☐Changes in inter-Korean exchange and cooperation
❍Inter-Korean economic cooperation, which began with simple trade, has evolved into economic cooperation in which workers from the two Koreas work together in an industrial complex jointly developed and operated by the two Koreas.
❍Socio-cultural cooperation, which used to be a one-time cultural event, has evolved into mid- to long-term cooperation, such as joint excavation of cultural heritage and joint compilation of Gyeoremal-Keunsajeon.
❍Humanitarian assistance, which began as emergency relief for scarce supplies, has shifted to development cooperation that builds North Korea’s own capacity.
☐Need to evaluate the governance of inter-Korean exchange and cooperation
❍Under the legal system of South Korea, North Korea is both a target of hostility and a target of exchange and cooperation.
❍The exchange and cooperation process has resulted in the involvement of a more significant number and diversity of private actors in communications and exchanges with North Korea, which the government had dominated, and the establishment and operation of public-private governance, in which the government and the private sector contribute their expertise in their respective areas.
❍However, inter-Korean economic, socio-cultural, and humanitarian cooperation, which is sensitive to inter-Korean relations in the political and military fields, is currently suspended.
❍Critical reflection on the legal system—which has functions in the process of exchange and cooperation, governance, and preparation of ‘wrong answer notes’—is essential in that if the same methods and approaches are adopted as in the past, the same developments could be repeated at some point in the future despite any resumption of cooperation.
☐Continued fragility and governance issues in inter-Korean exchange and cooperation
❍Securing inter-Korean exchange and cooperation continuity and stability is essential in envisioning a unified Korean Peninsula through reconciliation and coexistence.
❍Since the enactment of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, it has undergone several revisions, but these have mainly been to elaborate on cooperation in specific areas. The fundamental approach, namely the permission of exchange and collaboration subject to government approval, has remained unchanged over the past 30 years.
❍The scope and breadth of government approval varies with regime change, which may lead to a suspension of exchange and cooperation at any time due to any changes in the political conditions.
❍An overhaul of the primary legislation approach is desperately needed to support sustainable exchange and cooperation.
☐Direction of improving the governance of inter-Korean exchange and cooperation
❍It is necessary to institutionalize horizontal civilian-authority discussions and cooperation in line with the situation in which multi-level actors have become involved in inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.
❍The establishment of a public-private council for humanitarian cooperation and joint public-private projects have been implemented, but they were only one-off events.
❍An institutional design is necessary to ensure that the private sector is recognized as a co-executor and policy partner in inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, and stable support is provided for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation activities.
❍By reforming the primary legal system to ensure the continuity and stability of inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, inter-Korean exchange and cooperation will be given legitimacy and lead to a foundation for peaceful reunification with the participation of multi-level actors in the medium to long term.
☐Bipartisan minimum agreements and the role of the National Assembly for the governance of inter-Korean exchange and cooperation
❍The premise of reforming a basic legal system and establishing horizontal public-private governance is to build a bipartisan, all-society consensus that inter-Korean exchange and cooperation are required to realize the constitutional task of peaceful reunification.
❍Developing a minimalist agreement that can be shared between the ruling and opposition parties across partisan lines and by parties to inter-Korean exchange and cooperation is necessary.
❍The role of the National Assembly is to create a forum for discussion of minimalist agreements and to ensure engagement with the public and the parties to the North-South exchange and cooperation, which in turn enables the ruling and opposition parties and civil society to reach a consensus.
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