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Questo articolo è stato pubblicato il 16 gennaio 2014 alle ore 17:48.
L'ultima modifica è del 15 ottobre 2014 alle ore 14:29.

My24

With a strong commitment to economic reform and opening up – backed by robust international support – North Korea could emulate the success of East Asian economies like South Korea, experiencing annual growth of more than 5% for the next several decades.

But there is more to North Korea’s situation than economics. The country is locked in a stalemate with the international community, which wants it to denuclearize and become a normal country. Unwilling to abandon its nuclear-weapons program, North Korea faces economic sanctions from the United States, with official aid and membership in institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on hold.

Given how unlikely North Korea is to denuclearize, at least in the immediate future, an alternative strategy is needed. The international community, especially South Korea, should support North Korea’s efforts to build a more open, market-based economy through expanded trade and investment, while continuing to work toward a compromise on denuclearization. The resulting prosperity and accessibility could, over time, bring about political change.

For ordinary North Koreans, who are suffering the most under the current system, such a transformation could not be more urgent.

Lee Jong-Wha, Professor of Economics and Director of the Asiatic Research Institute at Korea University, was a senior adviser for international economic affairs to former President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2014.

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