As South Korean President Park Geun Hye
asserted, is unification really a bonanza? If there is sufficient state power
that can manage what is to come before and after unification as well as uphold
the economy despite North Korea’s impoverished economic conditions, then
unification is an opportunity. However, bringing together the two Koreas–each
cut off from the other for more than half a century–is no simple task. Being
hopeful about unification is necessary, but understanding the positive and
negative aspects that will come with it is paramount.
To this end, Daily NK will deliver a series
of selections from the recently published book, “Unification Strategies Under
Sudden Changes in North Korea,” co-authored by Kim Young Hwan, head researcher
at the Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights; Oh Gyeong Seob,
researcher at Sejong Institute; and Ryu Jae Gil, secretary general at the
Zeitgeist think tank. This 40-installment series seeks to delve deeply and
offer fresh insight into pending issues pertaining to unification of the two
Koreas.
Is unification really necessary?
It is hard to precisely articulate why
unification is necessary. The mere fact that North and South Koreans share the
same ethnic identity is not a suitable answer in the modern world. It’s hard to
even classify countries like America by their ethnic makeup. Europe is an
increasingly diverse place, and outside of Japan, Asia is almost completely
devoid of any racially homogenous states. We’ve arrived at a time period during
which diversity has become quite natural. If you wanted to classify Korea as an
ethnic nation-state, you’d also consider the fact that, for 1,300 years after
the unified Silla Dynasty period, the peninsula was bound by strong political,
economic, social, and cultural ties. Of course, that alone isn’t sufficient
cause for unification, but these ideas do certainly inform and motivate the
pursuit of unification.
Next, we have to ask ourselves, “Can North
and South Korea really become one country?” According to the constitutions of
the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North
Korea), North and South Korea are actually one common state. In practice,
however, the two have been separated for the last 60 years. Most outside nations
treat North and South Korea as separate states, and even the UN recognizes the
independence of each nation. Of course, we need to respect the constitution of
the Republic of Korea, but just because the constitution says the Koreas are
united does not make it so. The fact that both countries have been separated
for 70 years and have still not removed that aspect of their constitutions is
evidence of the fact that both are clearly oriented towards pursuing
unification.
Last, does the North and South Korean
people’s desire for unification provide reasonable grounds for doing so? This
element definitely deserves attention. First, is it actually true that the
majority support unification? According to surveys, most people do not support
or oppose unification. Of course, North Korean people will be in support of
unification, but there are those who oppose in the South and many others in the
South who neither oppose nor support. Therefore, it is not quite accurate to
say that most Koreans are in favor of unification. However, the support for
unification in North Korea is extremely strong, so it is hard to neglect the
underlying mood there. In the South, those who oppose unification are not
passionately objecting. In the end, it is possible to take the position that
the energy of those who support and desire unification is much stronger that
the energy of those who oppose.
If we put these considerations together,
the grounds for unification start from supportive energy and desire for it.
This is especially true when we measure not simply the number of those who
support versus the number of those who oppose, but when we look at the superior
strength of conviction and desire from the supporters of unification versus the
inferior energy of those who oppose.
What should we unify?
There is sovereign unification and
civilizational unification. A lot of people have misconceptions about
unification. They think that unification means a combination of the political
systems, ideologies, cultures, and economies. But these individual categories
can all be unified, or not.
If North and South Korea engage in
sovereign unification, it might even be possible to maintain different
political systems. And since a modern democracy is open to diverse ideas and
respectful of different ways of life, ideological unification might not be
necessary right off the bat. Ideological unity was necessary under the Kim Il
Sung regime, but in the modern and free world, it is unnecessary. When it comes
to cultural unification, the union of the two nations will kick start a
long-term, natural process of cultural diffusion and absorption. There is no
need, then, to institute sudden and active cultural unification.
Is it really necessary to unify the
lifestyles, clothes, and mindsets of North and South Koreans? Of course, with
regards to language, it will be necessary to establish a standard language that
consolidates Northern and Southern dialects. But on this front as well, there
is no need to rush at all. As long as the two sides respect one another’s
culture, it will work out. The economies are the same. The economic systems of
the North and South are diametrically different. Since the infrastructure,
currency, and employment policies of the North and South are so drastically
incongruent, it is not so clear that an economic unification is necessary. In
sum, it might not be necessary to pursue economic, cultural, political, or
ideological unification immediately.
In that case, what does need to be unified?
The most important thing to consider is sovereign unification and
civilizational unification. Sovereignty is the most important thing, so if it
doesn’t work out, the whole house of cards will come apart. Sovereign unity is
the priority and crux of unification. Sovereign unification concerns who holds
the power. For example, China holds the power in both Macau and Hong Kong. Hong
Kong has an independent administration and the political and economic systems
are different from China’s.
However, China controls Hong Kong and the
ultimate power resides in Beijing. This is the problem of sovereignty. The two
most important steps to establishing sovereign control are taking over the
military and receiving legitimacy from the international community. In the case
of South Korea, it will most likely not face any problems with international
recognition, so that means the central priority is control over the military.
If the problem of sovereignty can be resolved, it will become substantially easier
to get the other pieces into place.
After sovereign unification comes
civilizational unification. This is an overwhelmingly difficult problem. It
must be approached with long term vision. If it cannot be achieved, then
unification will ultimately fail. Cultural differences will not prove
insurmountable. With a little bit of elbow grease, the differences can be
overcome. Differences in language, dress, food customs, music, and art will not
be insurmountable stumbling blocks. But the civilizational differences are
quite large, so it will be hard to bridge the gap between them. Differences in
scientific knowledge, production technologies, and social overhead capital can
be addressed relatively quickly.
However, differences in perspective with
regards to human rights awareness, political ownership, democratic
consciousness, democratic debate and decision making, legal thought, protection
of minorities, etc. will be much harder to solve in a short period of time.
Looking at South Korea provides ample evidence of that. South Korea rose
through the economic rankings with deliberate speed, but struggles compared to
other first world nations with civilizational issues. That is why the success
of unification is ultimately dependent upon the degree to which civilizational
unification can occur. It is impossible to come up with precise numbers, but if
civilizational unification can more or less be achieved within 30-40 years,
then that can be called a success.
To put this into context, it has been a
little more than 20 years since Germany has unified. The fact that East German
native Angela Merkel was able to rise to Chancellor is a symbolic indicator
that civilizational differences between the two sides have been largely
resolved. East and West Germany share a common history starting from the end of
the 17th century, which proved beneficial in circumventing collisions and
facilitating the civilizational unification process.
