Korean Reunification

Korean Unification Flag.

Korean Reunification is the potential unification of North Korea and South Korea into a single Korean sovereign state. The process towards reunification of the peninsula while still maintaining two opposing regimes was started by the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration in June 2000, was reaffirmed by the October 4th Declaration in October 2007 and the Panmunjom Declaration in April 2018, and the joint statement of United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Singapore Summit in June 2018. In the Panmunjom Declaration, the two countries agreed to work to officially end the Korean conflict in the future.

Current status

The nature of unification, i.e. through North Korean collapse, South Korean collapse, or the formation of two systems under a united federation, is still a topic of intense political debate and even conflict among interested parties, which include both Koreas, China, Japan, Russia, and the United States.

Comparisons

The hypothetical reunification of Korea is often compared to other countries which had divided governments and reunified, including Germany and Vietnam. Like the Koreas, each of these countries were divided between a communist government and a capitalist government. Germany was divided between the communist East Germany and the capitalist West Germany, and Vietnam was divided between the communist North Vietnam and the capitalist South Vietnam from 1954 to 1976.

German Culture

The cultures of the two halves have separated following partition, even though traditional Korean culture and history are shared. In addition, many families were split by the division of Korea. In the practically comparable situation of the German reunification, the 41-year-long separation has left significant impacts on German culture and society, even after three decades. Given the extreme differences of North and South Korean culture and lifestyle, the effects might last even longer. Many experts have suggested that the differences between "Westerners" and "Easterners" (German: die Mauer im Kopf, lit. 'the wall in the head') will gradually dissipate among younger generations, born after reunification and with increasing migration between eastern and western Germany. Therefore, it is highly likely that Korean youth will play a major role in the cultural integration after a hypothetical Korean reunification.

On the other hand, 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 or read foreign publications. Germany was divided for 44 years and did not have border clashes between the two sides. By comparison, the Koreas have been divided for over 80 years, and hostilities have flared frequently over the years, becoming more frequent since the ascension of Kim Jong Un as the supreme leader of North Korea. The Korean ethnic nationalist belief that unification is a "sacred, universally-desired" goal to recover an ethnic homogeneity (dongjilseong) obscures North-South differences developed since 1945, and risks intolerance for the cultural accommodation necessary for a unified Korean polity.

Vietnamese Culture

The separation of North and South Vietnam has left significant cultural differences that continued as of 2012. Furthermore, cultural differences between the two parts of Vietnam had also existed prior to the partition of the country. However, they tried to reconcile different ideologies. Since the economic reforms in 1986, there has been a dramatic change in Vietnam which has made the country one of the most optimistic societies in the world, according to a 2016 survey.

Implications

A unified Korea could have great implications for the balance of power in the region, with South Korea already considered by many a regional power.

Concerns

As with the same with China, reunification of Korea poses complications for future Korea-Japan relations, especially with regards to the disputed territorial status of the Liancourt Rocks and historical issues such as the Comfort women. A reunified Korea will likely positioned itself as an economic competitor with Japan. However, there is a downside to this. The role of neighboring powers in a unified Korea will change. For example, there will continue to be competition between Russia and China to increase their influence on the Korean Peninsula. In 1984, the Beijing Review provided China's view on Korean unification: "With regard to the situation on the Korean peninsula, China's position is clear: it is squarely behind the proposal of North Korea for tripartite (between the two Koreas and the United States) talks to seek a peaceful and independent reunification of Korea in the form of a confederation, free from outside interference. China believes this is the surest way to reduce tension on the peninsula."

China's current relationship with North Korea and position on a unified Korea is seen as dependent on a number of issues. A unified Korea could prevent North Korea's nuclear weapons program from destabilizing East Asia as well as the Chinese government.

Sources

• Kim Il-bong (2017). Reunification Question (PDF). Understanding Korea. 10. Translated by Kim Myong-chan; Pak Hyo-song. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. ISBN 978-9946-0-1647-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-23. Search this book on

External links

Media related to Korean reunification at Wikimedia Commons

• Ministry of Unification (South Korea)

Template:Unification Church

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