존재론적 안보와 미중 전략경쟁 시대의 북중 ‘전략적 협력’

초록

This study analyzes how North Korea-China ‘strategic cooperation’ is being reconstructed under the intensifying U.S.-China strategic competition through the lens of ontological security theory. While traditional security theories focus on physical survival and short-term interests, ontological security theory explains state behavior as driven by the desire to maintain and strengthen national identity. During the Cold War, China and North Korea maintained a close cooperative relationship based on ideological ties and geopolitical interests. However, after the Cold War, North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, along with shifts in the international order, led to a relationship characterized by both conflict and cooperation, making it increasingly unstable. The recent intensification of U.S.-China strategic competition has prompted North Korea to perceive U.S. military and economic pressure as a threat to its ‘Juche’ identity and ‘self-reliance’ policy, leading it to strengthen its nuclear capabilities and deepen cooperation with China. Similarly, China, faced with the U.S. containment strategy and threats to its ‘great power’ identity, has sought to secure its ontological stability by utilizing North Korea as a strategic buffer zone. This interaction goes beyond the mere coordination of material interests and represents a strategic choice aimed at mitigating existential anxiety and identity crises within each state. North Korea reaffirms its regime legitimacy and seeks to overcome international isolation through its de facto nuclear state identity, while China strengthens its ontological security by countering U.S. containment through the narrative of the “Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation.” Ultimately, this study demonstrates that the interplay of U.S.-China strategic competition, North Korea’s nuclear identity consolidation, and China’s pursuit of great power status has transformed North Korea-China relations into a complex form of cooperation that extends beyond a simple alliance, focusing on identity preservation and existential stability.

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