About the Book

 

Today, the international order is witnessing the decline of the ‘rules-based order’ and a return to great-power politics dominated by nationalism and the ‘logic of power’. With the inauguration of the second Trump administration, calls for a recalibration of the ROK-U.S. alliance are growing, while North Korea’s declaration of a ‘hostile two-state theory’ and the strategic alignment among North Korea, China, and Russia fundamentally threaten the security environment on the Korean Peninsula. In addition, the advent of an era in which technology itself has become security—what may be termed ‘technopolitics’—demands a comprehensive redesign of traditional diplomatic and security strategies.

Produced by researchers at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies of Kyungnam University, this book brings together former senior government officials with extensive practical experience and academic expertise in the fields of unification, diplomacy, and security. Written amid an era of great transformation shaped by overlapping crises, it offers a policy-oriented perspective on the challenges facing the Korean Peninsula. The book explores ways to secure ‘strategic autonomy’ amid the rapidly shifting dynamics of four-power diplomacy and presents a roadmap for a paradigm shift in North Korea policy and the construction of a new security framework. Grounded in the twin pillars of self-strengthening and solidarity, it offers a forward-looking vision for a national strategy aimed at peaceful coexistence and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

 

 

The Great Transition, Recalibration of Four-Power Diplomacy

International Order in Turmoil: The Future of the ROK–U.S. Alliance

Ho-Young Ahn (Visiting Chair Professor, IFES; Former ROK Ambassador to the United States)

 

Crisis in Northeast Asia: Challenges and Tasks for Trilateral Cooperation among South Korea, China, and Japan

Bong-Kil Shin (Distinguished Professor, UNKS; Honorary President, Korea Council on Foreign Relations)

 

Reassessing the Two-Track Approach toward Japan: Challenges and Tasks

Su-Hoon Lee (Visiting Chair Professor, IFES; Former ROK Ambassador to Japan)

 

Shifts in the North Korea–China–Russia Triangle and South Korea’s Response Strategy

Ro-Byug Park (Visiting Professor, IFES; Former Ambassador to Russia)

 

Paradigm Shift in North Korea Policy and Peace

The Evolution of North Korea’s Policy toward South Korea and the Two-State Theory

Kwan-Sei Lee (Director, IFES; Former Vice Minister of Unification)

 

Assessment of South Korea’s North Korea Policy and Future Tasks

Young Joon Choi (Visiting Professor, IFES; Former Vice Minister of Unification)

 

The Korean Peninsula Peace Economy: Challenges and Prospects

Yeon-chul Kim (Visiting Research Fellow, IFES; Former Minister of Unification)

 

New Security Order and Strategy for Regional Peace

South Korea’s Diplomatic Strategy in the Era of Technopolitics

Byung-Jae Cho (Visiting Chair Professor, IFES; Former Chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy)

 

Military Rivalry in East Asia and Regional Conflicts

Seong-Ryoul Cho (Visiting Professor, Department of Military Art & Science, Kyungnam University; Former Consul General in Osaka)

 

Self-Reliant Defense and Regional Security under the Lee Jae Myung Administration: Toward a Comprehensive Approach to OPCON Transfer and Strategic Flexibility

Joo-Seok Seo (Visiting Research Fellow, IFES; Former Vice Minister of National Defense)

 

Structural Change and Prospects of Border Region Networks in the China–North Korea and North Korea–Russia Borderlands

Byung-min Ahn (Visiting Research Fellow, IFES; President of the North Korean Economic Forum)