통일정책 거버넌스와 시민사회의 역할 : 대북개발지원에 관한 논의를 중심으로

Abstract

Having been engaged in full-scale assistance to North Korea since the 2000 inter-Korean summit, South Korea embarked on the discussion about development assistance to North Korea around 2004 and 2005. At the time when the aid to North Korea was no more than a matter of political slogan, South Korea searched for a way to transform its aid practice to North Korea to one of development assistance as a response to the challenge of persisting humanitarian crisis in and aggravating aid fatigue following prolonged assistance to North Korea. In any discussion of development assistance to North Korea much emphasis is due upon the governance nexus between many different stake holders. Especially in the post-Cold War period, accelerated process of globalization prompted corresponding changes in the environment and policies of development assistance wherein the role of international NGOs is privileged. Against this backdrop, the development assistance of the South Korean civil society is deemed to be well in line with the circumstantial necessity of maintaining the momentum of the inter-Korean relations, promoting reconciliation and cooperation, and thus preparing the integration of the two Koreas. This paper is therefore a modest proposal for a desirable governance of unification policy and the role of civil society with its discussion of development assistance to North Korea, a most likely agenda looming large especially when the Lee Myungbak government is replanning every aspect of its aid programmes to North Korea.