Korean Unification

Korean reunification () is the potential reunification of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea into a single Korean sovereign state. The process towards reunification was started by the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration in June 2000, and was reaffirmed by the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula in April 2018, and the joint statement of U.S. President Donald Trump and the Democratic People's Republic of Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un at the Singapore Summit in June 2018. In the Panmunjom Declaration, the two countries agreed to work towards a peaceful reunification of Korea in the future.

Prior to World War I and Japan's annexation of Korea (1910–1945), all of Korea had been unified as a single state for centuries, known previously as the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, and the penultimate state, the Korean Empire. After the end of World War II in 1945 and during the beginning of the Cold War, Korea had a unified government, the People's Republic of Korea. However, this would be brief and serve as the last government, as Korea was divided into two countries along the 38th parallel (now the Korean Demilitarized Zone) in 1948. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was administered by the Workers' Party of Korea in a coalition government in the years immediately following the war, with South Korea being occupied by the United States. In 1950, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea invaded the South after the South engaged in mass arrests of suspected Democratic People's Republic of Korea sympathizers, beginning the Korean War, which ended in stalemate in 1953. Even after the end of the Korean War, reunification proved a challenge as the two countries increasingly diverged at a steady pace. However, in the late 2010s, relations between North and South Korea warmed somewhat, beginning with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's participation at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province, South Korea. In 2019, South Korean president Moon Jae-in proposed reunification of the Korean peninsula by 2045.

Division (since 1945)

The current division of the Korean Peninsula is the result of decisions taken at the end of World War II. In 1910, the Empire of Japan annexed Korea and ruled over it until its defeat in World War II. The Korean independence agreement officially occurred on 1 December 1943, when the United States, China, and the United Kingdom signed the Cairo Declaration, which stated: "The aforesaid three powers, mindful of the enslavement of the people of Korea, are determined that in due course Korea shall become free and independent". In 1945, the United Nations developed plans for trusteeship administration of Korea.

The division of the peninsula into two military occupation zones was agreed: a northern zone, administered by the Soviet Union, and a southern zone, administered by the United States. At midnight on 10 August 1945, two army lieutenant colonels selected the 38th parallel as a dividing line. Japanese troops north of the line were to surrender to the Soviet Union, and the troops south of the line would surrender to the United States.

The partition was not originally intended to last long, but Cold War politics resulted in the establishment of two separate governments in the two zones in 1948, and rising tensions prevented co-operation. The desire of many Koreans for a peaceful unification was dashed when the Korean War broke out in 1950. On 25 June 1950, troops from North Korea invaded South Korea. Mao Zedong encouraged the confrontation with the United States and Joseph Stalin reluctantly supported the invasion. After three years of fighting, which involved both Koreas, China and United Nations forces, the last of which were led by the US, the war ended with an armistice agreement at approximately the same boundary.

After Korean War (since 1953)

Bilateral agreements

Despite being politically-separate entities after the Korean War, the governments of North and South Korea both proclaimed the eventual restoration of Korea as a single state as a goal.

North-South Joint Communiqué

After the " Nixon Shock" in 1971 that led to détente between the United States and China, the North and South Korean governments made in 1972 the 7 · 4 South and North Korea Joint Statement, also known as the July 4 North-South Joint Statement or the Joint Announcement on July 4, 1972. It had a representative of each government secretly visit the other's capital city, and both sides agreed to a North-South Joint Communiqué, outlining the steps to be taken towards achieving a peaceful reunification of the country:
# Unification shall be achieved through independent Korean efforts without being subject to the external imposition of interference.
# Unification shall be achieved through peaceful means, and not through the use of force against each other.
# As a homogeneous people, a great national unity shall be sought above all, transcending differences in ideas, ideologies, and systems.
# In order to ease tensions, and foster an atmosphere of mutual trust between the South and the North, the two sides have agreed not to slander or defame each other, not to undertake armed provocations whether on a large or small scale and to take positive measures to prevent inadvertent military incidents.
# The two sides, in order to restore severed national ties, promote mutual understanding, and expedite independent peaceful unification, have agreed to carry out various exchanges in many fields such as culture and science.
# The two sides have agreed to cooperate positively with each other to seek early success of the North-South Red Cross talks, which are underway with the fervent expectations of the entire people.
# The two sides, in order to prevent the outbreak of unexpected military incidents and to deal directly, promptly, and accurately with problems arising between the North and the South, have agreed to install a direct telephone line between Seoul and Pyongyang.
# The two sides, in order to implement the aforementioned agreed-upon items, to solve various problems existing between the North and the South, and to settle the unification problem on the basis of the agreed-upon principles for the unification of the Fatherland, have agreed to establish and operate a North-South Coordinating Committee co-chaired by Director Yi Hurak epresenting the Southand Director Kim Yong-ju epresenting the North
# The two sides, firmly convinced that the aforementioned agreed-upon items correspond with the common aspirations of the entire people, who are anxious to see an early unification of the Fatherland, hereby solemnly pledge before the entire Korean people that they will faithfully carry out these agreed-upon items."

