Possibilities and limitations of South Korea’s public diplomacy towards North Korea

Abstract

The article investigates South Korea’s public diplomacy toward North Korea. The author analyzes the factors that determine the choice by a state of a model of public diplomacy — cooperative (consultative) or non-cooperative (advocating interests) — in relation to a particular foreign society. The key research question: to what extent it is possible to use the instruments of public diplomacy in inter-Korean relations, which are distinguished by a conflict and highly centralized interactions. The restrictions that prevent the Republic of Korea from using public diplomacy in relation to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are defined as well as solutions are proposed to overcome the limitations and search for opportunities for inter-Korean interaction in the long term. The possibilities of the ROK in conducting both cooperative and informational public diplomacy toward the DPRK are rather limited. Social and humanitarian exchanges require reciprocity from the North. South Korea’s offensive unification rhetoric and politics meets rejection from the DPRK and hinders the normalization of inter-Korean relations. The lack of consensus in the ruling circles of the ROK on the necessity and content of the broadcasting of “promises” to the North Koreans also serves as an obstacle to the implementation of public diplomacy with respect to the DPRK. Despite the difficulties and limitations, it would be politically expedient for South Korea to continue to search for formats of cooperation with North Korea in the social and humanitarian field and to conduct a discourse focused on normalizing inter-Korean relations. The social and humanitarian dimension offers promising opportunities for interaction since it is aimed at solving practical problems of mutual interest. South Korea’s public diplomacy towards North Korea should prioritize the engagement of the DPRK in the transnational links.