by the Korean people, the Government plans to bridge the divide on the North Korea and
reunification issues and for such a national consensus to build momentum towards establishing a reunified Korea.
Third, the ROK government seeks to make full use of its trust-based diplomacy to resolve
the so-called “Asia’s Paradox” in which the level of political and security cooperation lags far
behind the deepening economic interdependency. The Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation
Initiative (NAPCI) is a key policy to realize trust-based diplomacy in Northeast Asia. Through
this initiative, the ROK government seeks to establish a custom of multilateral cooperation
in the region starting with those issues that countries can easily engage in cooperation, such
as climate change, terrorism, drug trafficking and the environment. Building on this feat,
ROK will aim to broaden the scope of cooperation to include more controversial issues. The
government will seek to build greater consensus on the need for change in North Korea, and
further strengthen cooperation with the international community to induce North Korea to
renounce its nuclear development and promote human rights. In the process, the government
will further garner support from the international community for reunification. As a middle
power, the government will also strive to earn greater trust from the international community
and promote an attractive national image by fully committing to its responsibilities and role in
the international arena.
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Chapter 2 National Security Strategy and Defense Policy