The agreement outlined the steps to be taken towards achieving a peaceful reunification of the country. However, the North-South Coordination Committee was disbanded the following year after no progress had been made towards implementing the agreement. In January 1989, the founder of Hyundai, Jung Ju-young, toured North Korea and promoted tourism in Mount Kumgang. After a twelve-year hiatus, the prime ministers of the two Koreas met in Seoul in September 1990 to engage in the Inter-Korean summits or High-Level Talks. In December, the two countries reached an agreement on issues of reconciliation, nonaggression, cooperation, and exchange between North and South in "The Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression, Cooperation, and Exchange Between North and South", but these talks collapsed over inspection of nuclear facilities. In 1994, after former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's visit to Pyongyang, the leaders of the two Koreas agreed to meet with each other, but the meeting was prevented by the death of Kim Il-sung that July.

June 15th North-South Joint Declaration

In June 2000, North and South Korea signed the ''June 15th North-South Joint Declaration,'' in which both sides made promises to seek out a peaceful reunification:

# The North and the South agreed to solve the question of the country's reunification independently by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation responsible for it.
# The North and the South, recognizing that the low-level federation proposed by the North and the commonwealth system proposed by the South for the reunification of the country have similarity, agreed to work together for the reunification in this direction in the future.
# The North and the South agreed to settle humanitarian issues (such as the North Korean famine) as early as possible, including the exchange of visiting groups of separated families and relatives and the issue of unconverted long-term prisoners, to mark August 15 this year.
# The North and the South agreed to promote the balanced development of the national economy through economic cooperation and build mutual confidence by activating cooperation and exchange in all fields, social, cultural, sports, public health, environmental and so on.
# The North and the South agreed to hold an authority-to-authority negotiation as soon as possible to put the above-mentioned agreed points into speedy operation.

October 4th Declaration

During the 2007 high-level inter-Korean talks held in Pyongyang between Kim Jong-Il and Roh Moo Hyun, both sides agreed to the ''October 4th Declaration'', improving on inter-Korean relations on the basis of the June 15 Joint Declaration. The eight points of the declaration signed on the 4th of October 2007 are as follows:

# "The north and the south shall uphold and positively implement the June 15 Joint Declaration.
# "The north and the south agreed to convert north-south relations definitely into those of mutual respect and confidence, transcending the difference in ideology and system.
# "The north and the south agreed to closely cooperate with each other in the efforts to put an end to hostile military relations and ensure détente and peace on the Korean peninsula.
# "The north and the south, based on the common understanding of the need to put an end to the existing armistice mechanism and build a lasting peace mechanism, agreed to cooperate with each other in the efforts to push forward with the issue of arranging a meeting on the territory of the Korean peninsula of the heads of state of three or four parties directly concerned to promote the matter of declaring an end to war.
# "The north and the south agreed to reactivate economic cooperation and bring about its sustained development on the principles of ensuring common interests and prosperity and meeting each other’s needs with a view to balanced development of the national economy and common prosperity.
# "The north and the south agreed to develop exchanges and cooperation in social and cultural fields such as history, language, education, science and technology, culture and the arts, and sports to add brilliance to the time-honored history and fine culture of the nation.
# "The north and the south agreed to push forward humanitarian cooperation.
# "The north and the south agreed to strengthen cooperation on the international arena in the efforts to protect the interests of the nation and the rights and interests of overseas Koreans."

Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula

In April 2018, at the north-south summit talks at the "House of Peace" in Panmunjom, Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in signed the '' Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula'', declaring that there would be no longer war and a new era of peace has opened on the Korean peninsula. They declared as follows reflecting the firm will to put an end to division and confrontation, to open up a new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity and more actively improve and develop the north-south ties. A brief outline of the three main points of the agreement are as follows:

# "The north and the south will achieve comprehensive and epochal improvement and development in the north-south ties and thus relink the severed blood vessel of the nation and bring earlier the future of common prosperity and independent reunification.
# "The north and the south will make joint efforts to defuse the acute military tensions and to substantially defuse the danger of a war on the Korean peninsula.
# "The north and the south will closely cooperate with each other to build a durable and lasting peace mechanism on the Korean peninsula."

September Pyongyang Joint Declaration

In September 2018 during the Pyongyang summit of the two leaders, under the implementation of the Panmunjom declaration, the ''September Pyongyang Joint Declaration'' was signed. The six main points of the declaration are as follows:

# "The north and the south committed to lead the termination of military hostility in the confrontation area including the Demilitarized Zone to the fundamental removal of the substantial danger of war and hostility in the whole of the Korean peninsula.
# "The north and the south agreed to take practical measures to further increase exchanges and cooperation and to develop the nation's economy in a balanced way on the principle of mutual benefits and common interests and prosperity.
# "The north and the south agreed to further strengthen humanitarian cooperation for the fundamental settlement of the issue of separated families and relatives in the north and the south.
# "The north and the south agreed to actively promote cooperation and exchanges in various fields so as to give momentum to the atmosphere of reconciliation and unity and demonstrate at home and abroad the stamina of the Korean nation.
# "The north and the south shared the view to make the Korean peninsula a peace zone free from nuclear weapons and nuclear threat and ensure necessary practical advance early to this end.
# "Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong-un agreed to visit Seoul in the near future at the invitation of President Moon Jae In."

Internationally

A unified Korean team marched in the opening ceremonies of the 2000, 2004, and 2006 Olympics, but the North and South Korean national teams competed separately. There were plans for a truly unified team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, but the two countries were unable to agree on the details of its implementation. In the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan, the two countries formed a unified team. A Unified Korea women's ice hockey team competed under a separate IOC country code designation (COR) in the 2018 Winter Olympics; in all other sports, there were a separate North Korea team and a separate South Korea team.

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.

Relations between the two Koreas have been strained in recent years, with conflict between the two coming to a head such as in the enforcement of the colonial era National Security Law in South Korea which lead to the arrest of South Korean pro-reunification activist Ro Su-hui, suspected torpedoing of the ROKS ''Cheonan'' and the bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island, both in 2010, the rocket launches in April and December of 2012 and North Korea's third nuclear test in 2013. Kim Jong-un's sudden accession and limited experience governing have also stoked fears about power struggles among different factions leading to future instability on the Korean Peninsula.

Reunification remains a long-term goal for the governments of both North and South Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made calls in his 2012 New Year's Day speech to "remove confrontation" between the two countries and implement previous joint agreements for increased economic and political cooperation. The South Korean Ministry of Unification redoubled their efforts in 2011 and 2012 to raise awareness of the issue, launching a variety show (''Miracle Audition'') and an Internet sitcom with pro-unification themes. The Ministry already promotes curriculum in elementary schooling, such as a government-issued textbook about North Korea titled "We Are One" and reunification-themed arts and crafts projects.

In Kim's 2018 New Year's address, a Korean-led reunification was repeatedly mentioned and an unexpected proposal was made for the North's participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics that were held in Pyeongchang County of South Korea, a significant shift after several years of increasing hostilities. Subsequent meetings between North and South led to the announcement that the two Koreas would march together with a unified flag in the Olympics' Opening Ceremony and form a unified ice hockey team, with a total of 22 North Korean athletes participating in various other competitions including figure skating, short track speed skating, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing.

In April 2018, at a summit in Panmunjom, Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in signed a deal committing to finally seal peace between both Koreas by the end of the year. Both leaders also symbolically crossed each other's borders, marking it the first time a South Korean president crossed the North border and vice versa. Kim stated that the North will start a process of denuclearization, which was supported by then U.S. President Donald Trump. The peace talks led to nothing, as North Korea continued forward with their nuclear program, despite former U.S. President Donald Trump boasting it as a considerable win.

