Roles of South Korea and Taiwan for Better Peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia

Abstract

The post-Cold War security environment in Northeast Asia can be characterized as cooperation and competition among regional countries. The US tries to maintain leadership role to keep strategic stability, while the PRC attempts to check American unilateralism and expand it own sphere of influence in the region. The US-Japan security cooperation is the core strategic mechanism for peace and security in Northeast Asia. Whereas China and Russia share common interest of preventing the US and Japan from expanding their influences in Northeast Asia. China became the main force of arms competition in the region, while Japan, as the second largest military spending country in the world, accelerates military build-up and expands areas of defense activities for its Self-Defense Forces. Under these circumstances South Korea and Taiwan may find many security issues that the two countries cooperate with each other. Though South Korea severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1992, they still maintain close relations in many areas, mainly in economic field. However, the two countries can do many things in security area in both military and non-military areas. Cooperation in non-military area includes: cooperation for naval search and rescue activities; cooperation at multilateral institutions; and cooperation for the construction of cooperative networks. Possible areas of cooperation between South Korea and Taiwan includes: cooperation to protect sea lane of communications from piracy or unexpected naval accident around the area between Taiwan and the Cheju Island; information sharing and exchanges; and cooperation to prevent proliferation of WMD. Though there exist many obstacles for the resumption of official diplomatic relations between South Korea and Taiwan, the two countries should make various efforts to expand exchange and cooperation at non-governmental and humanitarian levels. South Korea needs to be active to support Taiwan to participate to both international governmental and non-governmental organizations. Furthermore, the two countries should make every effort to expand various networks of cooperation.