Territory, identity and space as assemblage: alternative Unifications on the Korean peninsula

ABSTRACT

The paper re-assesses South Korean unification narratives in the context of territory and critical approaches to territory. From this, the paper identifies a set of underlying assumptions and expectations of South Korean government and civil society. The paper explains why division and unification are commonly assumed as a zero-sum relationship and primarily based on a bounded and homogenous understanding of spatiality and territory. From this, the paper indicates how alternative conceptions of space, networks and territory might be used to recast the site and nature of Korean territorial unification.

KEYWORDS:

• Asia
• assemblages
• borders
• network
• national identity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Dr Iain Watson is Associate Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, Ajou University, Korea. He received a Ph.D. from Newcastle University and taught international politics at Durham University and the United Nations UPeace University in Seoul, Korea. Since moving to Korea to teach in 2008 he has published work on Korean and Asian development and geopolitics in various monographs and in journals such as Third World Quarterly, New Political Economy, Geopolitics, The Pacific Review, Globalizations, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, Korea Observer, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Asian Security and Asian Studies Review. He is a regular commentator on the Korean media and, as an ex-pat based in Korea, he regularly guest lectures and contributes to a variety of policy-orientated think-tanks and NGOs in Seoul, Korea.

Notes

1 Sunshine is the policy of South Korea towards North Korea and was instigated during the Kim, Dae-jung presidency 1998–2003. The policy is officially known as the ‘Comprehensive Engagement Policy towards North Korea.’ The main areas are that any armed provocation by the North would not be tolerated by the South, that the South would not attempt to absorb the North and that the South actively seeks cooperation with North Korea.