The Compound State and the “Double Project of Modernity”: A Review of the Twentieth Century East Asian History

My primary question is whether the idea of a “compound state” can connect well with the formation of the East Asian community. It originally came into being in the process of staging a movement for overcoming the division system on the Korean Peninsula. I then applied it to the broader region of East Asia. It will be critical in the implementation of the “double project of adapting to and overcoming modernity.” More specifically, I reviewed questions posed by three cities—Kinmen (Taiwan), Okinawa (Japan) and Kaesung (the Korean Peninsula) regarding the nation state system. They are good illustrations of cross-border cooperation and efforts for self-transformation made by nation states.