Prof. Mel Gurtov                                                                                           Fall 2009

(mgurtov@aol.com;                          Office hrs.: Tues., 10-12 and by appointment

mgurtov@uoregon.edu)

 

PS 410/510: KOREA AND ITS NEIGHBORS: POLITICS AND FOREIGN POLICY

 

Course Objectives

We employ a variety of international-relations and comparative-politics frameworks to understand the functioning, interests, and objectives of the political and foreign-policy systems of the two Koreas.  Our goal is to appreciate the unusual domestic and international environments in which these two parts of a divided state must operate.  The role of outside actors has always been crucial to Korea’s history, and that role also receives considerable attention.

 

Texts

Lynn Hyung Gu, Bipolar Orders

Y. W. Kihl, Transforming Korean Politics

Samuel Kim, The Two Koreas and the Great Powers

KEI, In Korea 2008 (to be distributed in class)

 

Course Requirements

(1) Consistent attendance and reading of required materials; (2) research paper, due Nov. 17; (3) midterm exam, Oct. 27; (4) comprehensive final exam.  Graduate students are expected to do additional readings (*) and write two ten-page papers (one due Nov. 17, the other at the last class) or one 20-page paper (due at the last class, Dec. 1) besides meeting the above requirements.

 

(Please take note: Students are responsible for being aware of the date and time of the final examination, and taking it then.  Only in exceptional circumstances will a final exam be given at another time.  Likewise, an Incomplete grade will only be given in extraordinary circumstances, and then only if the student has attended class regularly and completed all other assignments.  Late papers are accepted until the final class, with penalty in proportion to lateness.)

 

Wk. 1: Introduction—Understanding Modern Korea

            Kim, ch. 1

            Lynn, Introduction

            The Economist at www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12237163

 

 

Wk. 2: Politics in South and North Korea, Part 1

            ROK politics to 2002 - Kihl, chs. 1-4; Lynn, ch. 1

            Internet: www.korea.net (click on “Government Agencies” and “Lee Myung-bak Administration” links at left and http://www.korea.net/korea/kor_loca.asp?code=N01 for the constitution and executive branch powers

            ROK economic and social conditions) – Lynn, ch. 2; Kihl, chs. 5-6

 

Wk. 3: Politics, Part 2

            ROK politics since 2003 – Kihl, ch. 8 to end of book

            DPRK political-economy – Lynn, chs. 3-4

KEI reader: Mazarr and Park articles

*KEI reader: Toloraya and Mansourov articles

Congressional Research Service, The North Korean Economy (Aug. 2008), at www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32493.pdf

            NGOs: www.mercycorps.org/countries/northkorea

            *D. Hawk, The Hidden Gulag at http://www.hrnk.org/hiddengulag/toc.html

          *The food situation: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/05/AR2009030503613.html?referrer=emailarticle 

               *North Korea’s environmental decay: Peter Hayes at http://www.nautilus.org/fora/security/09071Hayes.pdf

 

Wk. 4: Korean (Re-)Unification

Lynn, chs. 5-6

Kim, ch. 6 and

www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/business/worldbusiness/21korea.html

            *KEI reader – Shin chapter

 

Wk. 5: Midterm exam, October 27

 

Wk. 6: International Relations of the Two Koreas, Part 1

            Overview: Former President Roh Moo-hyun on nationalism in East Asia:  http://globalasia.org/articles/issue2/iss2_1.html

           

Politics of Foreign Policy: Kihl, ch. 7

           

Korea-US Relations

Kim, ch. 5

KEI – Roehrig chapter

“Clinton Trades Gibes with North Korea,” www.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/world/asia/24diplo.html (July 23, 2009)

*Sung-Chul Yang, “Arbitrator or Antagonist,” www.globalasia.org (Fall 2007)

            *Chung-In Moon, “Diplomacy of Defiance and Facilitation,” at www.asianperspective.org (vol. 32, No. 4, 2008)

            *Scott Snyder versus Leon Sigal, www.asianperspective.org (vol. 32, No. 2, 2008)

 

Wk 7: International Relatons of the Two Koreas, Part 2

            Korea-China and Korea-Russia Relations

            Kim, chs. 2 and 3

            *KEI reader – Marumoto and Weitz chapters

           

            Korea-Japan Relations

            Kim, ch. 4

            KEI reader – Easley chapter

            www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/world/asia/31islands.html

Special Event: John Prados of the National Security Archive, speaking on Afghanistan and Vietnam after class.
 
