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The EU, Korea, and conflict transformation through regional integration

Author

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  • Moosung Lee

    (Myongji University)

  • Thomas Diez

    (University of Tübingen)

Abstract

The post-World War II experience of conflict and regional cooperation in (Western) Europe and East Asia has been very different. Despite their differences in terms of receptiveness of, and preferences for, regional cooperation, regional cooperation and/or integration still remains one of the most promising avenues for achieving or at least institutionalising peace. Against this backdrop, we aim to assess the scope for EU–Korean collaboration in regional integration, outlining the European and the Korean perspectives on regional integration and conflict resolution, their similarities and differences in this process, and prospects of cooperation amid the intensifying US–China rivalry. We argue in this paper that although confronted with the spectre of global power politics heading for a new Cold War, both the EU and Korea have normatively and practically sought to pursue a policy of ‘hedging’, and that integration may be a testament to the power of integration in the peaceful transformation of international order than undermining its rationale. The paper thus argues that the future trajectory that regional cooperation for conflict transformation would be bound up by the spectre of power politics by the geostrategic rivalry between the US and China would not necessarily be the only one expected.

Suggested Citation

  • Moosung Lee & Thomas Diez, 2023. "The EU, Korea, and conflict transformation through regional integration," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 493-506, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:asiaeu:v:21:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1007_s10308-023-00685-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10308-023-00685-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Moosung Lee, 2016. "The EU, regional cooperation, and the North Korean nuclear crisis," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 401-415, December.
    2. Katy Hayward, 2007. "Mediating the European Ideal: Cross‐Border Programmes and Conflict Resolution on the Island of Ireland," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(3), pages 675-693, September.
    3. Diez, Thomas & Stetter, Stephan & Albert, Mathias, 2006. "The European Union and Border Conflicts: The Transformative Power of Integration," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 60(3), pages 563-593, July.
    4. David Mitrany, 1965. "The Prospect Of Integration: Federal Or Functional," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4(2), pages 119-149, June.
    5. Katy Hayward, 2007. "Mediating the European Ideal: Cross-Border Programmes and Conflict Resolution on the Island of Ireland," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45, pages 675-693, September.
    6. Moosung Lee & Thomas Diez, 2016. "Introduction: the EU, East Asian conflicts, and the norm of integration," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 353-366, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Tereza Novotná & Thomas Christiansen & Moosung Lee, 2023. "EU-Korea relations at 60: managing cooperation in the context of great power rivalry," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 481-492, December.

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