Do you remember the following television advertisement? A few months ago, one popular actress advertised a laptop computer crying “Digital nomad!” The advertisement’s copy “Digital nomad!” signifies many things in the global international society. It has taken a long time to emphasize the importance of the movements over borders. The movement has already been a part of our lives. In addition to the concept – the national border has changed in people’s thoughts and perceptions. Probably in a global society, if people do not tend to be mobile, they will have a hard time to live.

 Two factors support the improvement of cross boarder movement.

▲ TSR (Trans Siberian Railway)
First, there is the increasing convenience to transfer from one border to another.

As time goes by, technology makes people move more easily from one place to another. This technology has improved more and more. The convenience of transferring has two sub-parts; technological part and institutional part.

1.      Technology part: Technology is related to trains (railroads), and is most representative of the changes technology has made. In Europe andAsia, many railroads are linked to each other, and are forward schemed to link. For example, the Siberian Continental Rail (TSR-Trans Siberian Railway) goes to many countries in Europe throughout Russia. South Korea is preparing to link its native railroad and the Siberia Continental Railroad through North Korea. In addition, last July, the Chinese government constructed a new railroad to run to the Capital of Tibet, Lhasa. These environments are very high altitudes in the mountains. On foot, it is a sweaty path to access. However, technology could overcome this drudgery. The new railroad will be lengthened to India’s railroad beyond the border. Moreover, ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) have planned and prepared to make some railroad links in South Asian countries, such as Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and so forth; Bangkok ~ Phnom Penh (the capital of Cambodia) ~ Hanoi, Vientiane (the Capital of Laos) ~ Yangon (the Largest City of Myanmar. The city was the Capital of Myanmar originally. However, from November last year, the new city, Pyin Ma Na, became the Capital of Myanmar) or Mandalay (one City of Myanmar). The project’s ultimate cause is to merge South Asia and Europe. This project can be related to the TAR program. In TAR (Trans Asian Railway Network), twenty-eight countries will take part in and need six hundred billion dollars (about six hundred trillion won) to complete construction. TAR will be linked to almost all Asian railroads and go further towards European railroads. In addition, TAR has a high possibility to bring abounding economic effects. So many Asian governments are cooperating with the project managers.  

In addition, there is a need for roaming services, too. The word ‘roam’ means to wander about without any definite purpose. In a global world, roam and roaming mean moving and acting without limitations between national borders. In a modern society, many people have mobile phones and hope to take them, when they go abroad. Communication corporations have developed the technology that allows people to use their phone although they are outside their original border. For example, KTF decided to operate ‘Asia-Pacific Global Cooperation’ to offer roaming services with Japan, Taiwan, India, Hong Kong and Macaw, Indonesia, and Singapore. In Korea, users of roaming services are dramatically increasing over time. (Readers can refer to the following graph.) In these circumstances, many corporations are expanding the market, and have organized and operated cooperation to improve the service.

▲ Summit conference between Korea and America

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.      Institutions Part: Recently, many people have become interested in visa-free programs. It is important to take a visa, when entering other countries. If someone has another countries visa, they cannot enter freely. Two months ago, South Korean President Roh, Mu-hyun visited the United States for a summit conference with President Bush of the United States. While there, he inquired about the VMP (Visa Waiver Program) and Bush responded positively. The visa-free program has spread to many different countries. South Korea has made a visa-free entry alliance with Taiwan, Paraguay, Ukraina, and so on. Moreover, the government will make the same program with more countries. There will be fewer limitations, and there will be more opportunity to go to other countries.

Another side is the integration of money (including paper money and coin), which is backed by institutions. Presently, the dollar is the worldwide currency. However, the money is not a denomination of integration across all countries. We have difficulty, when exchanging from native money to dollars. However, neighboring countries have begun to have a tendency to integrate money and denominations. The Euro is a representative example. In Europe, all countries with the exception of some countries (Norway, Swiss, and so on) share a common money denomination, the Euro. This type of currency has affected Eastern Asia countries, such as Korea, China, and Japan, who are co-investigating about a project that will integrate these countries currency. They agreed to co-investigate, constructing a research team and making a roadmap for the integration implementation into the countries monetary systems. If the investigations are effective, the three countries’ people will use money the same between these countries as in practical life.  

Two, the integration of space is another factor. The integration of space means localization. Localization is a phenomenon that gets neighboring countries together and forms organizations or communities. These blocs are made to acquire a more powerful influence on the bases that they are adjacent. These forms share duty free policies, have a liberalized trade agreements and policies. They dream of economic, political, constitutional, diplomatic, and even military integration for a mutual relationship. A representative instance is the EU (European Union). The beginning of the EU happened between Belgium, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands. In Europe, their borders are next to each other. So, it was an easy matter to some extent to make a solo cooperation, a society from many respective countries. The Benelux (a customs union among three countries - Belgium, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands) got large and it became the mother’s body of the EU in 1993. The Benelux improved as the EU began to move throughout several countries and processes over time. This concept enlarged more and more. The EU has already become grand and is a huge power in the International Society. For instance, there was a controversy between the EU and Microsoft, the largest corporation in the market of software. The EU imposed two hundred eighty million euros (about three hundred forty billion won) to Microsoft, since they violated guideline of the EU against a monopoly in the market.

▲ The Euro
In a global village, many people have thought the concepts of borders and the movements between borders have become different compared to past times. Many Korean people are the same. In the present international society, borders are dim and movement between countries is becoming easier.

However, Koreans are having a different perspective then those in other countries. In the global society, we can move back and forth over the national borders. Accordingly, our concepts about that border have changed. We have a tendency to think more liberally about concepts. We are similarly like Europe, but we are not like Europe.

 

Looking at the Korean map, there are three seas and North Korea. Even though there are some exchanges between North and South Korea, conditions on the Korean Peninsula have been hard to predict and treat. Like North Korea’s nuclear test last October or relations between North Korea and the United States. Therefore, we see our country as a place being surrounded on all sides. This is in contrast to many European countries. Therefore, we need to reconstruct a new concept about our national border. We simply have had just a smattering of thoughts about our national borders and the global society.
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