남북경제공동체의 교두보로서 개성산업공단의 현재와 미래

The present status and future prospect on Gaeseong Industrail Complex as beach-head for economic integration for two Koreas

ln the wake of global changes, including the change of the world order, North Korea, aware of the imperative to change itself and its position right now, is apparently eager to modify its economic policy in order to ensure its own survival and prosperity. Economic cooperation between South and North Koreas is continuing, and the diplomatic relationship between both parts are improving. Yet the overall condition of the Korean peninsula is still unstable. And that is because a status of peace which will ensure the peaceful coexistence of both South and North Koreas is not yet established. In order to achieve peace, the atmosphere of reconciliation between South and North Koreas should be encouraged more, and considerably strengthened. Reconciliation is the only thing that would restore not only the human relationship between people but also diplomatic relations between countries to the most desirable status. Reconciliation is also the only thing that would surely elevate the interdependency between major powers that might have different economic systems, and eventually bring them closer to each other. With such reconciliation, both parties will come to share the same prospect for a productive future, explore future opportunities in which they would be able to count on each other more, and strive to reach their shared goal side by side. And such efforts would force both parties to drop their hostile intentions toward each other, and finally come out of decades of confrontation. In order to make all that possible, in the early stages, both parties should try to establish trust and eliminate distrust between them. Also, economic cooperation should be reinforced. Currently, South Korea is aiding North Korea by providing basic production facilities, and is helping North Korea address the ecooomic difficulties North Korea is facing. In the furure, direct trades and exchanges should be established, and the fashion of trades and exchanges should be diversified, to include more investments, production of factories, transfer of technologies, joint efforts in research and development, etc. Economic cooperation between the South and North Koreas is in fact the most effective tool for establishing trust between them, and also the most viable route to be taken in the Korean people’s effort to achieve the ultimate unification. Unfortunately, the furure of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, which represents the faith of both South and North Korean people, is uncertain, as there are too many variables inside and outside the region which make it hard to foresee whether this experiment will succeed or not. The independent conditions are unpredictable, and the overall atmosphere is uneasy at best. But there are also factors that let us maintain our hope. The price of land is low, labor cost is low, and tariff is practically nonexistent. South and North Korean authorities are expected to provide administrative accommodations. Geographic position of the Gaeseong city is also what makes people hopeful. Gaeseong is not that distant from Seoul, the capital of South Korea which would serve as essentially a huge background market for the complex. And the Gaeseong Industrial Complex will also benefit from the restoration of the Gyeongeui-seon railway, which will reconnect the South and North parts of the Korean peninsula. Geographic accessibility encourages everyone to make economic approaches. In the furure, it is for sure that a huge industrial base will be established, and that complex will evolve into an important manufacturers complex.