Regional approaches: Russian policy toward Northeast Asia ......................................31 2.4. Trilateral approaches: Moscow, Pyongyang, and Seoul ............................................... 33 2.5. Security Approaches ........................................................................................................35 3. Limits of the existing literature and the contribution of this thesis ............................ 36 4. Structure