The Role of Civil Society Organisations and Sustainable Peacebuilding in Inter-Korean Relations

Abstract

Inter-Korean relations have remained volatile since the end of the Cold War, marked by recurring cycles of rapprochement and rupture that undermine the sustainability of peace. Departing from the dominant state-centric approach, which primarily focuses on political and security concerns, this study examines the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) as non-state actors. Focusing on inter-Korean exchange and cooperation (IKEC) initiatives, which have enabled substantial contact between North and South Koreans since the division of Korea, this research analyses the period from the Kim Dae-jung administration, during which such efforts were realised, to their effective suspension under the Moon Jae-in administration. Drawing on John D. Brewer's conceptualisation of the strategic social spaces of civil society - intellectual, institutional, market, and political spaces - this study provides a framework for understanding how CSOs contribute to sustainable peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula. Despite the volatility of administrations and policies, South Korean CSOs have played a critical role in continuously promoting IKEC by accumulating knowledge and generating alternative ideas (intellectual spaces), institutionalising creative ideas (institutional spaces), mobilising diverse resources (market spaces), and engaging directly or indirectly with government policy and inter-Korean dialogue (political spaces). The roles of CSOs in these four spaces have complemented the limitations of government-led efforts and demonstrated the potential for sustainable peacebuilding, despite oscillating political and social peace processes. However, the most significant constraint on CSO engagement has stemmed from policy and institutional frameworks in South Korea that have either failed to recognise the roles of civil society or have been reluctant to provide institutional guarantees for its engagement, thereby undermining the potential of CSOs to contribute meaningfully to sustainable peacebuilding. By connecting theoretical perspectives in peace and conflict studies and Korean studies, this thesis provides conceptual and empirical insights that were difficult to find in the existing framework of international relations. It shows that sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula cannot rely solely on state-led efforts, but rather proves that civil society participation is an essential yet under-explored path toward sustainable peacebuilding.