Korean Unification Not Possible in Short-Term

Korean Unification Not Possible in Short-Term

I am presenting this small piece on the following assumptions: I do not believe that the unification of Korea will be possible in the near future. Nor do I believe that it would be desirable if its cost were high in terms of human sacrifice. The two societies have already evolved so apart from one another that it will not be possible for them to come under one roof for a very long time. The structures of power have also become so deeply entrenched on both sides that one cannot imagine they could be fused together peacefully. The best we can hope for is that the two sides will be able to create a regime under which they can coexist in peace like ordinary neighboring countries. This, however, will not be possible either given the present predicament governing relations between the two Koreas. This relationship is dominated by what I call the “dynamics of adversarial duo,” a vicious and fatal rivalry to claim a common patrimony, the Korean peninsula. They are bound to each other, “neither separate nor united.” Each is a threat, either potential or actual, to the other in war or in peace, in exchange of fire and of good will. The very existence of the South is a threat to the North and vice versa. At present, the threat of the North is mainly a physical or military one while the South’s way of life is threat to the North with its relative superiority in wealth and its freedoms.

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