민주화 이후 ‘보수’ 정부의 대북정책 연구: 노태우, 김영삼, 이명박 정부를 중심으로

Abstract

This article analyzes and compares three “conservative” post-democratization South Korean governments’ attitudes and policies towards the North. The Roh Tae-woo government achieved the first official agreement between the South and North, called “the South-North Basic Agreement” in the midst of a post-Cold War environment. Although conservative, the Roh Tae-woo government was able to accomplish this because it maintained a nation-centered perspective towards the South-North relationship. The Kim Young-sam government adopted the same nation-centered policies towards the North in the beginning. However, it returned to more antagonistic policies of the pre-democratization authoritarian regimes when the North began developing its nuclear program and North Korea’s leader at the time, Kim Il-sung, died. From the very outset, the Lee Myung-bak government opposed the reconciliation-centered policies of his predecessors, Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, and adopted antagonistic policies towards the North under the banner of a “Policy of Mutual Benefits and Common Prosperity.” These antagonistic policies intensified after the North developed nuclear missiles and armed conflicts between the South and the North began again. In summary, although the above three post-democratization governments were all essentially conservative in nature, the particulars of each of their policies towards the North were very different. This was primarily due to the international climate at the time as well as the policies of North Korea. Additionally, South Korean presidents’ attitudes played an important role in their governments’ different approaches and policies. This study also suggests that policies of dialogue and reconciliation rather than those of antagonism and confrontation can contribute better to building trust and improved relations between both parties.