Obstacles and Opportunities in Constructing the East -Asia Community: A Korean Point of View

    Abstract: This article argues that promoting cooperation between China, Japan and Korea is the key to realizing an East Asian Community. While these three countries represent a major part of the East Asia regional economy and have tremendous global influence, economic cooperation between then remains problematic. Most Chinese scholars argue that China, Korea and Japan lack mutual trust because of historical problems, territorial disputes, differences in political institutions and the external interventions of the United States. All of these elements do in fact create blockages with respect to the process of integration between the three countries. This article argues that East Asia should study and borrow from the neofunctionalism that characterized the historical experience of integration in Europe. Integration between China, Korea and Japan could then be applied to the region as a whole to advance the process of regional integration and realize the goal of an East Asian Community.