Competing Views on an East Asian Community: A South Korean Perspective

The region of East Asia has experienced profound changes during the last two decades with the formation of a more region-oriented regional order in the economic and other arenas. Amidst the tendency moving fast towards an increased economic interdependence, there have been growing discussions among the regional countries on the possibility of building an East Asian Community. The main aim of this research is to examine the extent to which the EU's integration experience would make contribution to understanding East Asia's regional potential. It is argued that, despite the huge gaps between the two regions, the overall conditions for regional cooperation and integration in East Asia have been fast improving and the applicability of the European model to the region will continue to increase in the future. After analysing the political and security implications of the ongoing discussions, the author concludes that both the EU's model of regional integration and its proactive engagement policy in the region would likely facilitate the formation of an East Asian community in the coming future.