{"id":57676,"date":"2024-02-01T12:12:22","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T03:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=57676"},"modified":"2026-04-05T15:33:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T06:33:29","slug":"an-in-depth-look-at-kim-jong-uns-two-states-narrative-part-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/an-in-depth-look-at-kim-jong-uns-two-states-narrative-part-4\/","title":{"rendered":"An in-depth look at Kim Jong Un\u2019s \u201ctwo states\u201d narrative: Part 4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor’s Note: Read Part 1<\/a>, Part 2<\/a>, and Part 3<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

At the beginning of the year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that the North and South should live as two separate and hostile states, repudiating the vision of the reunification of the Korean nation. Kim has also raised tensions by threatening to conquer, subjugate, subdue, and annex South Korea if it begins a war.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ulterior motivations<\/b><\/p>\n

Newspaper reports in South Korea and other countries have cited experts who emphasize that Kim\u2019s comments amount to a strategy of stirring up conflict inside South Korea around its general election in April and pressuring the US in the lead-up to its presidential election in November. Leading experts such as Robert Gallucci, America’s top envoy in its nuclear talks with North Korea in Geneva, have expressed fears that war on the Korean Peninsula is more likely than ever before.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in addition to such goals, I think Kim has other, less obvious, motivations. I see the steps he has taken as reflecting anxiety about the downsides of exchange and cooperation and the ideological laxness that is spreading among North Korea\u2019s younger generation. I see those steps as being similar to the emergency measures taken by Park Chung-hee, former president of South Korea, during his \u201cYushin<\/a>\u201d self-coup in October 1972.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gains and losses<\/b><\/p>\n

I have explained in a previous article that Kim\u2019s extreme hardline measures have given him an excuse for tightening internal controls while also providing a grist for his struggle against the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. One notable aspect is that Kim is laying the groundwork for strengthening ties with China and Russia. Considering that China and Russia are already locked in strategic competition with the U.S., they are sure to quietly welcome Kim\u2019s embrace of a permanent division of the Korean Peninsula, which will reinforce North Korea\u2019s status as a buffer zone against the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also of note is the fact that North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui visited North Korea on Jan. 15-17 instead of attending the Supreme People\u2019s Assembly. Given the use of the expression \u201cputting [. . .] bilateral relations on a new legal basis\u201d in North Korea and Russia\u2019s joint statement, the two countries have likely discussed not only Putin\u2019s visit to North Korea, which has already been announced, but also restoring the \u201ctreaty of friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance\u201d (including automatic military invention in the event of a war) that was scrapped after South Korea and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations in the 1990s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey also reached a consensus and satisfactory agreement in the discussion of practical issues of putting the bilateral relations on a new legal basis in the direction of strategic development and expanding and developing them in an all-round way.\u201d \u2014 press release from the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Jan. 20, 2024<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We should remember that Kim\u2019s loss is our gain. While Kim has gained the three things described above, in so doing he has lost three important things. Namely, he has (1) surrendered the initiative for reunification to South Korea; (2) made the blunder of rejecting the policy line of his father and grandfather, the source of the legitimacy of his succession; and (3) undermined the position of pro-North Korean forces in South Korea and other countries.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe peaceful reunification of the Korean nation\u201d \u2014 that was the trusty slogan of North Korea\u2019s \u201cunited front\u201d tactics for 79 years since the division of the Korean Peninsula into north and south. That was also a key phrase in the parting messages of Kim\u2019s father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung. But now Kim Jong Un has dispensed with the infallibility of the two previous leaders and completely abandoned one of the two pillars of North Korea\u2019s unification line, which has relied not only on force but also on collaboration (that is, \u201cunited front\u201d operations).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un conducted an inspection of the newly built Gwangchon Chicken Factory, according to state-run media on Jan. 8, 2024. He was accompanied by his daughter, Ju-ae. (Rodong Sinmun-News1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This obviously must be very disconcerting for the North Korean populace as well as North Korean sympathizers in South Korea and elsewhere in the world. Some of them even seem to be in a state of shock.<\/span><\/p>\n

That was eloquently illustrated by a Jan. 22 report in the South Korean daily the Joongang Ilbo about members of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (better known as Chongryon) hurriedly asking the United Front Department of the Workers\u2019 Party of Korea whether Kim\u2019s remarks mean that reunification is no longer the goal. When Chongryon members asked what they were supposed to do now, they did not receive any response from the department.<\/span><\/p>\n

How South Korea should respond<\/b><\/p>\n

What should the Yoon administration do about this? Is it time to abandon South Korea\u2019s stated goal<\/a> of reunifying the nation and relinquish the view, established in the <\/span>Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-aggression and Exchanges and Cooperation Between the South and the North in December 1991, that despite their separate names, their relationship is not \u201ca relationship between states\u201d but \u201ca special interim relationship stemming from the process towards unification\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Reject the \u201ctwo states\u201d narrative<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The answer is no. Just because Kim Jong Un has abandoned the reunification of Korea does not mean we should do the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

