제주평화연구원

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="150"] Ko Seong-jun
Director of Jeju Institute for Korean Unification[/caption]

As the North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit held in February, garnering a lot of attention at the beginning of this year, ended up with no deal being made, the inter-Korean relations, which seemed to be heading for peace and reconciliation following the third round of summit talk, has been brought to a standstill. As such, the actions of local governments that were preparing for exchange and cooperation with North Korea also had to come to a halt.

During a few months of a lull, the leaders of South Korea, North Korea, and the U.S. had a summit talk at Panmunjom (the truce village) in June this year. As they agreed to resume denuclearization negotiations, working-level talks between North Korea and the U.S. are expected to be held sometime in October. Both nations need to make progress toward denuclearization, so talks are expected to be positive though there will be some twists and turns in the process. It may take some time, but inter-Korean relations are also expected to go back on track toward dialogue and cooperation.

Now is time for Jeju, the pioneer of the exchange between the two Koreas led by local governments, to focus on making preparations to find and secure “status and roles that are different from those of other local governments in terms of class and level” by positively looking at the future of inter-Korean relations. Especially, in order to connect the strength of “the island of world peace” with the future vision of the unified Korea as well as the inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, Jeju should come up with its own unique approaches which only Jeju can offer, and materialize action plans.

Looking back on the history of South-North Korea exchange and cooperation that local governments, including Jeju, did in the 2000s, it was hard to build normal relations for exchange and cooperation due to many factors, such as the asymmetrical one-sided relationship from the South to the North, exchange programs focusing on providing support, the limit in the North Korea’s acceptance, and a lack of consultation channels available at all times. Based upon the reflections on exchange and cooperation over the last 20 years, it can be said that new directions and methods are needed that will meet the new inter-Korean relations which are about to come.

Jeju, first among all the local governments, began “the project to send tangerines to the North” in 1999 and continued until 2010 when it was put to a halt due to the May 24 measures. However, the project set an example for other local governments in the 2000s as a case with a “win-win” characteristic. Without missing even once, the island carried out the project for 12 consecutive years. In addition, Jeju served as the venue for a number of inter-Korean talks and the first inter-Korean sports and cultural event for citizens, and a large-scale delegation from Jeju visited North Korea 4 times. The national government designated Jeju as "the island of world peace", and taking into consideration the efforts Jeju made, in the Jeju community, formed among inhabitants was a consensus to continue exchange and cooperation with North Korea. Besides, along with the symbolism manifested in the motto “From Halla to Baekdu”, Jeju has been consistently working on a new project for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation as part of the “Island of World Peace (designated in 2005)” project in order to play a role as the hub of exchange and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

Under this background, the Jeju provincial government, with the 7th governor elected by popular vote, launched in July 2014 and proposed the five projects to resume the exchange and cooperation project between Jeju and North Korea which had been interrupted. At “the 2014 Jeju Forum for National Reconciliation” held in December, Governor Won Hee-ryong of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, in his keynote speech, officially announced several projects: the resumption of the project to send tangerines to the North, the inter-Korean tourism from Halla to Baekdu, the cooperation to preserve the ecosystem and environment of both Mt. Halla and Mt. Baekdu, the promotion of operating a cruise ship between Jeju and North Korea, and inviting North Korean figures to the Jeju Forum. In November 2015, with “the Carbon Free Island 2030 project” to make Jeju free of carbon as a momentum, he also further proposed the <5+1> project for “the inter-Korean cooperation for energy and peace”, giving shape to Jeju’s inter-Korean exchange and cooperation as a project. Such proposals were not put in place at that time because inter-Korean relations continued to be tightened. However, the proposals showed Jeju’s sincerity to make a breakthrough for the confrontational inter-Korean relations. They were also regarded as comprehensive proposals focusing on reconciliation, coexistence and cooperation, which broke from the existing humanitarian assistance programs.

In 2018, a series of inter-Korean summits were held, which were followed by the 4.27 Panmunjom Declaration, the Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September, and the first North Korea–United States summit, in turn affecting local governments. On top of that, new local governments emerged through the local election in June and competitively revealed their intention to do business with North Korea, going along with the atmosphere for reconciliation between the two Koreas. For such promotion of exchange and cooperation among local governments not to be viewed as confusing, excessive, and overlapped, the Special Committee on Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation was established (on December 17th, 2018) so that the efforts that each local government would make could be coordinated at the municipal governor council level and a synergy effect. On July 24th, the Unification Ministry and the municipal governor council concluded “the agreement for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula” and were finally able to prepare for the future inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation era led by local governments in full swing.

