2017, Vol.32, No.1

The Journal of Northeast Asia Research 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.75

pISSN : 2005-4432
https://journal.kci.go.kr/inas

The aim of this study is to analyze and compare the impact of power structure on party politics and regime change in the political process: Focusing on main political parties in Korea and the UK for 18 years from 1979 to 1997. In addition, this study examined how the president under the presidential system and the prime minister of the parliamentary system exerted enormous power, whether the single-term system for the presidency of Korea as power structure was efficient and appropriate and how regime change carried out by the opposing parties in Korea and in the UK. For this purpose, the study employed institutional aspect (presidential system and parliamentary system) as key variables with leadership (power pursuit) and political culture (regionalism) as subsidiary variables in order to apply them in a mutually integrated method. As a result of examination, the impact of power structure of Korea and the UK on party politics and regime change is as follows. The president and the prime minister in both countries kept characteristics of power structure and reproduced regime with strong desire of power through the utilization of the ruling party and incapacitation strategy against the opposing parties. To the contrary, the opposing parties tried to seize the opportunity from mistake and maladministration of the ruling party. In this process, regionalism played a role in popular sentiment in case of Korea. As for the UK, the image of left and right parties was changed to the moderate catchall party which prompted a momentum to win the election.

On September 9, 2016, North Korea conducted their fifth nuclear test signaling nearly successful completion of their nuclear weapons program. This imposition is a life and death situation for South Korea due to the opposing position with North Korea who is directly acrossed the Demilitarization Zone. In order to overcome this security threat, what military strategy does South Korea need to develop? Based on this questions a study has been conducted to answer the concern. The methodology for resolving the question produced numerous propositions: First, what military strategy is needed and what elements should be included? Second, which elements of the military strategy produce and impact on the decisions? Third, based on the current North Korean nuclear aggression, what kind of military strategy should South Korea choose? Forth, once chosen, what are the implementation plans for success? These four propositions were studied thoroughly. As mentioned above, in order to overcome this security threat, how can South Korea plan a military strategy. The choice of the best military strategy alternative that South Korea can choose from has reached the conclusion of the offensive strategy and Alliance deterrence strategy.

The present study is aimed to present a plan to improve the military strategy of South Korean military in preparation for a new type of North Korea's provocation against South Korea as North Korea has been armed with nuclear weapons. Under the consecutive sanction and pressure of the international community, North Korean Kim Jeong-un regime has proceeded nuclear tests 5 times to downsize and standardize nuclear weapons, and increase the holdings of nuclear materials, which is needed to advance the capacity of nuclear weapons, diversifying the deliveries of nuclear weapons such as various types of missiles, SLBM test launching, and nuclear submarine. In addition, the regime declared last year to be a nuclear power at the 7th Party Congress and adopted “Policy Line Paralleling Nuclear Force and Economy" as permanent strategy and took its status of nuclear power as fact. When analyzing the series of these moves by North Korea, it is expected that Kim Jeong-un regime will never give up nuclear weapons and rather reinforce nuclear military strategy to take advantage of more actively as means of provocation against South Korea. Accordingly, we have to develop a military strategy in preparation for a new type of North Korea's provocation against South Korea as North Korea has been armed with nuclear weapons. This study found out that it is highly likely that the North Korean regime led by Kim Jeong-un starts a limited war, focusing on strong local provocation with conventional weaponry while maintaining the Balance of terror of mutually assured destruction (MAD) by arming itself with nuclear weapons. Therefore, plans to develop our military strategy can be presented as follows, First, it is 'Offensive Rejective Deterrence Strategy' that aims to remove nuclear weapons and nullify the use in advance in the peacetime and when North Korean's use of nuclear weapon is detected. Second, it is 'The Strategy of Quickly Securing Strategic Goal' in preparation for limited wars of local provocation that Kim Jeong-un regime, holding nuclear weapons, is expected to attempt to accomplish its political and military goals.