[학생기자 칼럼] The Impossible Reunification of the North and South (1)
Daniel Ha/Potomach School 10th
With the Cold War and the emergence of a bipolar world, Korea’s future was drastically altered. After Japan liberated Korea, subsequent to 55 years of oppression, Korea had to decide which one of two paths to follow: a communist society like the Soviet Union or a capitalist society influenced by the United States.
Ultimately, as one author describes, “in the North, the Soviets backed a Stalinist regime under their client Kim Il-sung … [While] In the South, the chaotic political situation resulted in an American-backed administration” (Hickey). This division was only the beginning of a long mutual abhorrence, which was vividly shown through the Korean War (1950-1953): a clash between two opposite ideals (Hickey).
One believed in dictatorship, misrepresentation, and, as some people view, oppression while the other believed in democracy, civilian representation, and freedom. Yet, these differences go much deeper than one can perceive. Therefore, due to the extreme discrepancies and conflicts in their political outlooks, economic conditions, and due to the judgments of influential countries, Korean reunification is impossible. As Tong-chin Rhee states, “When and how [reunification] may be achieved is a question that can be addressed only in a world of fantasy” (Rhee).
Due to the prodigious economic cost of rebuilding North Korea’s nation if unification of the Koreas occurs and essentially the extreme economic differences between North Korea and South Korea, integration is intangible. First, the discrepancy in economic incomes and profit between the North and the South is just too great. In North Korea, the gross national product is less than 4% the size of South Korea’s (Schuman). In addition, the North’s average per-capita income is $735, which is less than 10% of the South‘s, a tremendous difference (Schuman).
One professor estimates that it will take $600 billion to raise North Korea‘s economy to only 60% of South Korea’s, only then will North Korea have a somewhat stable economy (Schuman). Moreover, another researcher states, “the South doesn‘t want [unification] because the government would probably have to spend upwards of $1 trillion to remake the North…” (Sangillo). Hence, due to the large difference in the societies’ income and profit and to the exceptional amount of money that would be spent to stabilize and to refine the North, reunification of the North and South is impossible.
Another key aspect that prohibits the Koreas from uniting again is the major political confrontations between the two sides. With the recent election of the new South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, the North-South relationship has greatly declined. One author describes, “Relations have deteriorated [with the North] since South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak took a harder line approach to the North” (North Korea).
Essentially, the new South Korean president is not fond of North Korea; he basically ended all the progress made with the former South Korean presidents and parties. The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea stated, “All the agreed points concerning the issue of putting an end to the political and military confrontation between the North and South will be nullified” (North Korea). Furthermore, one reporter states, “[Lee] began rolling back his predecessors’ “sunshine policy” of unconditional aid to the North. The North responded by cutting off talks, suspending key joint projects, and stepping up criticism of Mr.
Lee whom it calls a “traitor” (North Korea). Hence, due to Lee Myung-bak’s rather hostile and ignorant stance on the North, the Koreas’ relationship has greatly deteriorated, which is why reunification is highly improbable if not impossible since, obviously, both Koreas need to have a sense of respect and trust between each other to even think about rejoining. In general, the following quote said by the North accurately illustrates their clashing relationship:
“Never to be condoned are the crimes the Lee group has committed against the nation and reunification by bedeviling overnight the inter-Korean relations that had favorably developed amidst the support and encouragement of all the Koreans and ruthlessly scrapping the inter-Korean agreements” (North Korea).”