The EU has a policy of 'critical engagement' with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This policy mixes attempts at political dialogue, aimed at achieving stability in the Korean Peninsula,...Show moreThe EU has a policy of 'critical engagement' with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This policy mixes attempts at political dialogue, aimed at achieving stability in the Korean Peninsula, with a strong sanctions policy to deter the regime from developing its nuclear programme. However, this policy has delivered few results since its inception in the mid-2000s. By drawing on theories of EU actorness, critical engagement is analysed in this thesis in order to determine the extent to which the EU should - and could - reconsider its current approach. While the EU's options in this conflict are limited, the thesis finds that a re-evaluation of critical engagement is overdue, and that the EU has available, though difficult, avenues through which it can renew its approach to North Korea.Show less
