Nordpolitik: Engaging with the Communist Bloc

Nordpolitik or Northern Policy defined the Republic of Korea's foreign policy towards the communist countries by then-President Roh Tae Woo. With the Détente of the 1970s, The Republic of Korea transitioned from diplomacy based on ideology to one based on practicality and tolerance paving the way for the expansion of the East Asian country's global presence.  Strategically, it also intended to isolate the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) or at the very least, bring them to the negotiation table.

Background

The 1980s witnessed groundbreaking changes in global affairs. The Soviet Union and the West entered into another period of rapprochement when Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet Union’s leader and called for Glasnost (opening). In 1987, British PM Margaret Thatcher visited Moscow followed by US President Ronald Reagan in 1988. In 1989, the Berlin Wall crumbled followed by massive democratization movements across the world. The Republic of Korea too saw tremendous changes within the decade. In 1987, a wave of protest across the country demanding a free and fair election and respect of human rights led to constitutional amendments. The amendments called for a direct popular election of the President in December 1987. With a split in the opposition between Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, both later became Presidents, lose to the former military general Roh Tae-woo.

Roh’s presidency went to be noted for Korea's transition to democracy as well as his foreign policy known as Nordpolitik or Northern Policy. Nordpolitik paralleled West Germany’s Ostpolitik in 1969 focusing on engagement with the communist bloc. It also aligned South Korea’s foreign policy with the developments in the engagement between the West and the Soviets. It abandoned a foreign policy based on ideology for one based on practicality. It aimed to increase Korea's economic ties and enhance the country's global presence. Moreover, it also meant to isolate the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) or at the very least, bring them to the negotiation table, especially after the reclusive state took a path towards developing nuclear weapons.

The 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics became a springboard for Roh’s Nordpolitik. In the games, Seoul avoided the controversy of massive boycotts that greatly marred the previous Olympic Games. Moscow’s decision to participate encouraged other Communist countries to join as well. Except for its northern neighbor and its few allies, the Game witnessed the participation of 159 countries and more than 9,000 athletes – the highest participation rate in an Olympic Games back then. During the Games, Seoul showed the fruits of its labor and displayed the success of the Miracle on the Han River that attracted the attention of many communist bloc countries desiring trade, investments, and loans.

Establishment of Formal Relations

Following the games, a series of establishing diplomatic relations ensued. One by one, communist countries recognized Seoul and exchanged embassies. The climax came in 1991 with the meeting between the leaders of the Republic of Korea and the Soviet Union.

Korea’s economic potential convinced many countries to formally recognize it. It began with Hungary on February 1, 1989, as both countries established diplomatic relations. President Roh Tae-woo visited Hungary to celebrate this achievement. A factor in this success laid with Seoul’s USD 650 million worth of economic assistance provided to Hungary with an initial loan of USD 125 million given as a down payment for the establishment of relations. Seoul then extended relations with Czechoslovakia on March 22, 1990, Bulgaria on March 23, 1990, and the Mongolian People’s Republic on March 26, 1990.

Nordpolitik then reached its apex with the start of talks with the USSR. It soon resulted in the opening of an office of the Korean trade Promotion Corporation in Moscow in the summer of 1989. In the spring of 1990, Kim Young-sam, one of the leaders of Korea's ruling party and Roh's party the Democratic Liberal Party, visited Moscow and received a warm welcome from the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. By June 1990, a US-backed meeting between Roh and Gorbachev in San Francisco took place. The summit went ahead in the Fairmont Hotel which garnered attention for its tensed atmosphere and an unexpected commotion in the elevator. Korean officials, reporters, and Secret Service shoved each other that resulted in a distracting ruckus. Despite the incident, the 2 leaders met and discussed trade and investment. Gorbachev looked forward to Korean investments in the underdeveloped Russian region of Siberia. On the other hand, Roh sought an increase in trade as well as Soviet support in the effort to prevent North Korea's nuclearization. After the San Francisco Summit, more talks between the leaders of the 2 nations followed. The 2 met in Moscow on December 1990 and in Jeju Island in April 1991. The summits led to the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the 2 countries, especially after Korea offered a massive USD 3 billion economic assistance to the Soviet Union. For this, Korea received Russian support in its campaign to ascend to the United Nations as a full member in September 1991. Moreover, the Soviets also apologized for the shooting down of KAL 007 in 1983. The establishment of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union became one of Roh’s crowning achievements.

Following the success with the Soviet Union, relations with the People’s Republic of China also went well. For years, both countries benefited economically with trade standing at USD 5.8 billion by 1991. Moreover, Korean companies already set up offices and shops in China years before, such as the case of Samsung that opened its Beijing site in 1985. In August 1982, the 2 countries established formal diplomatic relations. By October, President Roh visited China causing an uproar from both North Korea and Taiwan.

North Korea

Seoul’s diplomatic achievements from 1989 to 1992 infuriated North Korea’s Kim Il-Sung. Roh conceived Nordpolitik as a means to pressure North Korea to engage in talks with the South. The South Korean President extended the olive branch to his northern counterpart by proposing an inter-Korean visit of professionals and reunions of separated families. He also offered to mediate for better relations between the DPRK and Japan as well as with the United States. He even went as far as suggesting an Inter-Korean Summit. His proposals and invitations, however, fell into the deaf ears of Kim Il-Sung. The North Korean dictator remained headstrong maintaining his country’s isolation and adherence to Juche (Self-Reliance).

Inter-Korean relations remained cold as long as Kim Il-Sung lived. With the death of the long-time Korean dictator and the succession of his son Kim Jong-il, an inter-Korean summit finally materialized in 2000 under Nordpolitik’s successor, the Sunshine Policy, and President Kim Dae-jung.

In other words, during Roh Tae-woo’s presidency, the Nordpolitik failed to achieve its goal with regards to North Korea.

Summing Up

Nordpolitik engaged the Republic of Korea with the communist bloc countries. It embodied the application of practicality and reality in conducting diplomacy. It prepared the Republic of Korea for the rise of globalization in the 1990s and 2000s which Roh’s successor Kim Young-sam oversaw under the Segyehwa (globalization). Korea’s foreign relations expanded greatly and offered an opportunity to find new markets for its export-oriented economy. Despite the major successes, the objective concerning North Korea failed to materialize during Roh’s tenure. Nevertheless, the hope for Inter-Korean dialogue continued finally materializing in 2000.

See also:

Sadae

Sunshine Policy

Ostpolitik

Bibliography:

Books:

Brune, L. The Korean War: Handbook of the Literature and Research. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1996. 

Cha, V. Beyond the Final Score: The Politics of Sports in Asia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009.

Kim, J. International Politics and Security in Korea. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, 2007.

Websites:

Ahn, Sung-mi. “S. Korea Provided $125m in loans to Hungary in 1989 for Diplomatic Relations.” The Korea Herald. Accessed on September 12, 2020. URL: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200331000895

Bohlen, Celestine. “Soviets to Compete in Seoul Olympics.” The Washington Post. Accessed on September 12, 2020. URL: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/01/12/soviets-to-compete-in-seoul-olympics/be37de21-ab95-45da-bd1d-9625150bae0b/

Lee, Melanie & Miyoung Kim. “Insight: How Samsung is beating Apple in China.” Reuters. Accessed on September 12, 2020. URL: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-samsung-apple-china-insight/insight-how-samsung-is-beating-apple-in-china-idUSBRE96P05F20130726