Nordpolitik
| Nordpolitik | |
| Hangul | 북방 정책 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 北方政策 |
| Revised Romanization | Bukbang jeongchaek |
| McCune–Reischauer | Pukpang chŏngch'aek |
Nordpolitik (German for "Northern Policy") was the signature foreign policy of South Korean president Roh Tae-woo. Named in 1983 by then-Foreign Minister Lee Beom Suk but not formally announced until the run-up to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the policy guided South Korean efforts to reach out to the traditional allies of North Korea, with the ultimate goal of normalized relations with China and the Soviet Union, both to improve the South's economy and to leave the North so isolated that it would have no choice but to open itself up and reduce military tensions.
The policy was named after the West German policy of Ostpolitik ("Eastern Policy") towards the then communist East Germany, although the Ostpolitik was aimed directly at a normalization of the relationship between two German states. The successor of the Nordpolitik was the Sunshine Policy, which bore more tangible similarities with the German Ostpolitik.
See also
External links
- "Relations with the Soviet Union" from "South Korea: A Country Study", a publication of the US Army.
