All
 
|
 
 


Identity politics in Korea-Japan trade dispute and its implications for the international trading system
 
PIIS032150750017409-1-1
DOI10.31857/S032150750017409-1
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Irina A. Korgun 
Occupation: Senior Researcher, Acting Director, Center for the Russian Strategy in Asia, Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences; Associate Professor, School of Asian Studies, HSE University
Affiliation:
Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences
HSE University
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameAsia and Africa Today
EditionIssue 11
Pages31-38
Abstract

This paper aims to analyse a trade dispute between Republic of Korea and Japan that started in summer of 2019. The dispute between two neighbours and allies may have wider international implications: currently, this dispute is being considered by the WTO and decision on it could impact how similar disputes are treated in future.

This research seeks to identify deeper mechanisms in development of the trade conflict and are rooted in events happened almost a century ago. The paper approaches the dispute from Korea’s perspective. Careful examination of layers of the conflict and a chain of events that preceded and followed it reveals a complex interplay of interests between various social and political groups in Korea. A catalysing role of identity politics in dispute development and subsequent internationalisation is discussed. It is argued that complex interplay of interests in Korean politics had created a venue for subnational players to exert influence on their own government and the regional balance and on how the dispute with Japan is treated.

The paper contributes to studies of international actions (political and economic) based on identity that makes societies prefer repudiation of former injustices over immediate economic benefits and how such actions impact international trade. Research confirms that the hyper-interconnected nature of the world creates ways for identity movements to expand into the area of international trade policy. The paper also draws attention to the fact that such disputes undermine existing principles of the international trading system which currently does not have adequate tools for their resolution. Reduction of risks associated with similar disputes is in the interests of the international community and should base on blended solutions that incorporate institutional, political, and judicial elements.

Keywordstrade dispute, Republic of Korea, Japan, identity politics, WTO, export restrictions
AcknowledgmentThis research was supported by the 2020 Korean Studies Grant Program of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2020-R89).
Received19.09.2021
Publication date24.11.2021
Number of characters28027
Cite  
100 rub.
When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 482

