동북아 안보레짐: 북한의 국제법적 인식과 대응

Discussions and conceptions of a Northeast Asian security regime or a multilateral security structure started, and was very active, in the mid-1990s. A tremendous amount of related studies have already been published. Still, there haven’t really been any done on North Korea’s perceptions and responses within the legislative dimension. With this absence in mind, this paper examines in detail the state’s perceptions and legislative responses concerning core issues relating to the formation of a security regime and the establishment of a construct of peace such as the North Korean nuclear problem as well as others. The paper draws its sources from primary North Korean documents. This study first introduces the precedent cases of security regimes that have already been legislatively established and examines the limits to the legislative perspective. In addition, the paper analyses North Korea’s own plans and thoughts towards the construction of a security regime in Northeast Asia after reviewing the fundamental principles of North Korean legislation and the principles of international law. In addition, the paper looks into the ways in which North Korea’s attitudes and understanding of international law will play into the Northeast Asian security regime. These attempts will greatly contribute to predicting North Korean responses and policies in international law as the Six-Party Talks progress and serious discussions take place in detail about constructing a security regime in the region. North Korea’s stance on international law is fixed on the principle of “respecting national sovereignty.” Along with this fundamental principle, North Korea also focuses on mutual equality, non-intervention, and non-aggression as the core of their understanding of international law; all principles that help secure the core principle of national sovereignty. As such, in the future as we look to construct a legislative structure for a Northeast Asian multilateral security regime, it is of utmost importance that we keep these perspectives in mind and prepare ways to secure the effectiveness of multilateral, as well as bilateral, agreements.