Description:
<jats:p>North Korean forests represent a potential substitutive option for central/local governments and private companies in South Korea seeking to abide by the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. Yet the “protracted [inter‐Korean] conflict” poses many difficulties for negotiating with the North and fulfilling any agreement. Therefore, this research seeks to identify an appropriate orientation and effective negotiation policy with reference to North Korean negotiating behavior and the 1978 Netherlands International Workshop negotiation model. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of the concerned party interests evaluates the feasibility of negotiations on forest carbon offset, indicates possible problems, and assesses the viability of different strategies. The strengths–opportunities (SO; maxi–maxi) strategy is relatively easy for South Korean participants, whereby unavoidable weaknesses and threats should be used as reference variables during negotiation and to minimize harm. Organic solidarity is needed among South Korean private and governmental participants. Furthermore, technical alternatives should be prepared at each stage for overall success.</jats:p>