NVDB005_-_CH_4.003._The_Korean_Peninsula_Issue_-_EK_Bunly-2

81 — DP Vol. 05

Regional Security Dilemma: Trends, Directions, and Illusion

Ek Bunly is currently holding positions as a Research Fellow and a Personal Assistant to the Executive Director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP). He is also a responsible person of the Career Center Unit at Paragon International University since 2019.

He was the President of the Paragon International University Model United Nations Club (PIUMUN) from 2019 – 2020. He was a runner-up in the CamDEBATE Public Speaking Competition in 2019.

His research focuses on Cambodia’s foreign policy and the relations between Cambodia and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

The Korean War ended on the 27th of July 1953, three years after it began in 1950. Over five million soldiers and civilians lost their lives in the process 1. Despite the fact that the war has long since ended, geopo- litical power contenstation, both within the Korean Peninsula and from external actors such as the US, China and Japan, remains evident today.

ASEAN, as one of the Korean Peninsula’s main devel- opment partners with comparatively little ideological interest in the region, is well placed to mediate the ongoing tense relationship between the two Koreas. Cambodia, as the current Chair of ASEAN, has demon- strated notable effort and benevolence in helping to promote peace and confidence-building during the Summit for Peace on the Korean Peninsula in February 2022 2.

However, the main question remains, what can Cambodia, as the Chair of ASEAN in 2022, do to make positive progress on the issue of the Korean Peninsula? How can it help ASEAN and the two Koreas to utilize the opportunities and confront the dire challenges which must be addressed in order to move forward?

Opportunities for ASEAN and Korea

Both the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea) have modestly fair relations with ASEAN member states, and vice versa. Take Cambodia. The Kingdom is one of the few Southeast Asian countries to

1 History.com Editors. (2009, November 9). Korean War. History. com. Retrieved June 14, 2022, from https://www.history.com/ topics/korea/korean-war#:~:text=Korean%20War%20Casualties,- The%20Korean%20War&amp;text=Nearly%205%20million%20 people%20died,more%20than%20100%2C000%20were%20w- ounded.

2 Sochan, R. (2022, February 13). PM suggests move for Korean peace. PM suggests move for Korean peace | Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved June 12, 2022, from https://www.phnompenhpost. com/national-politics/pm-suggests-move-korean-peace

have an Embassy in the DPRK 3 and currently maintains good bilateral ties with the ROK 4.

The bond between Cambodia and the DPRK results from the good relations established between King Norodom Sihanouk and Kim Il-sung during the 1960s which have been maintained ever since 5. This has made Cambodia one of the few countries in the world to have a unique relationship with North Korea that is based on bilateral ties rather than geopolitical and geo-cultural interest 6 , creating room for the Kingdom to further engage with the DPRK.

In this context, Cambodia can help to promote bilateral dialogue with North Korea and even encourage the softening of its highly isolationist foreign policy, partic- ularly at a time when the DPRK is still struggling to contain the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic 7.

Given the pandemic, the Ukraine conflict, rising food and fuel prices, the ongoing Myanmar crisis, and the growing geopolitical rivalry between the US and China, Cambodia has many regional priorities to balance. Yet the Kingdom could nevertheless help to

3 Chheang , V. (2019, March 7). Cambodia-North Korea relations. East-West Center. Retrieved June 13, 2022, from https://www. eastwestcenter.org/publications/cambodia-north-korea-relations

4 Sar , Socheath. “Diplomatic Ties with South Korea ‘on Right Track,’ Says Prime Minister - Khmer Times.” Khmer Times - Insight into Cambodia, January 3, 2022. https://www.khmertimeskh. com/50999920/diplomatic-ties-with-south-korea-on-right-track- says-prime-minister/#:~:text=The%20bilateral%20diplomatic%20 relations%20between,advancement%2C%20especially%20in%20 recent%20years.

5 Jeldres, J. A. (2019, February 24). Clarification on N Korea’s ties with Cambodia - Khmer Times. Khmer Times - Insight into Cambodia. Retrieved June 14, 2022, from https://www. khmertimeskh.com/581276/clarification-on-n-koreas-ties-with- cambodia/

6 Kin, P. (2018, September 2). Cambodia-North Korea relations since 1964: A historical review. International Relations Institute of Cambodia . Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://iric.gov.kh/ cambodia-north-korea-relations-since-1964-a-historical-review/

7 Al Jazeera. (2022, May 30). N Korea logs rise in fever cases amid move to soften covid curbs. Coronavirus pandemic News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved June 14, 2022, from https://www.aljazeera. com/news/2022/5/30/n-korea-logs-jump-in-fever-cases-amid- move-to-soften-covid-curbs