Korean nationalism presents a major obstacle for both Koreas relate to their neighbors – and even inhibits overall East Asian integration, a Seoul-based Canadian academic said.

But on the plus side, it may be of service to Korean unification.

Lonnie Edge, who serves both as an assistant professor and the Hankuk University for Foreign Studies and as managing editor of the North Korea Review, contrasts abortive efforts at East Asian integration with those among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) . While there is not the deep integration of the European Union among ASEAN states, they respect each