    At first blush, the \u201ctwo states\u201d narrative might look like a plausible way for South and North Korea to go about their business without interfering with each other\u2019s internal affairs, but we need to approach this from the point of view of history, strategy, and the future. We need to stay consistent on this question, which is directly connected with several critical issues\u2014the identity and future blueprint of a nation with a proud history stretching back five millennia, the ability to immediately take in North Korean defectors as South Korean nationals, and the legitimacy of intervening in a sudden crisis in North Korea without the consent of the U.N. or another country.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Our government, therefore, ought to maintain its current position on the following key issues: the Republic of Korea is the only legal government on the Korean Peninsula; nobody can arbitrarily sever relations of blood, culture, or history; and reunification is the historical destiny of the Korean nation. At the same time, it should be flexible about incorporating some aspects of the relations between separate states, such as adopting each country\u2019s official names (e.g., \u201cROK-DPRK relations,\u201d rather than \u201cSouth-North relations\u201d), making treaties, and establishing official delegations. That could be summed up as the provisional and partial acceptance of the North Korean state.<\/span><\/p>\n

    In other words, there are lessons we can learn from West Germany\u2019s adherence to the line of one nation being reunified under one state and one system, in rejection of East Germany\u2019s insistence on the idea of \u201ctwo states.\u201d Furthermore, we need to frame a strategy for orchestrating change in North Korea by incorporating it into the international community (to motivate North Koreans themselves to reject the dictatorial regime and desire to join the South Korean system), all while retaining reunification as a vision, rather than an immediate goal or plan of action, in imitation of West Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n

    On a similar note, we must continue working toward projects related to inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, even though such projects are not immediately feasible in light of North Korea\u2019s rejection. In other words, we should keep knocking on the door as part of our effort to change the North Korean system, as well as to achieve universal human values (and hold the moral high ground along the way). To achieve that, we need to keep supplementing laws and systems and expanding partnerships with international bodies such as the U.N. Humanitarian aid should be fundamentally predicated on fraternal affection and global citizenship, and economic cooperation on state-to-state transactions.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2. Strengthen preventive and data-gathering activities<\/i><\/p>\n

    Since the beginning of this year, Kim Jong Un has been lobbing megaton bombs toward us by characterizing South and North Korea as \u201cbelligerents,\u201d describing South Korea as the North\u2019s \u201cprimary foe,\u201d and threatening war and territorial conquest. So while North Korea is likely to stoke tensions with fiery rhetoric, incursions across the Northern Limit Line<\/a>, and provocations with strategic weaponry based on increasing cooperation with China and Russia while gauging the response from South Korea and the international community, I expect that North Korea will focus more on internal affairs than external affairs for the time being.<\/span><\/p>\n

    That is, North Korea will likely focus on carrying out the objectives laid out in Kim\u2019s speech (which include amending the constitution, eliminating terms and removing symbolic structures related to reunification and Koreans\u2019 shared national identity, and laying plans for the \u201c20\u00d710\u201d policy of regional development) and on holding ideological indoctrination, study sessions, and motivational rallies to instill the sense that South Korea is the enemy.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"\"
    A photo published in state-run media showing a scene from the party meeting, which was held from Dec. 26 to Dec. 30, 2023. (Rodong Sinmun – News1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    North Korea will not refocus its attention on the outside world until after the Supreme People\u2019s Assembly<\/a> is convened to add territorial language to the constitution. The first test of North Korea\u2019s \u201ctwo states\u201d narrative in terms of its relations with South Korea and with the U.S. is expected to come after mid-March, a period packed with major political and diplomatic events including the yearly U.S.-ROK joint military exercises, Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s visit to North Korea, and South Korea\u2019s general election on Apr. 10.<\/span><\/p>\n

    That is also the season of the southeastern wind that is ideal for sending balloons full of propaganda leaflets into North Korea, a practice that always enrages the North Korean authorities. We need to imagine a range of potential provocations across the \u201cfive fronts\u201d of land, sea, sky, cyberspace, and outer space and to be proactive in our preparations through cooperation, where appropriate, with the U.S. and Japan and through strategic diplomacy with China and Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Draft a new plan for reunification<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    The new reunification plan that is currently being prepared by the Ministry of Unification needs to take these changing circumstances into account. In that process, we need to be aware of the following three points: (1) Kim Jong Un\u2019s \u201ctwo states\u201d line is a short-sighted policy that rejects our shared identity as Koreans; (2) Rejecting reunification and our shared national identity is a gambit for maintaining power and prolonging national division\u2014the same gambit that was already attempted, without success, by the government of East Germany; and (3) South Korea needs to seize the initiative on reunification going forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This can be regarded as a heaven-sent opportunity. The South Korean government needs to have the wisdom to use Kim Jong Un\u2019s goals and policies against him by continuing to proclaim the legitimacy of a free and unified Korea and publicizing our blueprint for the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

