Furthermore, North and South Koreas, the parties to the deployment of peace on the Korean peninsula—which continues to draw international attention—have grown heterogeneity and antipathy under system-related competition and confrontation for over 75 years. Still, reconciliation and cooperation with North Korea are absolutely necessary to pursue peaceful unification, which has remained the historical task of the nation. North Korea is not only a cooperation partner for coexistence from the viewpoint of the nation but is still a target that requires our vigilance despite being compatriots. Therefore, we need experts who can plan and implement North Korea-related cooperation, reconciliation, and development projects based on internationally recognized universal values by understanding North Korea objectively based on its realities.

The areas of such international cooperation and inter-Korea exchange projects are really diverse, including administration, agriculture, economic development, health, education, and emergency humanitarian support projects. Thus, it is definitely necessary to foster general specialists for integrated management who can inclusively understand, coordinate, and manage such important areas as well as experts specializing in individual areas.

Nonetheless, the diverse stakeholders we meet on site are most important, including the local (North Korean) government officials, community leaders, NGO (labor) members, journalists, and staff members of international organization. We intend to foster experts who can understand the interests and influences of such stakeholders to communicate with them based on outstanding communication and coordination abilities and cultural sensitivity.

Thus, we have selected the following areas where experts are insufficient despite being most required on site by analyzing the diverse assistance projects performed in North Korea and other developing countries:

• Regional development projects that revive the regional welfare and economy based on public values utilizing the valuable assets of the region, including projects related to cooperative associations or social enterprises
• Psychosocial support to children and women exposed to large-scale disasters and other complex crisis situations in North Korea and developing countries
• International health projects that prevent and address contagious diseases caused by malnutrition, sanitation problems such as potable water, etc. and non-contagious diseases attributable to misconception

To meet the requirements of the communities of international cooperation and North Korea, students majoring in international cooperation and North Korea will be equipped with core competencies to serve as experts in the abovementioned areas through study of major subjects related to the segments, including basic theories of development assistance and North Korean society and economy.