김정은 시기 북한 경제특구정책의 변화와 개성공단 재개에 주는 함의

The change of North Korea Special Economic Zone Policy under Kim Jung Eun and it implicatins for reopening Kaesong Industrial Complex

The object of this research is to analyze policy changes in the special economic zone(SEZ) focusing on laws and institutions and to explore implications for the resumption of the Kaesong Industrial Region(KIR) by exploring drawbacks disclosed in the process of operating SEZ and alternatives to surmount the problems. Recently, the tension between North Korea and the US over the North Korean nuclear issue has been sharpening and the worldwide pressure on the North is strengthening as the North s nuclear test and continuous missile tests do not cease. Under the framework of international sanctions such as UN sanctions, the resumption of KIR and the economic cooperation between the South and North Korea may not be a pending issue to be pushed ahead at the moment. However, considering the possibility of returning to peace and cooperation and the contribution of economic cooperation to the regional security and co-prosperity of Korea, it is a significant preliminary task to study how to improve the management of KIR.For this object, this paper classified the SEZs of North Korea into three stages according to promotion periods and analyzed the policy changes in SEZs. From a macroscopic perspective, the sequential changes including the pursuit of practical use and benefits, strengthening of decentralization, and the transition to bilateral economic cooperation were observed. Changes in these policies are reflected in the governance structure, the principles of zone management, the tax system, and the labor system, but the range of reforms is limited, and there were sectors still following the limitations of past policies. Based on the results of the study, it suggests four improvement plans for the resumption of KIR. First, in order to secure the sustainability of the SEZ, the transition to a multilateral economic cooperation system from the bilateral economic cooperation system is necessary. Second, it should strengthen the decentralization by giving the local government a leading authority to manage its projects in order to improve the efficiency of the SEZ projects. Third, the participation of North Korean enterprises should be encouraged considering the object of inter-Korean economic cooperation. Fourth, it is necessary to make efforts to constantly improve legislation in order to foster a pro-business environment in the zone.