Zugl.: Innsbruck, Univ., Diss., 2008

Rev. diss. Univ. of Hawaii.

The aim of this thesis was to study Sweden’s relations with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from the Korean War to this day. To do so, the focus was put on Sweden’s different motives during that time resulting in the identification of two phases. The first, characterized by an economical interest and the second, by a diplomatic and humanitarian one. Moreover, a non-governmental perspective was presented with the Swedish NGO Institute for Security & Development Policy (ISDP) in focus. This perspective showed the importance of non-governmental actors’ engagement with the DPRK. Finally, the international relations’ theory of neoliberalism was used as a theoretical framework for the thesis. The conclusion is that neoliberalism is correct at explaining the engagement of Sweden towards the DPRK. As one of the western countries with the best relations with the DPRK, we conclude that Sweden has an important role to play in facilitating the dialogue between the international community and the DPRK.

No description available.

On September 3rd 2017, North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test that spread fear around the world. North Korea has used its nuclear capabilities in an aggressive manner for thirty years and researchers disagree on what purposes are behind the state’s nuclear policy. This debate must be discussed more thoroughly to be able to handle North Korea and other small nuclear states in the future.  This paper aims to further contribute to the understanding of North Korea’s nuclear policy by studying the North Korean actions from 1992 when nuclear suspicions rose to the Korean crisis 2017. By using a process tracing method with three theories about nuclear usage the study will give an increased insight regarding the debate. To get a wider perspective an interview was conducted with Hans Blix, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who has visited North Korea.  The main analytical result was that North Korea’s nuclear policy showed a high level of congruence with all three of the theories but the intensity differed on different periods in time. This conclusion can contribute to further research on North Korea and other small nuclear states.

Representations have a significant part in our everyday lives as they shape our understanding of the world and are related to the construction of knowledge and the formation of social relations between different cultural groups. Previous studies have questioned the objectivity of news media and representations and argued that representations are not as objective as they often claim to be. Conscious and unconscious choices such as what is to be emphasized, included, excluded, choices of words, examples, metaphors, the journalist's background and more are examples of what makes the neutrality and objectivity of news reporting questionable. This argument is further strengthened by emphasizing that news production and its consumption is neither isolated nor independent and is influenced by different levels of power. The production of news is therefore a complex interaction between different stakeholders that influence what is interesting and newsworthy to be published because in the end, news is a product to be sold. This study examines the geographical representation of North Korea in the news media with a frame perspective. Framing has in this study been interpreted as a way of representing and is understood as a framework that frames a news subject and sets the tone on how the news subject can be interpreted and understood by the receiver. The empirical data, collected from two Swedish and two South Korean digital newspapers from two time periods, April 2017 and April 2018, were analyzed using a combination of a frame analysis and a content analysis. The conclusion of this study is that there are to some extent differences on how the news media in Sweden and South Korea choose to frame North Korea. During the two time periods, the Swedish news medias makes generally a more negative representation of North Korea compared to the South Korean news medias. But overall are the frames used by the news media in both countries reflected by the situation in North Korea and the world.

Univ., Diss.--Kiel, 2002.

The aim of this work is to get a deeper understanding concerning the events following the end of the six party talks 2009, when North Korea decided to withdraw. By using analytical security perspectives, neorealism and neoliberalism a further understanding for the previous members from the six party talks approaches will be discussed in this qualitative case study. By going through books and articles concerning this series of events, a deepening understanding for the security policy in east Asia accurse, and the complexity of nuclear states. The study shows that Russia, China, South Korea, Japan and the US are in some ways eager to have further discussions concerning denuclearisation in North Korea. In this process of maximising their own state security, other states have shown a greater fear if a neorealist security approach is used.

Kinas säkerhet - En studie av hur Kina hanterar regionala utmaningar Den regionala stabiliteten i Sydostasien präglas av Kinas tydliga dominans. Kinas strävan att bibehålla regional stabilitet kännetecknar den kinesiska utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiken. För Kina är ett stabilt närområde en viktig grundpelare i sin strävan mot att fortsätta sin ekonomiska tillväxt och öka sitt regionala och på sikt även globala inflytande. Ett stabilt närområde är dessutom en förutsättning för att Kina ska kunna öka sitt engagemang i områden bortom sitt närområde. Denna uppsats analyserar Kinas syn på sin säkerhet i sitt närområde, och hur denna uppnås och bibehålls. Genom en jämförande studie där Burma och Nordkorea tjänar som tämligen olika referensstater används ett realistiskt teoretiskt perspektiv för att förklara Kinas ageranden och val av strategi. Resultatet visar ett Kina som tydligt strävar efter att påverka sin omgivning på ett sätt som säkerställer säkerhet och ekonomisk tillväxt. Kina nedtonar konsekvent sin roll som regional stormakt, men har under de senaste åren också visat prov på att utnyttja denna. Kinas tillämpning av milieu shaping uttrycks dock olika och skiljer sig åt i fallen Burma och Nordkorea. Nyckelord: burma, kina, kärnvapen, myanmar, milieu shaping, nordkorea, säkerhet, säkerhetspolitik

This study examines the South Korea President Park Geun-hye and United States President Obama respective administration's policy vis-à-vis North Korea. The scope is narrowed down to the year 2013, during which the regime in Pyongyang conducted its third nuclear test. How to perceive and engage the regime in Pyongyang have been debated in the post-cold war era, divided into progressive (doves) and hard liners (hawks). Periods of policy discrepancy have occurred between Washington and Seoul, that have been observed to bear effect on North Korean behavior vis-à-vis South Korea. This study ties on to the contemporary policy debate in Seoul and Washington on North Korean engagement strategies. Moreover, expanding the scope and examines the respective administration's policy through a analytical framework based on a content analysis from a system level perspective. Furthermore, how neo-realism, neo-liberalism and the concept of reciprocity can shed light upon respective policies and give a sense of notion of alignment or discrepancy between Seoul and Washington.