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Preparing for Rainy Days: Swedish and South Korean Narratives on the Sunshine Policy

Bergström, Julia (2019) CÖSM40
Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
Abstract
This thesis explores the correlation between national role conceptions, national identities and sensemaking processes among South Korean and Swedish policy influencers during the Sunshine Policy years of 1998-2003. The study relies on in depth semi structured interviews with 10 policy influencers who work with North Korea policies. Starting from Holsti’s (1970) national role conceptions and Weick’s (1995) sensemaking processes, this thesis found that South Korean policy influencers experienced national role conceptions of regional subsystem collaborator, active independent and a role conception named ‘reunifier.’ Swedish interviewees experienced role conceptions of mediator integrator and bridge. The contested national identities among... (More)
This thesis explores the correlation between national role conceptions, national identities and sensemaking processes among South Korean and Swedish policy influencers during the Sunshine Policy years of 1998-2003. The study relies on in depth semi structured interviews with 10 policy influencers who work with North Korea policies. Starting from Holsti’s (1970) national role conceptions and Weick’s (1995) sensemaking processes, this thesis found that South Korean policy influencers experienced national role conceptions of regional subsystem collaborator, active independent and a role conception named ‘reunifier.’ Swedish interviewees experienced role conceptions of mediator integrator and bridge. The contested national identities among South Korean citizens led to stronger narratives and was the explanation among South Korean policy influencers for the limited success of the Sunshine Policy. For the Swedish policy influencers, party political identity took precedence over national identity in how policy influencers acted in relation with North Korea. Furthermore, a shift in national role conceptions among the South Korean policy influencers from active independent to reunifier had correlation with stronger beliefs in the effects of the Sunshine Policy, whereas a strengthening of Swedish national role conceptions of mediator-integrator and bridge had a correlation with fatigue and disbelief in the effects of the Sunshine Policy. (Less)
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author
Bergström, Julia
supervisor
organization
course
CÖSM40
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Sunshine Policy, Foreign policy, Sweden, South Korea, National role conceptions, Sensemaking, National identity
language
English
id
8996933
date added to LUP
2019-10-22 10:59:00
date last changed
2019-10-22 10:59:00
@misc{8996933,
  abstract     = {{This thesis explores the correlation between national role conceptions, national identities and sensemaking processes among South Korean and Swedish policy influencers during the Sunshine Policy years of 1998-2003. The study relies on in depth semi structured interviews with 10 policy influencers who work with North Korea policies. Starting from Holsti’s (1970) national role conceptions and Weick’s (1995) sensemaking processes, this thesis found that South Korean policy influencers experienced national role conceptions of regional subsystem collaborator, active independent and a role conception named ‘reunifier.’ Swedish interviewees experienced role conceptions of mediator integrator and bridge. The contested national identities among South Korean citizens led to stronger narratives and was the explanation among South Korean policy influencers for the limited success of the Sunshine Policy. For the Swedish policy influencers, party political identity took precedence over national identity in how policy influencers acted in relation with North Korea. Furthermore, a shift in national role conceptions among the South Korean policy influencers from active independent to reunifier had correlation with stronger beliefs in the effects of the Sunshine Policy, whereas a strengthening of Swedish national role conceptions of mediator-integrator and bridge had a correlation with fatigue and disbelief in the effects of the Sunshine Policy.}},
  author       = {{Bergström, Julia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Preparing for Rainy Days: Swedish and South Korean Narratives on the Sunshine Policy}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}