To this day, the <5+1> proposal is still considered a valid concept for the provincial government’s inter-Korean exchange and cooperation since it fits the image of “the island of peace” in connection with what Jeju can offer, such as natural ecology, geographic and cultural heritage, tourist attractions, and local specialties. If inter-Korean exchange and cooperation is resumed and promoted in the future, the proposal is believed to be carried out as the primary business project with North Korea. However, there is a time gap to some degree between the years 2014 and 2015 (when the <5+1> proposal was first submitted) and 2019. Therefore, it is necessary to come up with a new approach corresponding to the changing circumstances of the two Koreas over the past decade and to thoroughly diagnose the conditions to push it forward with respect to whether it reflects the present and the past conditions of “the new inter-Korean relations” appropriately. Such work is very useful and necessary to enhance the feasibility of each proposal.

To raise the feasibility of Jeju’s <5+1> proposal, analysis on several issues is required: whether each project of the proposal is in conflict with the sanctions the international community and the U.S. imposed against North Korea, whether the proposal is in accordance with the agenda of the central government for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, how willingly North Korea would respond to and accept each project, and how much it can be related to the projects that other local governments and NGOs are promoting. First, whether the proposal is in conflict with the sanctions against North Korea is an international factor to consider and is relevant to promote of all North Korean projects. In particular, the UN Security Council’s sanctions against North Korea have been imposed by 11 resolutions since 2006. In this regard, in order to promote exchange and cooperation projects, including humanitarian aid, it is required to go through the consultation process of “the Guidelines on Acquiring Exemptions for Humanitarian Assistance and Delivery to North Korea” (enacted on August 6th, 2018) of the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea. As such, it is desirable to begin with the projects that are feasible within the framework of sanctions for now. Second, the fact that Jeju’s projects are more in line with the central government's policy structure toward North Korea and they are included in or close to the North Korea project agenda will give momentum to Jeju when promoting the projects. For example, momentum will be given to secondary projects in conjunction with the agreements made between the two Koreas (at the 4.27 Panmunjom Declaration, the Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September 17th, etc.) in 2018 and the North Korea projects that the central government is planning, such as the project to send a congratulatory speech on August 15th, etc.). Therefore, communication and coordination regarding policies with the government is essential. Third, exchange and cooperation is a two-way relationship that cannot be implemented without the response of North Korea. It is also necessary to consider the demand, interest, and economic incentives of North Korea as a whole, which focuses on economic development, and thoroughly look into the reciprocity, sustainability, and proliferation of the project. Fourth, since the 7th governors and mayors who were elected by popular vote took office last July, many local governments at various levels have revealed their intentions to do business with North Korea. In addition, public institutions, research groups, private organizations and companies have also presented their plans for North Korea. Based on the list of projects presented in the press release, we can see that there are overlapping or competing issues in a number of areas. Therefore, if Jeju is to pursue its inter-Korean exchange cooperation projects in a systematic and sustainable fashion, the chances of success can only be increased by establishing a filtering system to prevent the duplication and excessive competition in the projects that Jeju has been working on by setting up a mutual policy cooperation governance with other local governments. After reviewing these four requirements, policy priorities should be set based on how feasible each project is, and then a comprehensive and step-by-step project promotion roadmap, which is viable, should be decided.

To achieve economic development during the Kim Jong-un era, North Korea designated 27 special economic zones, including 6 exclusive industrial zones, 17 central economic development zones, and 4 regional economic development zones, focusing on regional development. During the 2018 inter-Korean talks, North Korean officials clearly stated their intention for us to stop "humanitarian aid" and move toward a broader cause of "development cooperation”. In addition, as people have raised a need to switch from a one-time support project to development cooperation, from a project only focusing on areas around Pyongyang to regional (or urban) solidarity exchanges, and from individual unit exchange projects to comprehensive exchange ones, it is desirable for Jeju to take the lead in that direction.

