A Look Back at Past South Korean Government's Policies toward North Korea and Search for Sustainable Policy toward North Korea

Abstract

Changes in the international environment and the situation on the Korean Peninsula require a new approach to inter-Korean exchange and cooperation. Following the collapse of the Hanoi summit between the United States and North Korea in 2019, North Korea's return to hard-line foreign policy, and the stalemate in North Korea's denuclearization negotiations due to North Korea's development of nuclear and strategic weapons there has been a continued stalemate in inter-Korean relations. Meanwhile, public interest in the unification of the Korean Peninsula is also waning. In this situation, the goal of the Yoon Seok-yeol government's North Korea policy is to realize sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula through the denuclearization of North Korea, restore and strengthen the ROK-US alliance centered on democratic values, and pursue a confident North Korea policy based on the principle of reciprocity. In order to prepare for the unification of the Korean Peninsula, improving inter-Korean relations is very important, and ways to promote sustainable North Korea policies must be considered from various perspectives. Therefore, despite the recent uncertainty of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, it is premised on the recognition that it is important to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula by improving inter-Korean relations. In particular, this study aims to critically examine North Korea's denuclearization negotiations using game theory (Nash equilibrium) by analyzing the bilateral negotiation process between the United States and North Korea and the changes in the trilateral negotiation dynamics involving South Korea, North Korea, and the United States. Analyzing the outcomes of North Korea's denuclearization negotiations from a game theory perspective will provide valuable lessons for managing sanctions against North Korea and advancing South Korea's future unification policies. This paper summarizes the North Korea policies of past South Korean governments and analyzes changes in North Korea's foreign settlement to analyze sustainable North Korea policy measures. In addition, the purpose of this study is to use as a basis for establishing a policy toward North Korea that can prepare for peace and unification of the Korean Peninsula.