Inter-Korean Integration Index 1989-2007

Authors: Park Myoung-Kyu, Kim Byung-Yeon, Kim Philo [Byoung-Ro], Chung Eun-mi

The Inter-Korean Integration Index will help us understand the reality of ongoing progress in inter-Korean relations without overly political or ideological discussions.

The Inter-Korean Integration Index also implies what changes North Korea, as well as South Korea, should engage in throughout the process of inter-Korean integration.

The Inter-Korean Integration Index is designed not only to only reflect elements between South and North Korea, but also to comprehensively cover factors such as North Korea, South Korea, and international environmental factors. The index will also measure multi-layered aspects such as systems, phenomena, and perceptions. If this design is successful, the Inter-Korean Integration Index will be able to meet expectations as an index that can quantitatively measure the degree of improvement in the Inter-Korean Relations and the process of establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

Finally, the development and utilization of the appropriate Inter-Korean Integration Index could provide an opportunity to reverse the tendency to neglect discussions on the actual process of integration because of the justification of unification.

The Inter-Korean Integration Index will serve as a framework for developing a system that can assess Inter-Korean relations coolly and objectively in the great process of integration, as well as give feedback to policymakers.

Published: 2009.

Byung-Yeon Kim, et al., Inter-Korean Integration Index 1989-2007 (2009)