Abstract:
The existing literature has provided only a partial explanation of the political role of
South Korean humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in government
food aid policy making towards North Korea between 1995 and 2007. Using a
constructivist approach which includes non-state actor and normative factors in the
analysis of state policy making, this thesis demonstrates that South Korean
humanitarian NGO advocacy was consequential in explaining changes in South Korea’s
food aid policy making in respect of state agenda setting, the formation of a discursive
position and institutional and policy development. Humanitarian NGO advocacy finally
contributed to government establishment of a legal framework that could provide for
more consistent and large scale food aid to North Korea, irrespective of the vagaries of
inter-Korean political relations.
Despite humanitarian NGO advocacy, however, changes at different stages of
state food aid policy making differed among the three administrations. This thesis
demonstrates that these differences were attributable to the differing abilities of NGO to
set agendas, network and graft new norms in respect of government policy on food aid
to North Korea. These differing abilities resulted from changes in organisational
mandates, funding capacities and the expertise of NGOs over time. Firstly, a strong
humanitarian mandate between 1995 and 2000 was a key factor that enabled NGOs to
overcome the organisational limits that stemmed from their poor funding capacity and
lack of expertise. Secondly, stable funding capacity contributed to improvements in
organisational expertise; however, increased reliance on government funding after 2000
resulted in the weakening of NGOs’ advocacy ability. Lastly, given the favourable
operational environment after the Inter-Korean Summit in 2000, the organisational
expertise of NGOs developed to a level where it was possible to exert direct influence
on government food aid policy making towards North Korea.
