동북아 경제협력의 이론과 추진방안

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to suggest a theoretical framework and policy alternatives for economic cooperation in Northeast Asia. The Roh government of South Korea has ambitiously pursued a "Northeast Asian Initiative" not just to build a regional community in Northeast Asia but also to locate South Korea at the center of it. The total failure of this drive shows the weakness of a politically-motivated economic integration effort. This article suggests as an alternative a market-driven, incremental, and norm-based economic cooperation for Northeast Asia, where both material and ideational conditions for economic integration are not ready. After reviewing option like local economic territories, economic community building, and various alternatives for policy coordination among regional countries, this article finds a renewed value of functionalistic cooperation by local communities as well as by government officials. This article suggests that South Korea, Japan, and China should tighten trilateral policy coordination instead of hastily pursuing a regional community. As for economic integration, this article highly appreciates the value of a Korea-Japan FTA as a catalyst.