Author name:
غيداق عبد المنعم محمد احمد
Supervisor name:
محمود عبد الواحد محمود القيسي
Abstract:
This thesis is a study of Iraq’s Economic Relations with the Republic of Korea (ROK) 1975 - 1991. It is a study of the beginnings of the Iraqi - Korean relations since 1975 up to 1991,when the United Sates and its coalition invaded Iraq after the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in 1990.The economic relation of ROK with Iraq was a part of its relation with the world and Middle East after the establishment of ROK. On August 15, 1948, the Republic of Korea was formally established, with Syngman Rhee as the first president. With the establishment of Rhee's government, de jure sovereignty also passed into the new government. On September 9, 1948, a communist regime, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), was proclaimed under Kim Il Sung. The country now divided, the relationship between the two Koreas turned more antagonistic as time passed. The main policy of ROK was anti - communism and "unification by expanding northward". The South's military was neither sufficiently equipped nor prepared, but the Rhee administration was determined to reunify Korea by military force with aid from the United States. However, in the second parliamentary elections held on May 30, 1950, the majority of seats went to independents, confirming. The Korean war(1950 - 1953), and the deteriorating in Iraq and ROK were reasons affecting on the delay of the developments of Iraqi economic relations with ROK during the fifties and sixties ,and contributing to obstacle the economic and political cooperation during seventies and eighties. Although these complicating situations, the two countries could inaugurating the economic exchange since the second half of seventies, and the diplomatic and political relations at the dawn of the eighties.The thesis consists of four chapters, an introduction and a conclusion.Chapter one tackles (the internal developments in the Korean peninsula and its external relations up to 1975),chapter two studies ( The ROK relations with Middle East and the obstacles of the Iraqi - Korean approach a study of the delaying of the Iraqi relations with ROK),chapter three follows (Beginnings of Economic Relations between Iraq and ROK 1975 - 1991),and chapter four studies (Transformation Towards the Diplomatic and Political Relations for Enhancing the Economic Intetests1981 - 1991). Through study of the topic under consideration, we reached that the study of this period of the Iraqi relation with ROK clarify that it suffered of many obstacles which delayed the normal development of their relations. the influence of the United States and DPRK led to delay of Iraqi approach to ROK. The development of two countries relations was a part of ROK policy toward the Middle East and Arab World ,and the oil was a very important element for ROK relations with Middle East, Arab World and Iraq. Since the beginnings of seventies ,the Iraqi relations with ROK witnessed some development ,and "the Oil Shock " of 1973 after the Arab - Israel War of October led to change of East Asian perspective to the Arab World and inaugurating a new stage of mutual understanding of the Arab issues, especially the Palestinian Cause. This transformation contributed to the growing of relations of ROK and Japan with the Arab countries, such as Egypt, Iraq, Saudia Arabia and other Arab Gulf States. At the second half of the seventies decade, the Iraqi relations with ROK witnessed a dramatic transformation in economic aspect, and since the beginning of eighties ,the two countries attempted to expand their relation to diplomatic and political aspects, and they could to crown these efforts by opening the Iraqi and Korean embassies in Baghdad and Seoul respectively, but the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 and the American intervention of 1991 led to cutting of the diplomatic and political relation between the two countries.It is very important to point out that the Korean companies ,such as Hyundai, contributed to inaugurating the economic Iraqi - Korean relations and this company and its enthusiast staff hardly working to develop these relation to the diplomatic and political levels to serve the economic interests of the Korean companies in Iraq.Hyuandai succeeded in its efforts, and especially its executive director and the 10th president of ROK, Lee Myong Pak,who was working faithfully for Korean entering to the Iraqi markets. Anyway, the Iraqi relations with ROK suffered during seventies, eighties from many problems related to the conditions of the two countries and the affections of international relations in East Asia and the Middle East.The information of this thesis will contribute for more understanding of the two countries elites of the obstacles which confronted their approach ,and benefit from these problem to expand and enhance their political, economic and intellectual relations in the future.
