NON-STATE ACTORS AND ECONOMIC EXCHANGES BETWEEN CHINA AND SOUTH KOREA BEFORE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS: FOCUS ON DECLASSIFIED DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS

Non-state actors not only play the role of diplomatic consumers in the international community, but also as diplomatic participants. Especially before the diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, non-state actors, through economic exchanges, played a particular role in improving the relations between the two countries. This study analyzes the improvement of China-South Korean ties from the perspective of non-state actors participating in economic exchanges divided into beginning, expansion, and maturity periods. It also, demonstrates the importance and irreplaceability of non-state actors before the establishment of diplomatic relations.