An Analysis on ROK's Arctic Policy and Interpretation

Sun Xueyan Wang Zuocheng

Abstact South Korea has been increasingly interested in the Arctic in recent years because the Arctic has a major impact on it in channel, climate change, energy and resources, and promoting the international influence. After South Korea won permanent observer status at the Arctic Council, South Korea announces its comprehensive Arctic policies. The comprehensive Arctic plan contains four strategic goals——boosting South Korea's international cooperation with the region, strengthening Korea's scientific research activities in the Arctic, creating a business model for energy and resources development in the Arctic, and securing legal and systemic grounds for the government's Arctic policies. The plan attaches great importance to international cooperation, highlights the economic benefits, and it will be conducive to the South Korea's arctic affairs, but there are defects in the content and implementation approach so that it may face some difficulties in the implementation level.

Keywords South Korea; Arctic policy; international cooperation; Arctic route