Korean reunification
Name:Liang Shuang Student ID：S07459
Research paper supervisor:Dr.Seku Conde
Minzu University of China
2007-2008 Academic Year
Abstract: THE question of Korean unification is perhaps the one that has been discussed most in Korean politics in the last few decades without a plausible answer. Since the search for solutions and answers on various issues and questions involved in the unification problem has not been successful, one wonders whether the possibility of Korean unification is a reality or merely an unobtainable fantasy. Granting that Korean unification is indeed an enigmatical problem, why should scholars be so concerned with the problem of Korean unification? What is the meaning of Korean unification in terms of? global politics? The answers to these questions can only be ascertained by placing the problem of Korean unification in multiple perspectives.
Key words: Korean Reunification
Only few people in the world know that Korea is divided by a big concrete wall in the Parallel 38 that was built by the United States of America when the Korean War finished. This wall is hundreds of times bigger than the one that existed in Germany and is separating the Korean families, brothers, parents... the nation is divided because the U.S.A. is dominating the southern part and keeps an army of more than 40.000 soldiers to avoid the union of the Korean people.
Korea is an independent and sovereign state, but the South is still controlled by the imperialist interests and the U.S. troops .If any South Korean citizen tries to visit North Korea crossing the big concrete wall, he'll be killed by the American soldiers. The 'Security Law' in South Korea forbides to any South Korean citizen to talk or read about the North or else he'll be punished with jail or even death penalty.
Since the end of the War, one of the main worries of the Great Leader KIM IL SUNG and the Dear Leader KIM JONG IL was the Unification of the Korean families. The Great Leader said: 'To unify the divided country in this moment is the supreme national task of all the Korean people, and we cannot wait just one moment to achieve it'
In 1980 he wrote the program for the constitution of the 'Democratic Confederation Republic of Korea' where he exposed the basic points for the peaceful unification of the country respecting both capitalist and socialist systems. The unification of Korea, the peace in the peninsula and the meeting of all the families is possible, but the U.S.A. isn't interested on it, and every year with the support of the South Korean Army they display big military maneuvers like the 'Ulji Focus Lens' or 'Team Spirit with the purpose of invading and dominate the North. Only when the American soldiers will leave South Korea and the citizens will recover they sovereignty, a big united Korean nation is possible.
Peace, Friendship and Independence are the hopes of the Korean people, and nobody will stop the burning desires and deep feelings of the separated families to be together.
Korean reunification is a possible future reunification of North Korea and South Korea under a single government currently in progress.
With a total population of over 75 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[1], will make reunited Korea a prominent military power in the world which will have the world's second largest armed forces, larger than the United States. 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 would lead to decades of strong economic growth for reunited Korea, creating a major economic power in the world.
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 North immigrating into the South and initial economic and political instability would need to be overcome. Long-term problems such as cultural differences, contrasting political ideologies and possible discriminations will also need to be resolved.
Division
Japan invaded and effectively occupied Korea, which had been independent throughout its 6,000 year recorded history, 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. There are plans for a truly unified team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. In the 1991 table tennis world championships in Chiba, Japan, the two countries formed a unified team.
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.[2]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.[3]
“a lot of these exchanges are beginning to incorporate more and more North Koreans into the experience. For instance, these twenty-one thousand workers at Keaston who are North Koreans, eventually are going to go home and tell their families and friends what they experienced. At this point what we’re seeing is very initial steps on the part of North Korea as they try to open up reform and yet maintain control. At the same time, they are being forced into a number of institutional changes and mind-set changes that are the first step forward in this process.” [1]
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.[4]
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[5]. 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 [...]
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