[특집] 한ㆍ중ㆍ일의 신 국가정체성과 동북아 안보

Northeast Asian Countries' Searching For Identity And Security Environment

Northeast Asian countries, Korea, China, Japan, are experiencing a crisis of national identity. The existing national consensus on their national character is challenged to be remolded according to new international environment and each nation's internal problems. Thus, Northeast Asian nation's searching for new national identity may produce the complexity of potential threats to each other in spite of favorably perceived trends of post-Cold War security environment. Newly forming national identity of Northeast Asian countries must be the basis of each nation's security policy while affecting each other's security paradigm. This research ventures to examine “national identity” in four categories; state system, state ideology, model of accumulation, foreign perception and national sentiment. Security policy options in the context of cooperative security system are to be suggested. The analysis shows that, in the short term, both China and Japan may not have aggressive orientation to radically alter the present security environment. In the long run, however, China would claim more and more “Chinese Civilization” and be highly sensitive on national pride and prestige. Japan, meanwhile, would have “crisis sentiment” according to China's ascending to super power status and the changing situation of Korean Peninsula. It could be pointed out that Japan would be continuously thinking and acting based on dual character of national orientation. For the formulation of long term strategy, Korean government and people should first read correctly the internal basis of Japanese national orientation, then, employ China and the United States for the common interest. Secondly, confidence building process and normalization of Korean Peninsula must be taken as prerequisite for the future international security arrangement for the peace and prosperity of Northeast Asia.