Prospects and Challenges for Korean Reunification
Author: Ho-Yeol Yoo, Dr. John Park, Dr. Abraham Kim
Region: Asia
Theme: Inter-Korean, Foreign Relations, Security, Politics
Published September 3, 2013
Download PDFIn April 2013 North Korea was determined to show the world that it was prepared to stop at nothing in order to be accepted as a nuclear power. Instead of commonplace scenarios of North Korea’s collapse and absorption by South Korea, the message it sought to convey was of a powerful, determined state whose military might entitled it to a deciding voice on the future of the Korean Peninsula, however undesirable that was to other countries. After two decades of discussion about how reunification can be facilitated by engagement that reassures the North’s leadership that regime change is not what is driving the policy of other states or, alternatively, by illumination that awakens the North Korean people to outside support for their well-being and human rights, the Kim Jong-un regime sent unmistakable signals that reunification will only be possible on its terms. The debate on Korean reunification also has been recast by President Park Geun-hye, even in the midst of North Korea’s barrage of threats, making a steadfast appeal for a “Korean Peninsula trust process.”
This section contains the following chapters:
Introduction by Editor-in-Chief Gil Rozman
Competing Regional Interests and reunification
John Park, Harvard University
South Korea's Unification Policy and Prospects
Ho-Yeol Yoo, Korea University
Understanding Peaceful Reunification: Its Dynamics and Challenges
Abraham Kim, Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)