남과 북은 한국전쟁의 휴전을 위해 정전협정을 체결하고 상호 충돌 및 기습을 방지하기 위한 경계, 즉 비무장지대(De-militarized Zone : DMZ)를 설정했다. 하지만분단 구조 하에서 DMZ는 본래의 목적과 달리 중무장화 되었고, 상호 심각한 인적· 물적 피해를 입힌 정전협정 주요 위반 사건(군사충돌)은 876건이 발생했다. DMZ에서 발생한 양측의 군사충돌은 상호 불신과 갈등을 확장시켜 남북 화해·협력을 저해하고 있다. 따라서 DMZ를 평화적으로 이용하기 위한 방안으로 남과 북이 정치·군사적문제의 동시 해결을 통해 지속 가능한 평화를 창출할 수 있는 신기능주의적 접근방법의 모색이 절실한 상황이다. 그럼에도 불구하고 DMZ 관련 기존연구의 대부분이DMZ의 평화적 이용을 가로막는 근본적인 원인을 규명하고 이에 대한 해결을 통해평화적 조성 방안을 제시하기 보다는 근본적 문제 해결에 대한 논의 없이 DMZ를어떻게 평화적으로 활용한 것인가에 초점이 맞추어져 왔다. 동시에 DMZ가 지닌 지정학적 우위성이나 보유자원을 활용하여 경제적 이득, 군사적 긴장관계 완화, 생태자원의 보전과 생태관광 등에 집중하는 연구경향이 나타났다.
본 연구의 목적은 앞서 제기한 문제점들을 고려하여 DMZ의 평화적 이용을 위한방안으로 신기능주의적 접근 방식을 제안하고자 한다. 왜냐하면, 정치·군사적 문제가남북 간 상호 적대의식을 재생산 및 강화시켰으며, 한반도 평화체제 구축의 장애 요인으로 작동했기 때문이다. 특히 최근에 진행된 DMZ내 지뢰 제거, GP 폭파 등은신기능주의적 접근 방식을 뒷받침하는 의미 있는 사례가 될 수 있다. 그리고 DMZ 평화적 이용 방안 및 선결과제의 제시를 통해 한반도 및 동북아 평화창출을 모색하고자 한다.
South Korea and North Korea signed the Armistice Agreement for the Korean War's truce and set up a demilitarized zone (DMZ) to prevent conflicts and surprises in 1953. However, under the division structure, the DMZ was heavily armed unlike its original purpose, and 876 cases of major violations of armistice agreements (military conflicts) caused serious human and material damage. Both sides' military clashes in the DMZ have worsened mutual distrust and conflict, hampering inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation. Therefore, it is urgent to find a neo-functionalist approach to transform the DMZ into a peaceful space, so that the South and the North Korea can build sustainable peace. Nevertheless, most of the previous researches on the DMZ have not identified the crucial conditions of the peaceful use of the DMZ, and have not proposed a solution for building sustainable peace. It has been focused on how to use the DMZ peacefully without discussing some fundamentals of problem solving. At the same time, there has been a tendency to focus on economic benefits, the mitigation of military tensions, the conservation of ecological resources and ecotourism by utilizing the DMZ's geopolitical advantages and resources. The purpose of this study is to propose a neo-functionalist approach as a method for peaceful use of DMZ considering the problems raised above. This is because political and military problems reproduced and strengthened mutual hostility between the two Koreas and acted as an obstacle to the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean peninsula. Especially recent demolition and GP explosion in the DMZ can be a meaningful example supporting the neo-functionalist approach.
South Korea and North Korea signed the Armistice Agreement for the Korean War's truce and set up a demilitarized zone (DMZ) to prevent conflicts and surprises in 1953. However, under the division structure, the DMZ was heavily armed unlike its original purpose, and 876 cases of major violations of armistice agreements (military conflicts) caused serious human and material damage. Both sides' military clashes in the DMZ have worsened mutual distrust and conflict, hampering inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation. Therefore, it is urgent to find a neo-functionalist approach to transform the DMZ into a peaceful space, so that the South and the North Korea can build sustainable peace. Nevertheless, most of the previous researches on the DMZ have not identified the crucial conditions of the peaceful use of the DMZ, and have not proposed a solution for building sustainable peace. It has been focused on how to use the DMZ peacefully without discussing some fundamentals of problem solving. At the same time, there has been a tendency to focus on economic benefits, the mitigation of military tensions, the conservation of ecological resources and ecotourism by utilizing the DMZ's geopolitical advantages and resources. The purpose of this study is to propose a neo-functionalist approach as a method for peaceful use of DMZ considering the problems raised above. This is because political and military problems reproduced and strengthened mutual hostility between the two Koreas and acted as an obstacle to the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean peninsula. Especially recent demolition and GP explosion in the DMZ can be a meaningful example supporting the neo-functionalist approach.