Opposition

Support for reunification in South Korea has been falling, especially among the younger generations. In the 1990s, the percent of people in government polls who regarded reunification as essential was over 80%. By 2011 that number had dropped to 56%.

According to a December 2017 survey released by the Korea Institute for National Unification, 72.1% of South Koreans in their 20s believe reunification is unnecessary, with younger South Koreans saying they are more worried about issues related to their economy, employment, and living costs.

Polls show a majority of South Koreans, even those in age groups traditionally seen as being more eager to reunify the peninsula, are not willing to see their living conditions decline in order to accommodate a reunification with the North. Moreover, about 50% of men in their 20s see North Korea as an outright enemy that they want nothing to do with.

Some scholars, like Paul Roderick Gregory, have suggested that a complete abandonment of Korean reunification may be necessary, in exchange for the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons program and permanently ending the Korean War with a peace treaty.

Strategies

Sunshine Policy

Introduced by the Millennium Democratic Party of South Korea under President Kim Dae-jung, as part of a campaign pledge to "actively pursue reconciliation and cooperation" with North Korea, the Sunshine Policy was intended to create conditions of economic assistance and cooperation for reunification, rather than sanctions and military threats. The plan was divided into three parts: increased cooperation through inter-Korean organizations (while maintaining separate systems in the North and South), national unification with two autonomous regional governments, and finally the creation of a central national government. In 1998, Kim approved large shipments of food aid to the North Korean government, lifted limits on business deals between North Korean and South Korean firms, and even called for a stop to the American economic embargo against the North. In June 2000, the leaders of North and South Korea met in Pyongyang and shook hands for the first time since the division of Korea.

Despite the continuation of the Sunshine Policy under the Roh administration, it was eventually declared a failure by the South Korean Ministry of Unification in November 2010 over issues of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, stymied further negotiations, and again strained relations between the two Koreas.

Opponents

Opponents of the Sunshine Policy argue that dialogue and trade with North Korea did nothing to improve prospects for peaceful reunification, despite the transfer of large funds to the North Korean government by President Kim Dae-jung, but allowed the North Korean government to retain its hold on power. Others believe that South Korea should remain prepared for the event of a North Korean attack. Hardliners also argue that the continued and maximized isolation of the North will lead to the country's collapse after which the territory could be absorbed by force into the Republic of Korea.

In November 2000, outgoing US President Bill Clinton wanted to visit Pyongyang. However, the intended visit never happened because the controversy surrounding the results of the 2000 US presidential election. Around April or May 2001, Kim Dae-jung was expecting to welcome Kim Jong-il to Seoul. Returning from his meeting in Washington D.C. with newly elected President Bush, Kim Dae-jung described his meeting as embarrassing while privately cursing President Bush and his hardliner approach. This meeting negated any chance of a North Korean visit to South Korea. With the Bush administration labeling North Korea as being part of the "axis of evil", North Korea renounced the nonproliferation treaty, kicked out UN inspectors, and restarted its nuclear program.. In early 2005, the North Korean government confirmed that the country had successfully become a nuclear armed state.

The Three Charters for National Reunification

In North Korea, the Three Charters for National Reunification serve as the sole guidelines for reunification. It contains the Three Principles for National Reunification, Ten Point Programme for Reunification of the Country and the plan of founding the . They were formulated by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il into the Three Charters for National Reunification in his public work "''Let Us Carry Out the Great Comrade’s Instructions for National Reunification''”, in 1997.

Three Principles for National Reunification

North Korean President Kim Il-sung proposed the Three Principles of National Reunification in 1972 as the central force that should drive reunification. They are as follows:

# "National reunification should be achieved independently without reliance on outside forces and free from their interference.
# "Great national unity should be promoted by transcending the differences in ideas, deals and systems.
# "National reunification should be achieved by peaceful means without resorting to arms."