    In that respect, one of our key targets should be the \u201c20\u00d710\u201d regional development plan<\/a> that Kim announced as a key policy since organizations around North Korea will be fully mobilized as part of that plan. More specifically, we should make use of North Korea\u2019s new plan to achieve genuine change in North Korean society and to bring it in line with global standards.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Toward that end, the three stages of the \u201cPlan for Reunification of the Korean Community\u201d (reconciliation and cooperation, federated country, unified state) should be augmented with a \u201cstage zero\u201d of effecting change in the North Korean system. I also suggest changing the name to the \u201cPlan for Reunification as a Liberal Democratic Community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cStage zero\u201d basically involves steadily implementing a fivefold strategy, both openly and clandestinely, of denuclearization, liberalization, marketization, globalization, and affinity for South Korea, regardless of whether or not North Korea is open to those initiatives. The goal is not to bring down the North Korean regime, but to bring it more in line with liberal democracies and to bring some degree of improvement to the lives of its people. That is the only way that the reconciliation and cooperation of stage one can be achieved meaningfully and without interruption. (For more details, see the author\u2019s book <\/span>Toward the World, the Future, and Reunification<\/span><\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n

    As I conclude, there is one issue I would like to reiterate. What we need to do as South Koreans is trust our government and military without being swayed by the fear of war being fomented by North Korea and certain media outlets and politicians, while also avoiding self-serving and complacent calls for peace and unification.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The time has come to deal directly not with the North Korean leadership (with whom any discussion of peaceful cooperation would only prolong the de facto division of our nation) but with the North Korean people (through the formation of a genuine community). That is the path to true peace and reunification.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Reunification is not achieved through slogans and songs, or dialogue and negotiations, but through the power of the people and the state. Reunification is not merely a moral imperative or a fervent dream\u2014it is a matter of practical reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

    As German reunification teaches, we need to always \u201cremain awake\u201d because reunification may come \u201clike a thief in the night,\u201d in the words<\/a> of the Bible.<\/span><\/p>\n

    That day is not far off. Every crisis is its own opportunity!<\/span><\/p>\n

    Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Please send any comments or questions about this<\/em> article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Read in Korean<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Editor’s Note: Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.\u00a0 At the beginning of the year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that the North and South should live as two separate and hostile states, repudiating the vision of the reunification of the Korean nation. Kim has also raised tensions by threatening to conquer, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":241,"featured_media":57262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[724,922,1656,3234,3238],"class_list":["post-57676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-analysis-and-opinion","tag-kim-jong-un","tag-south-korea","tag-dprk","tag-gil-sup-kwak-columns","tag-north-korea-foreign-policy"],"yoast_head":"\nAn in-depth look at Kim Jong Un\u2019s \u201ctwo states\u201d narrative: Part 4 - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unification is not achieved through slogans and songs, or dialogue and negotiations, but through the power of the people and the state.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/an-in-depth-look-at-kim-jong-uns-two-states-narrative-part-4\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An in-depth look at Kim Jong Un\u2019s \u201ctwo states\u201d narrative: Part 4\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Unification is not achieved through slogans and songs, or dialogue and negotiations, but through the power of the people and the state.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/an-in-depth-look-at-kim-jong-uns-two-states-narrative-part-4\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-01T03:12:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-05T06:33:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/01\/20240105_hya_\uae40\uc815\uc740-\uc8fc\uc694-\uc9c0\ud718\uad00.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"741\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"494\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gil-sup Kwak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gil-sup Kwak\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/an-in-depth-look-at-kim-jong-uns-two-states-narrative-part-4\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/an-in-depth-look-at-kim-jong-uns-two-states-narrative-part-4\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gil-sup Kwak\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2a4bba6f0b8b8b7852ae70d81d94340b\"},\"headline\":\"An in-depth look at Kim Jong Un\u2019s \u201ctwo states\u201d narrative: Part 4\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-01T03:12:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-05T06:33:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/an-in-depth-look-at-kim-jong-uns-two-states-narrative-part-4\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2294,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/an-in-depth-look-at-kim-jong-uns-two-states-narrative-part-4\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/20240105_hya_\uae40\uc815\uc740-\uc8fc\uc694-\uc9c0\ud718\uad00.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"kim jong un\",\"south korea\",\"dprk\",\"Gil-sup Kwak Columns\",\"north korea foreign policy\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis & Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/an-in-depth-look-at-kim-jong-uns-two-states-narrative-part-4\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dailynk.com\\\/english\\\/an-in-depth-look-at-kim-jong-uns-two-states-narrative-part-4\\\/\",\"name\":\"An in-depth look at Kim Jong Un\u2019s \u201ctwo states\u201d narrative: Part 4 - 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