제주평화연구원

Concerning Jeju’s ‘5+1 Inter-Korean Cooperation Projects’

  [caption id="" align="alignright" width="150"] Kun-Hyung Kang
Professor, Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Jeju National University[/caption] 1. Context of the Suggestion of 5+1 Inter-Korean Cooperation Projects The landmine explosion in the military demarcation line in August, 2015 raised the tension on the Korean peninsula to its highest pitch, but it also provided in dramatic fashion the opportunity for South and North Korea to hold high-level talks. The Aug. 25 agreement at the talks raised expectations for a new breakthrough that may lead to the easing of military tension, reunions of separated families and invigoration of civil exchanges. The Park Geun-hye government has put the “establishment of the basis for peaceful unification” as one of its top national agendas, an indication of its eagerness for inter-Korean exchanges and national unification. Its policy, called “Korean Peninsula Trust-building Process,” which was designed to lay a foundation for unification by building trust between the two Koreas, is seen withal to have failed to produce the desired result due to North Korea’s rejection of it. Nevertheless, the Park Geun-hye government continued to extend humanitarian aid to North Korea even amid the stalemated inter-Korean ties in its optimism over the outlook of inter-Korean exchanges on the level of local government.   It was the Jeju Special Self-governing Province led by Gov. Won Hee-ryong that made the most positive response to the government’s maneuver toward the North. Gov. Won judged that local government’s participation in the inter-Korean exchanges would contribute to the establishment of the basis for co-prosperity of the two Koreas and recovery of national unity of the Korean people. In the forum for national reconciliation on Nov. 20, 2015, Gov. Won came up with the ambitious 5+1 inter-Korean cooperation projects by suggesting the South-North energy project for peace in addition to the existing five projects pursued by the province.   2. 5+1 Inter-Korean Cooperation Projects of the Jeju Special Self-governing Province 1) Resuming the Tangerine Donation to North Korea The Jeju Special Self-governing Province, which initiated tangerine donation to the North in 1999, continued sending tangerines to the North until 2010 - 12 years in a row - but it was suspended under the May 24 measure against the North following the Cheonan sinking due to the North Korean attack. The residents of the province have donated a total of 48,000 tons of tangerines and 18,000 tons of carrots to the North. The tangerine donation project was the first North Korea aid organized jointly by the local government and civil sector, as well as a concrete case of forging national consensus on the aid. The province also engaged in diverse North assistance programs which included donations of winter clothes for North Korean children, pasture seeds, medical supplies, black pigs indigenous to Jeju Island and relief goods for flood victims in the North. Thanks to the humanitarian aids, the residents of the province have been invited to the North on four occasions, the only case among the local governments of the South.   With the tangerine aid program, Jeju province contributed to the invigoration of inter-Korean exchanges and raised its own international standing as to be designated the Island of World Peace by the central government in 2004. The tangerine aid was also popularly called “vitamin C diplomacy” by the news media home and abroad.   Upon taking office as governor of the Jeju province, Won pledged to resume the tangerine aid and made efforts to make a breakthrough in the inter-Korean ties, but it still remains suspended due to the refusal of the North and the heightened tensions on the peninsula.   2) Pursuit of Jeju-North Korea Peace Cruise Line The bid to open a cruise line from Jeju Island to Nampo or Wonsan in the North is an ambitious project to a peace belt in Northeast Asia, based on mutual trust between the ports of call, as well as to vitalize the North Korean economy. If the cruise line opens, it may expand to other Northeast Asian regions by linking Shanghai, Nampo in the North, Jeju Island, Hamheung in the North, Nagasaki in Japan and Okinawa. In addition, it is expected to minimize military clashes, as the cruise route would serve as a buffer zone. This project may be introduced only when the inter-Korean exchanges are resumed under eased tensions between the two Koreas. It also depends on whether Nampo and Hamheung have the pier facilities docking the cruise ships and other infrastructures for transportation. If they do not have such facilities, it would likely raise the issue of which party should pay to build them.   3) Cooperation to Jointly Preserve the Ecology of Mt. Paektu and Halla When the third delegation of the Jeju province visited the North in August, 2003, the two sides began to discuss the environmental project and reached an agreement on the environmental exchanges on their fourth visit to the North in November, 2007. Jeju Island was listed as one of the Biosphere Reserves (in 2002), World Natural Heritages (in 2007) and Global Geoparks of UNESCO (in 2010). In 2011, the ecological treasure island was also designated as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The island is advised to encourage the North to join with the ecological project and seek to become the World Environmental Hub by making most of its environmental value.   It would be one of the crucial preparations for the post-unification era to share with the North its ecological experience and expertise needed to preserve the environment of Mt. Paektu. With the inter-Korean environmental project, the South and North may conduct a joint survey on the ecological conditions of Mt. Paektu and Halla, including the climate, geology and flora and fauna there and a research on changes in the vegetation under global warming.   