Four Major Agreements on Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation and Legal Measures for their Implementation

Abstract

This paper argues that the adoption of the four major inter-Korean agreements on economic

cooperation shows that barriers to inter-Korean cooperation and building an inter-Korean economic union can be overcome through dialog and cooperation. Faithful implementation and observance of these agreements is expected to stimulate inter-Korean economic cooperation and push forward the implementation of other agreements made between the two Koreas. However, many areas in the Four Major Agreements are incomplete. Thus, there must be clarification through measures or even deletions of ambiguous clauses that could block implementation. At the same time, specific and actionable follow-up measures need to be introduced to ensure implementation.