ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book contributes to the literature on Korean unification through focusing on socio-cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two Koreas, so as to find out what actual impact they have had on cross-border relations, what concrete results have stemmed from them and how these could eventually contribute to the creation of closer contacts with unification in mind. Inter-Korean socio-cultural exchanges and cooperation have been extensively studied by South Korean scholars, in particular by Cho Han Bum whose works have indeed been indispensable on the subject, in addition to several other studies which have also been disseminated. The book also identifies the studies main findings with particular attention being paid to the opinion created as a consequence of the positive impact of socio-cultural contacts on inter-Korean relations as well as the functional theory of politics.