Ten Point Programme for Reunification of the Country

The Ten Point Programme for Reunification of the Country was written by Kim Il-sung in 1993 and contains the idea of reunification with South Korea under a pan-national unified state. It emphasises once again the need for an independent reunification, and more specifically, the removal of US forces from the peninsula. It is laid out as follows:

# "A unified state, independent, peaceful and neutral, should be founded through the great unity of the whole nation.
# "Unity should be based on patriotism and the spirit of national independence.
# "Unity should be achieved on the principle of promotion coexistence, coprosperity and common interests and subordinating everything to the cause of national reunification.
# "All manner of political disputes that foment division and confrontation between the fellow countrymen should be stopped and unity be achieved.
# "They should dispel fears of invasion from the south and from the north, prevail-over-communism and communization altogether and believe in and unite with each other.
# "They should set store by democracy and join hands on the road to national reunification, not rejecting each other for the difference in isms and principles.
# "They should protect material and spiritual wealth of individual persons and organizations and encourage them to be used favorably for the promotion of great national unity.
# "The whole nation should understand, trust and unite with one another through contacts, travels and dialogues.
# "The whole nation in the north and the south and overseas should strengthen solidarity with one another on the way to national reunification.
# "Those who have contributed to the great unity of the nation and to the cause of national reunification should be highly estimated."

Plan for founding the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo

In accordance with the three principles and the ten point programme, Kim Il-sung elaborated on the proposed state, called Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo (DFRK), on October 10, 1980, in the ''Report to the Sixth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea on the Work of the Central Committee''. Kim proposed a confederation between North and South Korea, in which their respective political systems would initially remain. It is described by North Korea as a "...peaceful reunification proposal to found a federal state on the condition that the north and the south recognize and tolerate each other’s existing ideologies." It was stated that the DFRK should be a neutral country which does not participate in any political, military alliance or bloc, embracing the whole of the territory and people of the country.

Reunification tax

On January 1, 2011, a group of twelve lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties introduced a bill into the South Korean National Assembly to allow for the establishment of a "unification tax". The bill called for businesses to pay 0.05% of corporate tax, individuals to pay 5% of inheritance or gift taxes, and both individuals and companies to pay 2% of their income tax towards the cost of unification. The bill initiated legislative debate on practical measures to prepare for unification, as proposed by President Lee Myung-bak in his Liberation Day speech the previous year. The proposal for a unification tax was not warmly welcomed at the time. Lee has since reiterated concerns regarding the imminence of unification, which, combined with North Korean behavior, led to the tax proposal gaining wider acceptance. Practical measures to prepare for unification are becoming an increasingly frequent aspect of political debate, as concern regarding imminent and abrupt unification increases.

Korean Economic Community

It has been suggested that the formation of a Korean Economic Community could be a way to ease in unification of the peninsula. Lee Myung-bak, departing from the Saenuri Party's traditional hardline stance, 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.

Reunification Investment Fund

Former Inha University professor Shepherd Iverson has proposed creating a $175 billion reunification investment fund aiming to bribe the elite officials on top of DPRK's hierarchy to ensure a diplomatic way to resolve the Korean conflict by conducting an internal regime change. In the proposal a sum of up to $23.3 billion would be paid in total to the families of those elite officials who wield power in Pyongyang, while he noted that the top ten families would receive $30 million each, and the top thousand families would get $5 million. Another sum of $121.8 billion would go to the country’s general population to start their life again post-reunification, and it's envisioned that the proceeds for the fund is to be raised from private groups and business moguls.

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 divided countries had a USSR/Warsaw Pact or China aligned communist government and a US/NATO-aligned capitalist government. Germany had the communist German Democratic Republic in East Germany and the capitalist Federal Republic of Germany in West Germany, and Vietnam had the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam in North Vietnam and the capitalist Republic of Vietnam in South Vietnam from 1954 to 1976.

Germany (1945–1990)

While the situation of South and North Korea might seem comparable to East and West Germany, another country divided by Cold War politics, there are some notable differences. Germany did not have a civil war that resulted in millions of casualties, meaning "it is very hard to believe that People's Army commanders who fought the South in such a bloody fratricidal war would allow the ROK to overwhelm the DPRK, by whatever means". Both sides of Germany maintained a working relationship after World War II, but the two Koreas' relationship has been more acrimonious.

The East Germans also had 360,000 Soviet troops on their soil in 1989; however, North Korea has not had any foreign troops on its soil since 1958. "East Germany collapsed because oviet general secretary MikhailGorbachev chose to do what none of his predecessors would ever have done, namely, to keep Soviet troops in their barracks rather than mobilize them to save the Honecker regime." The East Germans looked favorably at the fact that West Germans had good retirement benefits, public order and strong civil society

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases