by
Su-Hoon Lee
[Chairman, ROK Presidential Committee on Northeast Asian Cooperation Initiative]
posted June 14, 2006
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* This is an abridged and edited version of a speech delivered at the International Symposium on "Conducting a
Northeast Asian Community and the Role of Universities," organized by the Northeast Asian Forum of
University Presidents, Seoul, Korea, May 22-23, 2006.
Introduction
Regional integration is an undeniable worldwide phenomenon. It has risen both as a way to cope
with the challenges of globalization, and as a way to accomplish it more efficiently.
But while the institutionalization of integrative processes has been accelerating, integration in
Northeast Asia (NEA) has been quite slow. I'm not saying that it hasn't been advancing. It has.
But alongside that advance has been a worrisome escalation of threats to regional peace and security.
We know that peace, security, and economic prosperity share an intricate relationship. For NEA, full
understanding of this intricacy is crucial.
Increasing understanding and cooperation to build a community of peace and prosperity is crucial.
In addressing this, I would like to talk about three things: First, the Roh Moo-Hyun government's
Northeast Asian Cooperative Initiative. What is it? Understanding this bold attempt to address the
issue of cooperation so that we may build sustainable peace and bring greater prosperity to the region
and its peoples is important. Second, socio-cultural activity: What is its relevance in this regional
community-building process? Third, the role of universities in this vision for building a Northeast
Asian Community through increased socio-cultural activity.
Northeast Asian Cooperation Initiative
In South Korea, the Roh Moo-hyun government has been attempting to accelerate the pace of
institutionalization. At the same time, it has been trying to meet head on that which most threatens
regional peace and prosperity. To do this it launched the "the Northeast Asian Cooperation
Initiative." What is it exactly? Is it important? I believe it is, and I believe our understanding of
it is too.
In simple terms, it is a bold initiative that outlines an assertive role for South Korea in the
institutionalization of NEA integrative processes. Underpinning it is the notion of NEA itself. This
notion recognizes the growing importance of NEA in the world system and also the region's internal
dynamism. At the same time, it tries to respond to the challenges that arise as a consequence of
NEA's increasing weight and dynamism. Given the ambivalent geopolitical position that South
Korea occupies, it feels obliged to transform such challenges into opportunities through cooperation.
Likewise, this notion recognizes the necessity for the Korean peninsula to overcome its division and
to establish a peace regime so as to eliminate the sources of major regional security threats. Sustaining
peace in Northeast Asia will be virtually impossible without establishing a sustained peace on the
peninsula.
Sounds like a nationalistic venture, right? Let me be clear. This notion represents more than just
Korea's interests. It is not simply a nationalistic enterprise. In fact, it transcends Korean interests
to include those of the region. It must be distinguished from a national development strategy. It
represents a more comprehensive and bolder vision toward regional integration, seeking to accelerate
economic cooperation and peace building.
In this initiative, no actor is left out. Not even North Korea. Indeed, the initiative embeds North
Korea into the larger regional framework of NEA. Simply, it demonstrates its attempt to tackle the
regional problem of North Korea by carrying out various cooperative projects in the region. For
NEA to achieve lasting peace and sustainable prosperity via integration, it must engage North Korea.
Remember, sustainable growth for the nations in the region cannot be achieved unless barriers to
integration -- including the problem of North Korea -- are addressed and further measures toward
mutual trust, cooperation, and co-prosperity are stepped up. Legacies of the past still haunt the
region's peoples. The Roh government understands that without a rapid and institutionalized
dismantlement of the Cold War system in the region -- including the Korean peninsula -- rivalry and
competition will impede development. We have no choice but to call for peace building and
economic co-prosperity through cooperation.
Thus the initiative outlines Korea's role in materializing our shared goal and vision of building a
Northeast Asian Community of peace and prosperity. Korea's geographic position, vibrant
democracy, as well as its grassroots level perceptions of, historical bonds and greater time to reconcile
with its regional neighbors puts it in a position to better neutralize and mediate conflicts in the region,
in particular the Sino-Japanese rivalry.
Regrettably, the Korea-Japanese government-level relationship has not been particularly amiable as of
late. But the current diplomatic feud will be settled, because from a mid-to-long term perspective
both Korea and Japan have every reason to cooperate.
For its part, South Korea can work to "bridge" that gap between continental NEA and Japan. It can
also position itself in selected areas -- such as peace, financial services, logistics, and tourism -- to
build "nodes" of intra-regional networks, nodes that will help promote peace and common prosperity
by serving as a common ground for mutual discourses on pertinent issues. Furthermore, South
Korea can be a "promoter of cooperation" that works to activate the process of community building in
Northeast Asia.
The ultimate goal of the Northeast Asian Cooperation Initiative is to materialize a peaceful and
prosperous Northeast Asia by fostering the governance of cooperation and building a regional
community of mutual trust, reciprocity, and symbiosis. To realize this vision, the region must be
freed of the threat of war. As well, regional cooperation and maximization of growth potential must
be sought, among other things. Sincere efforts must be made to accelerate regional cooperation to
promote "sustainable development" and a quality of life that envisions a "greener" world for the
region's peoples.
As with European integration, progress toward realizing a Northeast Asian Community should start
with an interest in security and peace. From here a community can be developed through synergy of
dialogue, cooperation, and trust. To help with this, guiding the initiative are three operational
principles.
The first principle stresses cooperation in the functional areas. The second stresses the need to exert
concerted efforts in security, economic, and socio-cultural fields in an integrated manner. This will
help achieve successful outcomes and maximize synergistic effects. The third principle emphasizes
a multifaceted approach to the establishment of a regional community. It envisions cooperative
efforts to be deployed at every level and dimension simultaneously. Also governmental and non-
governmental approaches are to be combined to maximize the efficiency of cooperation.
In particular, activities taking place at the non-governmental level should be taken very seriously and
perhaps given more significance. Today governments are becoming constrained actors with
decreasing authority and resources. Exchange, dialogue, communication, mutual understanding, and
solidarity at non-governmental levels seem more appealing and prevailing. Activation and
consolidation of non-governmental efforts should be valued on moral and cultural grounds.
Socio-Cultural Activity
Thus to build a Northeast Asian Community, it is important for countries in the region and their
peoples -- at the grassroots and non-governmental levels -- to get involved. They will be vital to
building a sense of collective responsibility or identity, something that is sadly lacking in NEA.
In fact, there seems to be stronger tendencies toward promoting nationalism rather than a regional
identity important for a regional community. In so far as political leaders continue to take advantage
of nationalistic sentiments widespread among the general populations in Korea, Japan, and China for
their political objectives, the regional community-building process in NEA will be agonizingly slow.
Again, the importance of the non-governmental sector is obvious. While government lags, the
private sector speeds up. Economic integration is already well under way. It will be a contributing
factor in enhancing the community-building process.
However, a Northeast Asian Community cannot be founded, built, and sustained purely on economic
objectives and business interactions. Such a regional community brings together societies and
cultures, each one wanting a relationship yet also desiring to celebrate and protect its own culture and
values within that new relationship. Culture is not a domain that can be expected to just "follow
along" as economic integration occurs. Culture affects the way we view and value our interactions.
Therefore customs, norms and attitudes that we place on relations will affect the economic and
security relations we seek to improve.
Much more can be gained, and much quicker, if we recognize this and work to enhance its power.
In my view, one important factor in building a regional community will be how well we can "speed
up" socio-cultural exchanges and communications in non-governmental areas. Here, joint-
development of the culture industry should be pursued. Sharing of cultural products and promotion
of artistic collaborations would be a positive step forward. Advancing the pop culture industry
through the promotion of joint-development and distribution of film, popular music, and so forth
would be encouraging. Collaborative development of cultural enterprise should also help advance
cultural exchange and intercommunication between peoples.
For itself, the South Korean government has been pursuing a policy of building a culture community
bloc in Northeast Asia in order to set up a paradigm of reciprocity and cooperation. Cultural
exchanges with China have rapidly progressed in recent years via expansion of trade and on the surge
of what is known as the "Korean Wave." Also, cultural exchanges with Russia are actively ongoing,
as are those with Japan.
Korea plans to utilize the "Korean Wave" as a catalyst to form a cultural community and to set
Northeast Asia cultural identity. To culturally exchange and cooperate with countries in East Asia, in
2004, the Korean government established the Culture Exchange Center in Shanghai and Hanoi and the
centers expanded their operations toward areas where the Korean Wave prevails. These and other
centers strive to build human networks with local government, academia, businesses, and related
figures as strategic points for the cultural and industrial exchange and cooperation.
These human networks may also work to help deal with the sensitive issue of Northeast Asian history
and history textbooks, still one of the major sources of conflicts among nations in NEA. When
looking at history, sectarian interpretation and description in terms of nationalistic criteria should be
avoided. Instead, some universalistic way of reconciling with the past should be maintained. The
issue of history is inevitably linked to the future. The reason why the South Korean government has
put emphasis on the issue could be in part explained by its concern with the future regional order.
The Role of Universities
That's what our government is basically doing. Now what about the universities? Well, the
cultural dimension and the activities of civil society are essential to provide the bond for the formation
of a strong community. This seems distinctively an area where the region's universities can play an
active and significant role.
Universities have been for decades at the center of much transnational collaboration. Functionally,
this must deepen before it expands. Deepening the relationships means universities must also
provide our future leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs with the opportunities to increase their
knowledge and understanding of other cultures. This should be done not to increase competition
between countries, but to foster understanding and cooperation in competitive business environments.
In my mind, universities should look toward being active in several different areas and in many
different ways. A few may include the following. First, deepen sisterhood relations by increasing
student exchanges, in particular language and cultural ones. Communication is the means to
promoting understanding and cooperation with others. Improving communication fosters
collaborations, which in turn can foster peace. Second, universities can increase Northeast Asian
consciousness by promoting the joint-development of history curriculum. Through this process,
future generations can reach for the possibility of a "restoration of Asia." Issues of history will need
to be redressed at some point in the future if long-term cooperation is to be assured, and if we are to
move along a path that leads to peace and co-prosperity. Third, promote cultural industry within
local areas and through various collaborations, publications, exchanges, and so forth. And fourth,
promote and increase bilateral and regional inter-collegiate sporting events.
These are just a few ideas that may be seized and acted upon. I encourage all to sincerely become
more active in promoting such activity at the local level, for that is where we must begin building the
greater Northeast Asian Community.
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