 


                       

 

 

 

 

 

Wk. 8: The North Korea Nuclear Issue

Congressional Research Service, “North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons” (7/1/09): www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL34256.pdf

Stanford Univ. Ctr. for International Security and Cooperation, Negotiating with North Korea: 1992-2007, at http://iis-db.stanford.edu/pubs/22128/Negotiating_with_North_Korea_1992-2007.pdf (read pp. 14-19)

 

Wk. 9: The Nuclear Issue and Northeast Asian Security (a game)

*Relevant Documents:

(1)   The Oct. 1994 US-DPRK Agreed Framework (Stanford, doc. 3): www.armscontrol.or/documents/af.asp

(2)   US-DPRK Joint Communique of Oct. 2000 (Stanford, doc. 7): www.nautilus.org/DPRKBriefingBook/agreements/CanKor-VTK-2000-10-12-joint-communique-usa-dprk.pdf

(3)   Nov. 2005 US-ROK (Bush-Roh) Joint Declaration: www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051117-6.html

(4)   Feb. 2007 Six Party Talks agreement (Stanford, doc. 11): www.nautilus.org/fora/security/07013Statement.html

 

 

Wk. 10: Korea and Northeast Asia’s Security Prospects

 

International Crisis Group, North East Asia’s Undercurrents of Conflict (Dec. 15, 2005), at www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3834

Wonhyuk Lim, “Regional Multilateralism in Asia and the Korean Question,” at www.nautilus.org/fora/security/09072Lim.pdf

*P. Van Ness, “Designing a Mechanism for Multilateral Security Cooperation,” www.asianperspective.org (vol. 32, No.4, 2008)

 

 

 

 

Guide to the Research Paper

 

1. Topic:  Choose any topic within the scope of the course, but check with me to make certain your choice is appropriate.  Besides topics having to do with North-South Korea relations and most any aspect of the politics or international relations of the two Koreas, you may also research: (1) Korea’s relations with East Asia (incl. Southeast Asia) multilateral groups, such as ASEAN; (2) South Korea’s role in international organizations, such as the UN and WTO; (3) the role of particular Korean institutions, such as the military or the judiciary; (4) trade, investment, and aid issues; (5) the impact on Korea of region-wide issues (e.g., environment, commerce, human rights, migration, energy); (6) origins and nature of international conflict in the region.

 

2. Approach: It is important that your essay be first and foremost a foreign-policy analysis and not merely a description of events.  Clarify the purpose of your paper in the first paragraph. Fulfill that purpose in your text and conclusion.

 

3. The Paper: about 8 double-spaced pages (10-12 for grad students), using a minimum of 6 sources (10 for grad students, including primary sources).  You may cite the course texts, but they will not count among your sources.  The Internet may be used for official documents, newspapers, and published, signed scholarly articles. Do not use news magazines such as Time or Newsweek, or encyclopedias (including Wikipedia); but do use scholarly periodicals (see the separate guide) and well-informed media such as Far Eastern Economic Review, Nikkei Weekly, Asahi Shimbun, and the New York Times and Washington Post.

 

4.  Citing sources:  Use any consistent form for citing sources: footnotes, endnotes, in-text notes.  A bibliography is not needed; include relevant information (author, article and journal or book title, and page numbers) in your notes.  See your texts for proper citation styles.  Cite all your sources actually used, but none other.  Regarding Internet sources, identify specific reports or papers within the URL, not just the basic URL address.

 

5.  Check spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  A sloppily written paper will count heavily against you. Don=t forget to title and paginate your essay.  12-point font, please. 

 

6.  Do not rely too heavily on any one source.  Avoid lengthy quotations from sources; paraphrase instead.

 

6. Questions?  I'm here; and I would like to see each of you at some time during your research.

 

Sources for Up-to-Date Information in English on Northeast Asia

 

1. Scholarly Periodicals

Far Eastern Economic Review (monthly, Hong Kong)

Asian Survey (monthly, U.S.)

China Quarterly (quarterly, UK)

China Journal (quarterly, Australia)

Asian Perspective (quarterly, S.Korea and U.S.)

Journal of Contemporary Southeast Asian Studies

Journal of Northeast Asian Studies

Pacific Affairs (quarterly, Canada)

Nautilus Institute papers (www.nautilus.org)

 

2. Newspapers in English on-line

Korea Herald, Korea Times (Seoul)

Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Nikkei Weekly (Tokyo)

Asia Wall Street Journal.

China Daily (Beijing)

NAPSNet daily news roundup via e-mail (subscribe free at www.nautilus.org)

 

3. Documentary and Statistical Sources

APEC home page: www.apecsec.org.sg

ASEAN home page: www.asean.or.id

Asian Development Outlook (annual) and Key Indicators of Developing Asian and Pacific Countries. 

Asian Development Bank, Manila.

World Development Report.  Annual from World Bank, Washington, DC.

WorldWatch Institute papers, including the annual State of the World.