A Study on the EU’s Aid Policy towards the DPRK:1995-2005

humanitarian aid;North Korea;European Union (EU);development cooperation;Rights-Based Approach (RBA)

국제대학원 국제학과(국제협력전공) ;

University:서울대학교 대학원

关键词: humanitarian aid;    North Korea;    European Union (EU);    development cooperation;    Rights-Based Approach (RBA);   

Others  :  http://s-space.snu.ac.kr/bitstream/10371/129200/1/000000010279.pdf

美国|英语

来源: Seoul National University Open Repository

【 摘 要 】

This thesis explores the European Union’s aid policy towards the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) focusing on the period from 1995 until 2005. Considering the fact that the EU is not a member of the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, it does not have direct security concerns with the Korean peninsula. Therefore, the Korean peninsula has been relatively peripheral to its strategic interests. However, the EU has been one of the biggest donors in providing humanitarian aid to North Korea in the past, emphasizing norms such as human rights and freedom. Furthermore, it has shown a steady interest in strengthening economic ties with North Korea. This thesis analyzes what progress the European Union has made in the area of aid assistance to North Korea during the period of 1995 until 2005. It also focuses on the reasons why the EU provided aid assistance to North Korea despite unsolved nuclear issues and despite the EU not being a six party talk member. By an application of Rights-Based Approach (RBA) with development and human rights in North Korea, this thesis argues that the EU’s strategies and motives behind its engagement towards the Korean peninsula are strongly related with the purpose of increasing its political power in Northeast Asia and traditional emphasis on human rights. Therefore, this thesis finds that the EU’s aid approach has rooted in its stance on drawing a line between political, security and humanitarian issues and treating them separately. It also leads to the conclusion that the EU’s aid assistance towards North Korea has been successful in terms of maintaining bilateral dialogues and relations. Furthermore, since the EU and North Korea’s diplomatic ties started with the precondition of agreements for political and human rights dialogues, the EU continues to put great value and importance on sustaining these channels as well. Along with other European NGOs, it also perceives the humanitarian crisis and persistent food problems in North Korea as global concerns and provides aid assistance until today.