South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol unveiled a new unification doctrine, the “Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine,” during his speech marking the 79th anniversary of Korea’s liberation on Aug. 15. He pledged to “make 2024 the founding year for advancing towards a unified Republic of Korea based on freedom, peace, and prosperity.”
This declaration presents the South Korean government’s urgent vision and strategy in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s recent aggressive actions. Since the beginning of this year, Kim has escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula by altogether rejecting the concepts of shared ethnicity and unification, promoting a “hostile two-state theory,” and engaging in various provocations through both cyber and non-cyber means.
Key developments
Shortly after taking office in May 2022, the Yoon administration declared on the 77th Liberation Day that “if North Korea stops nuclear development and shifts towards genuine denuclearization, we can dramatically improve North Korea’s economy and people’s livelihoods at that stage.”
This new national security policy, known as the “Audacious Initiative,” was a bold proposal offering economic aid, including food and daily necessities, from the early stages of negotiations if North Korea was willing to denuclearize. However, no progress has been made due to Kim Jong Un’s all-in approach to nuclear and missile development and refusal to engage in dialogue.
Instead, Kim Jong Un has exploited the situation where the international community is returning to a Cold War-like confrontational structure due to U.S.-China rivalry and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. He has been advocating for a “hostile two-state theory,” removing terms and symbols related to shared ethnicity and unification, blocking the spread of South Korean culture, installing minefields and barriers in the demilitarized zone, and conducting 11 instances of “trash balloon terrorism” against South Korea. These actions aim to create tensions on the Korean Peninsula and perpetuate division.
In response to North Korea’s actions, Yoon reaffirmed in his March 1 Independence Movement Day speech that “the March 1 Movement will be completed through unification where everyone enjoys freedom and prosperity; unification means expanding the universal values of freedom and human rights.” This statement confirmed that Yoon’s peaceful unification policy based on liberal democracy has not changed. The recent announcement provides a more detailed unification and security policy outline.
Key points of the “Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine”
Regarding the significance of unification, Yoon again emphasized, just like he did in his March 1 commemorative speech, that “the day when a free and democratic unified state is created across the entire Korean Peninsula, where the people are the masters, is when complete liberation will be realized.”
The doctrine presented three visions, three implementation strategies, and seven action plans. The three visions for a unified Korea are:
- A happy country where people’s freedom and safety are guaranteed.
- A solid and prosperous country that leaps forward through creativity and innovation.
- A country that leads international harmony and development while contributing to world peace and prosperity.
The three implementation strategies are:
- Cultivating values and capabilities to pursue free unification.
- Creating a desire for change among North Korean residents.
- Emphasizing solidarity with the international community.
The seven action plans include:
- Activating unification programs to instill the values of freedom and a sense of responsibility.
- Multidimensional efforts to improve North Korean human rights (publishing and disseminating North Korean human rights reports, establishing a North Korean liberties and human rights fund, supporting civil society activities, etc.).
- Expanding North Korean residents’ access to outside information.
- Providing humanitarian aid to ensure North Korean residents’ right to survival.
- Protecting North Korean defectors and reflecting their experiences in unification capabilities.
- Establishing a working-level “dialogue council” for substantial talks between South and North Korean authorities.
- Creating an international Korean Peninsula forum to strengthen solidarity with the global community.
Evaluation and significance
First, Yoon clearly states that the Republic of Korea will continue to pursue the unified state of one nation and one country as defined in the “National Community Unification Formula” – the official unification plan since 1994 – despite Kim Jong Un’s “hostile two-state theory.” As such, South Korea maintains its initiative for peaceful unification on the Korean Peninsula. This approach adheres to the principles of continuity (maintaining previous administrations’ peaceful unification policies) and development (reflecting changing trends of the times).
Second, Yoon’s proposal includes the establishment of a working-level “dialogue council“ between the authorities of both countries, following the “Audacious Initiative“ (August 2022) and offers of humanitarian aid during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent flood damage in border areas. This shows that the South Koreans adhere to an open-minded approach to inter-Korean dialogue, along with exchanges and cooperation both domestically and internationally.
Third, Yoon’s proposal reaffirms that the spread of freedom is the path to unification (“The freedom we enjoy must be extended to the frozen kingdom where freedom has been deprived, to the North Korean land suffering from poverty and famine“) while emphasizing the importance of practical measures in both Koreas and the international community. In other words, he clearly states that the “democratization of North Korean society“ must precede the road map of reconciliation, cooperation, inter-Korean confederation, and unified Korea.
In conclusion, Yoon’s “Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine” reaffirms South Korea’s unification vision and implementation strategies, emphasizing “freedom” as its cornerstone. This approach counters Kim Jong Un’s “decision to part ways,” which is a prelude to the forceful subjugation of South Korea. The doctrine asserts that “unification is not an ideal but a reality” and prioritizes action over rhetoric. This declaration comes at a critical time, addressing Kim’s two-state theory, growing international tensions, uncertain U.S. and Japanese leadership, and waning public interest in unification. Its future-oriented approach aims to navigate these complex challenges while maintaining the goal of peaceful reunification.
Conclusion: Policy challenges
Whether North Korea accepts Yoon’s “Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine“ is a secondary issue. What matters is that South Korea is on the right path and maintaining its dignity. In the current situation, the possibility of Kim Jong Un accepting Yoon’s proposal is almost zero. There are also concerns that factions opposed to the Yoon administration might turn the doctrine into unnecessary political debates.
The Yoon administration must now focus on implementing a range of short- and long-term actions with sustained commitment. Many of the seven action plans can proceed regardless of North Korea’s response, but success requires more than government effort alone. A coordinated approach involving a pan-governmental control tower and simultaneous initiatives at government, public, inter-Korean, and global levels is essential. Engaging North Korea’s younger “market generation” should be a key priority.
Equally important is a robust strategy to predict and counter North Korea’s provocations across both online and offline fronts. The regime’s “trash balloon terrorism” demands a more proactive response to alleviate public anxiety in South Korea. While loudspeaker broadcasts are not a panacea, new deterrents that Kim Jong Un perceives as credible threats must be developed. Urgent action is needed before the post-typhoon season brings northwesterly winds favorable to North Korea’s leaflet campaigns. Comprehensive countermeasures must be established and implemented promptly to address these evolving challenges.
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