Korean reunification

Korean reunification
Unification Flag of Korea
Korean name
Hangul	조국통일
Hanja	祖國統一
Revised Romanization	Joguk Tong(-)il
McCune–Reischauer	Choguk T'ongil

Korean reunification is a possible future reunification of North Korea and South Korea under a single government.

With a total population of over 80 million, a reunited Korea would have a population size equivalent or larger than that of today's Western European powers. The large North Korean armed forces combined with the modern and well-armed South Korean armed forces, along with the possibility of becoming a nuclear power, will make reunited Korea a prominent military power in the world. A reunited Korea would potentially have the world's largest reserve forces and the world's second largest active armed forces, but this is unlikely due to the much lower quality of North Korean military forces and the large "peace dividend" demobilisation. North Korea's cheap and skilled workforce, large amount of natural resources and strategic location combined with South Korea's advanced technology, well-developed infrastructure and large capital could lead to decades of strong economic growth for reunited Korea, creating a major economic power in the world--but not before the investing of hundreds of billions of dollars into North Korea to rebuild its dilapidated infrastructre.

However, there are some significant hurdles in this process due to the large political and economic differences between the two countries. Short-term problems such as large numbers of refugees from the unified Korea's North migrating into the South and initial economic and political instability present daunting challenges with no clear solution. Long-term problems such as cultural differences, contrasting political ideologies and possible discriminations against backwards and physically and mentally underdeveloped North Koreans (owing to years of malnutrition) will also need to be resolved.

Division

Main article: Division of Korea

Japan invaded and effectively occupied Korea from 1910 until 1945. After Japan's defeat in World War II, the United Nations developed plans for trusteeship administration of Korea.

The 38th parallel divides the peninsula into two zones of administration: the Soviet Union to the north and the United States to the south. Cold War politics resulted in the 1948 establishment of two separate governments. In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, beginning the Korean War. After three devastating years of fighting that involved the People's Republic of China, the Soviet Union, and the United Nations led by the U.S., the war ended in a ceasefire agreement at approximately the same boundary, with South Korea making slight territorial gains. The two countries never signed a peace treaty.

Despite now being politically separate entities, both governments proclaim as a goal the eventual restoration of Korea as a single state. A unified Korea is a very important component of Korean national identity. A unified Korean team marched in the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, but the North and South Korean national teams competed separately. North and South Korea had initially intended to send a joint delegation to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, but were unable to agree on the details of its implementation. In the 1991 table tennis world championships in Chiba, Japan, the two countries formed a unified team.

Current status

The eventual political integration of the divided Koreas under a democratic government like the South is generally viewed as inevitable by the international community. However, the nature of reunification, i.e. through North Korean collapse or gradual integration of the North and South, is still a topic of intense political debate and even conflict among interested parties, who include both Koreas, China, Japan, Russia, and the United States.

Some political analysts and many Koreans would say the process of reunification has already begun, albeit at a very gradual pace, through the current process of reconciliation and economic cooperation between the two Koreas. On the other hand, current reality would seem to show otherwise, as the DMZ that separates the two Koreas remains heavily guarded and North Korea has yet to give up its nuclear weapons. Yet optimists point towards recent thaws in inter-Korean relations and unprecedented dialogue and cooperation between the Koreas as signs that, unlike in the past where Korea was caught between China, Japan, Russia, and the US, the two divided Korean nations are now taking reunification into their own hands.

Summits and General Assembly meetings

Following a summit meeting in Pyongyang from 13 to 15 June 2000 between the leaders of the two countries, the chairperson's of the Millennium Summit issued a statement welcoming their Joint Declaration as a breakthrough in bringing peace, stability and reunification to the Korean peninsula. Seven weeks later a resolution to the same effect passed by the United Nations General Assembly after being co-sponsored by 150 other nations.

A scheduled General Assembly debate in on the topic in 2002 was deferred for a year at the request of both nations, and when the subject returned in 2003 it was immediately dropped off the agenda.

The issue didn't return to the General Assembly until 2007 following a second inter-Korean summit held in Pyongyang from 2 to 4 October 2007. These talks were held during one the round of the Six-Party Talks in Beijing which committed to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Reunification strategies

The "Sunshine Policy"

Supporters of the "Sunshine Policy" argue that sanctions and threats from the governments of the United States and South Korea have harmed, rather than improved, prospects for reunification. They argue that if the North Korean government does not feel threatened by South Korea or the United States, it will have nothing to lose and everything to gain from dialogue and engagement with the outside world, and will have no reason to build weapons of mass destruction. Many argue that the only alternative to dialogue is an unacceptable military outcome. The Sunshine Policy was introduced by the Millennium Democratic Party under President Kim Dae-jung, and was continued by President Roh Mu-hyun. South Korea's Hyundai Asan played a major role in pioneering commercial links with the North.

Korean Economic Community

It has recently been suggested that the formation of a Korean Economic Community could be a way to ease in unification of the Korean peninsula. Lee Myung-bak departing from the Grand National Party's traditional hardline stance has outlined a comprehensive diplomatic package on North Korea that includes setting up a consultative body to discuss economic projects between the two Koreas. He proposed seeking a Korean economic community agreement to provide the legal and systemic basis for any projects agreed to in the body.

A hard-line policy

Opponents of the "Sunshine Policy" argue that dialogue and trade with North Korea has done nothing to improve prospects for peaceful reunification, and have helped bolster the North Korean government, which is corrupt, undemocratic, and totalitarian. They feel that the North has no real interest in reunification, and is only trying to ensure its own survival.