Jeju is not only the southernmost region of the Korean Peninsula, but also has Mt. Halla, the numinous mountain of the Korean people, and a clean sea flowing toward the Pacific Ocean. North Koreans have a great yearning and expectation about the Island as “a warm and scenic southern land.” In addition, as the phrase “from Baekdu to Halla“ implies, there are many residents of North and South Korea who believe that if Mt. Baekdu located in Yanggang Province, North Korea and Mt. Halla in Jeju, South Korea can be connected, that can be considered unification. Jeju has sublimated the pain of 4.3 into reconciliation and harmony. It has also been designated as “the Island of the World Peace” because since the 1990s, a number of summit talks between the countries concerned for peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia have successfully been held. Unlike other local governments, the symbolism and image of unification and peace that Jeju holds is strong thus, based on this, pursuing, cultivating, and maintaining symbolic unification by connecting the southernmost part of South Korea and the northernmost part of North Korea should be the central task of Jeju’s inter-Korean exchange and cooperation. (Kim Dong-seong)

Jeju should choose an area or a city in North Korea for exchange and cooperation based on coexistence and harmony, sustainability, symbolism, etc. Given the national symbolism, complementarity, and sustainability of exchange and cooperation that both Mt. Halla and Mt. Baekdu have, Yanggang-do, where Mt. Baekdu is located, is considered a suitable region to that end. Yanggang-do has a population of about 700,000, a number similar to that of Jeju Island, and there are many areas for exchange and cooperation in both regions, including Mt. Halla and Mt. Baekdu, the Jeju International Special Tourist Zone and the Mubong International Special Tourist Zone, Jeju City and Hyesan City, and Seogwipo and Samjiyeon-gun (Chairman Kim Jong-un visited once last year and four times this year). In addition, Jeju should establish a Halla-Baekdu regional cooperation system with Yanggang-do and expand cooperation by concentrating on the common interests of both regions. Starting from possible fields of business, including tourism, ecological environment, forests, agriculture development, energy, culture, sports, health care, and education, and gradually expanding the scale, Jeju should ultimately establish a comprehensive exchange and cooperation system.

At the point where 20 years of Jeju's North Korea project and 15 years of the designation as “the Island of World Peace” crosses, it is necessary for Jeju to take the changes in the inter-Korean relations into account and complement its existing project or replace it with a renewed one or find a new approach to it. In addition, it is necessary to make efforts to improve the policy environment and build capacity to implement it. (Hong Jae-hyeong) First of all, the Jeju provincial government should have a close cooperation system with the central government and other local governments. The provincial government should strive to have its inter-Korean cooperation project ideas included in the tasks several government agencies, including the Ministry of Unification, are promoting and acquire special policy support for the ideas to be adopted when an agreement is reached between the two Koreas. Cooperation governance with other local governments should be established by making use of the Special Committee on Inter-Korean Exchange Cooperation under the municipal governor council. Jeju also has to secure a business consultation channel with North Korea which is in operation at all times, such as the inter-Korean liaison office located in Kaesong. Lastly, Jeju should concentrate on enhancing its own capacity. Through the Inter-Korean Exchange Cooperation Committee that the Jeju provincial government has recently strengthened, it is necessary to prepare a mid- and long-term basic plan, train professional manpower, raise financial resources, and a dedicated task force.

< references > 1. Ko Seong-jun, Kim Yeong-su, and Hong Jae-hyeong (2018), Jeju’s Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Scheme under New South-North Relations, Jeju Research Institute. 2. Kim Dong-seong (2019), “The 2019 Visions for Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation of Local Governments and Jeju”, Presentation at the Future Vision Policy Seminar marking the 14th anniversary of designation as the island of the world peace co-hosted by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and Jeju Institute for Korean Unification (2019.2.20.). 3. Hong Jae-hyeong (2019), “Inter-Korea Exchange and Cooperation Led by Local Governments and the Island of the World Peace, Jeju”, Discussion at the [In the year of inter-Korean cooperation, the directions and ways in respond to the new North Korean exchanges and cooperation] session of the 14th Jeju Forum co-hosted by Jeju Regional Conference and Jeju Institute for Korean Unification (2019.5.31.)

Dr. Seong-Joon Ko is Emeritus Professor of Jeju National University, Jeju, Korea. he has been Professor of Political Science in Jeju National University(1977-2016.2). He was visiting Professor of Eat Asian Institute in Columbia University, New York. U.S.A(1999). He was Chairman of Jeju International Council. Also, He is chairman of the jeju citizen association for the world peace island. And the director of Jeju Institute for Korean Unification. He has Written books including 「Juche Idea and North Korea」(co-author), 「North Korea in Transition」(co-author),「East Asian and Jeju, Peace Island」(co-author), 「OKina and Peace」(co-author).「New understanding of unification problem」, 「Unified Korea and World Peace island Jeju」(co-author). He received his B.A and M.A in Mass Communication From Sogang University, Korea and Ph.D. degree in Political Science from Konkuk University, Korea.