Readers community rating: votes 0 

1. Thiel M., Coate R. 2010. Identity Politics and Political Identities: Local Expressions in a Globalizing World. Identity politics in the age of globalization, ed. by Roger Coate, Markus Thiel. First Forum Press, p. 207. ISBN: 978-1-935049-26-5
2. Preston P.W. (1997). Political/cultural identity: Citizens and nations in a global era. SAGE Publications Ltd. https://www.doi.  org/10.4135/9781446279335
3. Fukuyama F. 2018. Identity. The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018, p. 91.
4. Muller J. Clash of People. The New York Times, 29.02.2008. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/opinion/29iht-edmuller.html?smid=url-share  (accessed 25.02.2021)
5. Kruks S. 2001. Retrieving Experience: Subjectivity and Recognition in Feminist Politics, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, p. 85.
6. Connolly W. (2002). Identity\Difference: Democratic Negotiations of Political Paradox. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, p. 64.
7. Carastathis A. 2017. Intersectionality: Origins, Contestations, Horizons, Lincoln. NB: University of Nebraska Press.
8. Taiaiake A. 1999. Peace, Power, and Righteousness: An Indigenous Manifesto. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
9. Kumar A., Elliott-Cooper A., Iyer Sh., Gebrial D. 2018. An Introduction to the Special Issue on Identity Politics. Historical Materialism, 26(2): 3-20, pp. 5-6.
10. Martín Alcoff L.M., Hames-García S.P. Mohanty Moya P.M.L. 2006. Identity Politics Reconsidered. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 7.
11. Rodrik D. 2011. The Future of Economic Convergence. NBER Working Papers 17400, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w17400/w17400.pdf  (accessed 07.05.2021)
12. Grossman G.M., Helpman E. 2020. Identity Politics and Trade Policy. NBER Working Papers 25348. National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
13. Besley T., Persson T. (2019, March 29). The Rise of Identity Politics. Working Papers, LSE. https://www.lse.ac.uk/economics/Assets/Documents/personal-pages/tim-besley/working-papers/the-rise-of-identity-politics.pdf  (accessed 10.05.2021)
14. Hosokawa R., Sugihara J. (2019, July 25). Japan has cited weak South Korean oversight and cases of "inappropriate" exports to justify the tighter controls. Asia Nikkei. https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Japan-South-Korea-rift/Tokyo-and-Seoul-clash-at-WTO-as-third-countries-look-other-way  (accessed 07.05.2021)
15. Magi L. 2020. The effect of the WTO dispute settlement crisis on the development of case law on national security exceptions: A critical scenario. QIL, Zoom-in 69, pp. 29-47.
16. Johnson K. Why Are Japan and South Korea at Each Other’s Throats? Foreign Policy. 15.07.2019. https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/07/15/why-are-japan-and-south-korea-in-a-trade-fight-moon-abe-chips-wwii/  (accessed 15.06.2021)
17. Ishikida M.Y. 2005. Toward Peace: War Responsibility, Post-war Compensation, and Peace Movements and Education in Japan. iUniverse. 130 p. P. 21.
18. Choe S.H., Rich M. $89,000 verdict is tearing Japan, South Korea apart. The New York Times. 13.02.21019. https://nytimes.  com/2019/02/13/world/asia/south-korea-slave-forced-labor-japan-world-war-two.html?module=inline (accessed 15.06.2021)
19. Pandey I. 2019. Tigers on the prawl South Korea, Japan, and the Futility of Symbolic Disputes. Harvard International Review, May 1. https://hir.harvard.edu/tigers-on-the-prowl/  (accessed 17.06.2021)
20. Putnam R. 1988. Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Level Games. International Organization, 42(3), pp. 427-460.
21. Sotetsu R. Moon's anti-Japanese policy at the root of fractured relations. Japan Times, 28.08.2019. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/08/28/national/politics-diplomacy/moons-anti-japanese-policy-root-fractured-relations/  (accessed 07.05.2021)
22. Shin H.H., Smith J. South Korean political leaders vow to work together to resolve Japan dispute. Reuters. July 18, 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-japan-laborers-moon/south-korean-political-leaders-vow-to-work-together-to-resolve-japan-dispute-idUSKCN1UD1HK  (accessed 27.03.2021)
23. Kim S.Y., Lee M.J. (3rd LD) Ruling party wins landslide in parliamentary elections amid pandemic. YNA, 16.04.2020. https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200416004453315?section=national/politics#none  (accessed 20.04.2021)
24. Thompson W.R., Ganguly S. 2011. Asian Rivalries: Conflict, Escalation, and Limitations on Two-level Games. California: Stanford Security Studies. P. 195.
25. Kelly R. 2019. Interview. Cit. by William Gallo (2019, July 17). US Expands Mediating Role in South Korea-Japan Dispute. VOA News. https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/us-expands-mediating-role-south-korea-japan-dispute  (accessed 06.03.2021)
26. Choe S.H., Rich M. $89,000 verdict is tearing Japan, South Korea apart. The New York Times. 13.02.2019. https://nytimes.  com/2019/02/13/world/asia/south-korea-slave-forced-labor-japan-world-war-two.html?module=inline (accessed: 17.06.2021)
27. Heath J.B. 2019. The New National Security Challenge to the Economic Order. 129 Yale Law Journal 1020.
28. Aggarwal V.K., Lee S.J. (eds). 2010. Trade Policy in the Asia-Pacific: The Role of Ideas, Interests, and Domestic Institutions. The Political Economy of the Asia Pacific. New York: Springer.
29. Shin G.W., Sneider D. (eds). 2016. Divergent Memories: Opinion Leaders and the Asia-Pacific War. Stanford University Press, California, 376 p.

Система Orphus

Loading...
Up