Leiden University Student Repository

Sluis, Hannelore van der (2023)

Colonial Memory, State Identity, and Foreign Policy Shaping Japan-South Korea Relations: The Case of GSOMIA

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

This thesis investigates state identity articulations in foreign policy regarding the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) within the context of a deteriorating security environment in Northeast Asia. Through a critical constructivist approach, the study explores how South Korea’s collective memory of historical experiences with Japan has influenced South Korea's foreign policy decisions and bilateral relations with Japan from 2012 to 2023. The findings show that the increasing need for security cooperation reconstructs South Korea’s national identity. South Korea’s colonial memories have impeded an approach toward future-oriented policies regarding the GSOMIA. However, under the current Yoon administration, South Korea appears to prioritize bilateral security cooperation with Japan instead of reproducing the historical disputes, resulting in the improvement of South Korea-Japan relations. This study contributes to the current scholarship on identity and IR by...Show moreThis thesis investigates state identity articulations in foreign policy regarding the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) within the context of a deteriorating security environment in Northeast Asia. Through a critical constructivist approach, the study explores how South Korea’s collective memory of historical experiences with Japan has influenced South Korea's foreign policy decisions and bilateral relations with Japan from 2012 to 2023. The findings show that the increasing need for security cooperation reconstructs South Korea’s national identity. South Korea’s colonial memories have impeded an approach toward future-oriented policies regarding the GSOMIA. However, under the current Yoon administration, South Korea appears to prioritize bilateral security cooperation with Japan instead of reproducing the historical disputes, resulting in the improvement of South Korea-Japan relations. This study contributes to the current scholarship on identity and IR by showing how state identity shapes international relations, with a focus on how state identity articulations in foreign policy manifest and transform amidst increasing security threats, and its impact on bilateral ties.Show less

South Korea

regional security

GSOMIA

ROK-Japan bilateral relations

foreign policy

postcolonial state identity

critical constructivism

Author

Sluis, Hannelore van der

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

East Asia

Supervisors

Lai, P.C.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en