It is also argued that South Korea has seen little benefit from engagement with North Korea, despite the transfer of large funds to the North Korean government by President Kim Dae-jung. Many also believe South Korea should remain prepared in the event of a North Korean attack. The Grand National Party is in favour of a hard-line position on North Korea. Hard-line policy supporters also argue that the help given to North Korea only continues the regime of Kim Jong-Il and that leaving it alone will eventually bring the collapse of North Korea, thus allowing the country to be reunified under the Republic of Korea.

North Korea's policy

North Korea's policy is to seek reunification without what it sees as outside interference, through a federal structure retaining each side's leadership and systems. Both North and South Korea signed the June 15th North-South Joint Declaration in which both sides made promises to seek out a peaceful reunification.

International views

China

The Chinese government's official stance is to support reunification under ‘peaceful’ means, although in reality reunification may have greater negative consequences to the Chinese. North Korea served as a strategic buffer between itself and the U.S.-influenced Japanese and South Korean governments, and the collapse of a communist regime may spark destabilization effects within its own borders. A reunified Korea under current economic circumstances may deprive China from South Korean investment, which may have to be channeled to the impoverished North instead. A potential mass exodus of North Koreans into Chinese territory is a major cause of concern for the Chinese government. The potential Korean claims to some areas of North East China are also seen by Beijing as a reason for trouble.

Japan

The Japanese government has expressed its support for eventual reunification of the two Koreas under a democratic government. Still, the current state of Japanese abductees by North Korea continues to be an issue with the Japanese. A group representing the families of abductees have expressed their disappointment in the 2007 inter-Korean summit. This situation is closely tied to Japan's disapproval of any attempt by the United States to remove North Korea from its terror list.

Russia

The Russian government wishes for a unified Korea, as mass emigration from North Korea is an issue for the Russian government.

Hurdles in the process

Culture

The cultures of the two halves have diverged following partition, even though many traditional Korean culture and history are commonly shared. In addition, many families have been split by the division of Korea.

Economy

Economic differences between South Korea and North Korea also are a cause of concern. Korean reunification would differ from the German reunification precedent:

• In relative terms, North Korea's economy currently is far worse than that of East Germany was in 1990. The income per capita ratio (PPP) was about 3:1 in Germany (about US$25,000 for West, about US$8,500 for East). The ratio is about 13:1 in Korea (over US$24,200 for South, US$1,800 for North, CIA Factbook 2006), although GDP estimates vary widely (see List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita). This income gap is rapidly increasing as the North Korean economy stagnates and the South Korean economy is characterized by moderate to high economic growth.
• While at the moment of the German reunification the East German population (around 17,000,000) was about a third of the West German (more than 60,000,000), the North Korean population (around 22,700,000) is currently around a half of the South Korean (around. 48,600,000).
• The North Korean population is far more culturally distinct and isolated than the East German population was in the late 1980s. Unlike in East Germany, North Koreans generally cannot receive foreign broadcasting, read foreign publications or travel overseas. Germany was divided for 44 years, whereas the Koreas have been divided for over 60, and have been technically at war for most of that period.
• The German economy still suffers (more than 15 years later) from rapid reunification, with the former West Germany heavily subsidizing the former East. In addition, some analysts warn that rapid reunification might bring the South Korean economy to the point of collapse. It would also bring a flood of refugees into South Korea, China, and other countries, causing a social and economic crisis.

The consequence of the economic differences is that many South Koreans, while desiring reunification in theory, want to delay the process of reunification until the Northern economy can be developed separately, having seen the results of the sudden reunification of West Germany and East Germany, and knowing the differences between the two Koreas.

Politics and ideology

Currently, political issues such as diametrically opposite forms of government cause most concern. Nevertheless, the attitude of the South Korean government towards North Korea has changed dramatically in the last few decades; during the Park Chung-hee administration, hatred towards the North Korean government was fostered in the civilian population. For example, a poster displaying two Korean characters (반공 /Ban-gong; 反共) meaning "Against Communism" or "Anti Communism" was posted on every schoolhouse wall. In contrast, a recent comic book published by a South Korean author detailing a less-than-flattering portrait of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was banned because the South Korean government feared that its publication could hurt reunification efforts. It should be noted that the North's own news service often refers to the South Korean government as a "puppet" government.

In popular culture

The issue of Korean reunification was a central or implied theme in several productions, mostly South Korean:

• The 2005 film Cheon gun (천군; 天軍) or "Heaven's Soldiers", directed by Min Joon Gi, portrayed North and South Korean soldiers who travel in time to 1572 and join the the infamous 17th century Korean hero, Yi Sun-sin in fighting the Jurchen tribes. This theme clearly uses the figure of Yi, venerated as a national hero in both parts of contemporary Korea, to plead for reunification.
• Yesterday (예스터데이) is a 2002 film set in 2020 in a unified Korea.
• 2009 Lost Memories, a 2002 film, stated a reunified Korea in the year 2009.
• Shiri (쉬리), a 1999 blockbuster has its male lead describing how the waters from both North and South Korea flow freely together, and how the fish called Shiri can be found in either water without knowing which it belongs to. It was the first major-release film to directly address the issue of Korean reunification.
• The 2005 video game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction is centered around a failed Korean reunification where General Choi Song kills his father to stop the reunification and gain power over Korea's nuclear arsenal.

See also

• Division of Korea
• List of Korea-related topics

External links

• Ministry of Unification (South Korea)
• Trans-Global Highway and the Korean-Japan Friendship Tunnel
• "Good morning America, Korea is reunifying" A point of view by Christin Ahn, who was in South Korea in November 2005
• "Korean Peace Brigade in Brussels"
• The North-South Rail Link
• Article from DPRK Studies
• Korean Unification Studies