통합이론에 비추어 본 유럽통합과 한반도통합

Abstract

European Integration and Korean Integration in view ofintegration Theories Vietnam achieved national unification through a long internal war. Needless to say, the case of Vietnam is not acceptable as an option for reunification between South and North Korea. Germany was unified peacefully, but through the absorption method. It is unconceivable for a Korean case to apply the German way of unification, when we take into account the current international circumstances and the fact that North Korea is anxious to avoid absorption by South Korea. This study finds the case of European integration very interesting in the sense that it was achieved peacefully as well as efficiently, and this article aims at the comparative analysis of European Integration and Korean integration. In this article, the concept of integration is divided into two parts; goal and process. And a number of existing integration theories, such as federalism, intergovernmentalism, functionalism, neo-functionalism, institutionalism, and constructivism, are introduced and selectively utilized for the comparative analysis of European integration and Korean integration. In the article, this study suggests that the confederation program without the absorption is the most realistic goal of integration South and North Korea can approach. The integration theories which explain the process to reach the goal are mutual supplementary rather than competitive. The article tried to seek the possibility that the theories can be applied to Korea. The integration theories used assume that constituent member states of integration respect in principle plural society, democracy, and market economy. However, the conditions of the Korean peninsula are different from those supposed by the integration theories. It means that the road to Korean integration will be not even.