WHY EU'S MULTILATERALISM MATTERS IN KOREA'S PEACE PROCESS

Despite South Korea's expectations to gain the EU' s support during the 2018 momentum for peace on the Korean peninsula, the EU exhibited reluctance to lend its support. In light of this event, this study looks into why the positions of South Korea and the EU differ on the Korean peace process to gain a better understanding of the EU' s approach. Specifically, this study examines how, for the EU, the Korean Peninsula is a topic to be approached within the EU' s multilateral principle framework on external relations, unlike the approach taken by the United States. Through a review of the EU' s multilateral approach, this study suggests how South Korea may be able to request the EU to take a more active role, albeit a limited role due to the US' s powerful influence over the Korean peninsula, in supporting South Korea's peace-building process such as the Northeast Asia Plus Community of Responsibility.