An essay on Korean reunification: Spatial effects of regional integration and its implications for regional and transportation policies

The research examines alternative regional and economic integration strategies for Korea. Although it is primarily a study in policy analysis, the research draws upon hypotheses about the role of transportation infrastructure in regional development, cross-border economic development strategies, and the links between migration and housing needs.; There are two major constraints in undertaking this study: uncertainty about the date of reunification and limitations in data availability from North Korea. The study assumes reunification after a decade, not because it is necessarily realistic but because of the difficulty of making long-term projections. The data problem is more of an obstacle than in many areas of social science research. There is some information (e.g. about the transportation network and demographics) available from North Korea, but its reliability is suspect. Government-sponsored research agencies in South Korea are undertaking studies, but the data is secret and limited to outside scholars to access.; Hence, this study supplements the limited data by testing analogies from around the world in the Korean context. For example, German reunification provides evidence of the need to fill transportation infrastructure gaps when borders are opened with some detailed insights about new economic landscape caused by labor migration. The U.S.-Mexico border illustrates the problems of huge cross-border income differentials, with the possibility of building low-income housing and factories close to the North-South border as a deterrent to migration south, which would result in major absorption problems in Seoul. The China-Hong Kong borders offer strategies for semi-open borders after reunification. The China-Taiwan case provides lessons and implications for North Korea with respect to reforming the centralized economy and integrating the two economies without heavily favoring political supports.; The extreme reunification strategies are (i) immediate open borders; and (ii) major investments in infrastructure and job creation in the North for an interim period combined with semi-closed borders. At present, the latter approach appears more attractive, but it would require a detailed spatial development plan for the interim development of the North and the subsequent integration of the North and South Korean economies. Designing a feasible plan is a major objective of this research.