4) Pursuit of Cross Visits to Mt. Paektu and Halla Acting on the suggestion made at the summit in June, 2000, the two Koreas agreed on the Mt. Paektu tour in the second inter-Korean summit meeting in October, 2007. The outstanding tourism resources of Jeju Island, the undisputed international tourist spot, and its long-accumulated tourism expertise could help the development of North Korea tour programs, which might contribute to peace-building on the Korean peninsula. Considering the efforts of North Korea to develop tourism programs, such as the ski resort in Masik Pass, and open its door to foreign tourists, the cross visits to Mt. Paektu and Halla are likely to be realized at any moment when the inter-Korean exchanges resume.   Before institutionalizing the cross visits, the South and North should conclude the agreement on the “South-North cross visit project,” simplify the tour procedures and guarantee personal safety. As Jeju Island has rich experience in tourism development, it may administer training programs for the North Korean tourism personnel. It is necessary to develop Jeju Island-North Korea tourism program as a mid- and long-term project.   5) Efforts to Invite North Korean Figures to the Jeju Forum The annual Jeju Forum might be perceived as the jewel of the Island of World Peace projects. The forum which marked its 12th anniversary in May of this year remains the nation’s representative forum joined by more than 3,000 politicians, public officials, professors and journalists home and abroad to discuss peace and prosperity of Asia and the world. The invitation of North Korean figures to the Jeju Forum would be meaningful in that it would provide them the opportunity to discuss with global leaders peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia. If the North Korean delegation joins the forum, the South would have to consider how to organize sessions that they can join and agendas they will discuss. Given that they are unwilling to discuss nuclear or unification issues, it would be easier for them to join the forum if they are invited to the sessions on development cooperation, ecological environment and energy issues which they are more interested in.   6) Pursuit of the 5+1 Energy Cooperation Project Gov. Won Hee-ryong, who pushes ahead with various projects for self-reliance of the Jeju province in energy, seeks to meet all electricity needs with renewable energy and replace 370,000 vehicles on the island with electric cars by 2030, with a vision to develop the island into a “carbon free island.”   The Jeju province has designated Haengwon-ri, Gujwa-eup as a model village of energy self-reliance. With this trial project, the province is exploring ways to achieve energy self-reliance. It also seeks measures to deliver its energy expertise and technology to the North suffering from power shortage as part of the inter-Korean energy cooperation project for peace. It may be viewed as “peaceful use of energy,” in that it pursues peaceful procedure of producing and consuming energy. It is also compatible with the image of Island of World Peace.   Jeju province is a member of the Greater Tumen Initiative and Northeast Asia (NEA) Local Cooperation Committee (LCC) and ready to actively participate in the energy sub-committee of LCC. The province is poised to propose its “2030 Carbon Free Island” project as a Northeast Asian model and share its expertise about the renewable energy project at the sub-committee. It seeks to help North Korea address its power shortage and to play a leading role in paving the way toward sustainable development of Northeast Asia. This project is another bid for a future-oriented inter-Korean cooperation in addition to the existing five projects.   3. Evaluation and Suggestion As illustrated above, Gov. Won actively pursues inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation. He believes that local governments or civil organizations should go forward to make a breakthrough, given that the central government cannot do anything amid the deteriorated inter-Korean ties. In this respect, he is deemed to be very optimistic about the inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation. Gov. Won was not only set to resume the five projects for inter-Korean exchanges, including the tangerine donation to the North, but also went on to suggest the energy cooperation project.   After taking office, President Moon Jae-in said that he would actively promote inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation in his speech in Berlin and allow the exchanges of the local governments of the South with the North. In spite of the efforts of the central and local governments of the South for inter-Korean exchange, the North went against peace by pushing ahead with missile launches and its sixth nuclear test. It went on to circumvent the South in the so-called strategy of driving a wedge between the South and the U.S.   It is all too evident that the heightened tension on the Korean peninsula has made it impossible to pursue the exchanges. However, it cannot be emphasized enough that the South should be prepared for the inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation that might be possible sometime in the future. To that end, the Jeju province should continue to raise the inter-Korean cooperation fund, maintain the ad hoc organizations and recruit manpower specialized in North Korean affairs. It would also be necessary to develop mutually beneficial projects for the two Koreas, based on the experiences of the inter-Korean exchanges of the past.