'United States of Korea'
 |
By
Ranjit Kumar Dhawan
BBC
Posted : 2014-12-25 17:00
The unification of the Korean Peninsula is a highly emotional
issue for people in both North and South Korea. But despite all efforts, the
Korean Peninsula remains divided even after seven decades since liberation from
a brutal Japanese colonial occupation (1910-45). Previous attempts to unify the
peninsula did not lead to any fruitful results.
Soon after liberation in 1945, Korean leader Yo Un-hyong made efforts to form a provisional government on the peninsula by establishing the ''People's Republic of Korea," which included both Nationalists and Socialists. But the joy of independence was short lived for the Koreans because the allied powers divided the peninsula along the 38th North latitude/parallel and brought it under their trusteeship. The Soviet forces occupied the areas north of the 38th parallel, whereas the United States occupied the southern part. Thus the peninsula was divided along this imaginary line.
In 1948, K.P.S. Menon, an Indian, was unanimously elected as the chairman of the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea (UNTCOK) to supervise the election for the formation of a national government for the entire Korean Peninsula. Menon gave his best effort to unify the peninsula but was unsuccessful. The Communists in the North opposed the election. As a result, elections were held only in the areas south of the 38th parallel, which divided the country by political means.
Another effort to unify the Korean Peninsula was made by North Korea on June 25, 1950 through armed aggression against South Korea. The U.S. and its allies under the United Nations Command came in support of South Korea. on the other hand, China sent thousands of People's Volunteers to fight in support of the North. Hundreds of thousands died in the war which was threatening to lead to another world war. However an armistice agreement was signed on July 27, 1953 through the efforts of India and other neutral nations, which halted the hostilities between the warring parties. This time, the Korean Peninsula was divided along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) by military means.
A ray of hope emerged when Kim Dae-jung became the president of South Korea in 1998. He initiated the Sunshine Policy of rapprochement and reconciliation with the North Korean regime. It seemed that unification was imminent. Several joint projects such as the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mount Geumgang tours were started. But the arrival of the conservative administration of Lee Myung-bak to power in 2008 in South Korea and the inflexible attitude of the regime in the North destroyed the developing economic interdependence between the two Koreas. Economic exchanges were curtailed and tourism stopped. As a result, the Korean Peninsula again got divided through economic means.
The present Park Geun-hye administration is making efforts to reunify the peninsula by initiating a "Trust Policy." President Park has prepared an entire blueprint for the unification, and its costs and benefits are being calculated by mathematical means. But decades of mistrust between the two Koreas will not diminish in a year or two. It has to be gradual and may take several years.
In order to build up trust, begin with emphasis on the unique cultural traditions and 5,000 years of common heritage of the Korean nation by establishing the "United States of Korea." It would be a loose confederation with two different systems of governance. But there would be one flag and one national anthem, possibly Arirang. At any international sports or cultural event, the two Koreas will be represented as one nation.
Culture has tremendous potential to bind the people. The emergence of nationalism in Europe and the "Clash of Civilizations" thesis by Samuel P. Huntington were based on cultural factors. Therefore, let there be another effort to unify the Korean Peninsula and this time through cultural means.
The author is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. His email address is rkdhawan13@hotmail.com.
Soon after liberation in 1945, Korean leader Yo Un-hyong made efforts to form a provisional government on the peninsula by establishing the ''People's Republic of Korea," which included both Nationalists and Socialists. But the joy of independence was short lived for the Koreans because the allied powers divided the peninsula along the 38th North latitude/parallel and brought it under their trusteeship. The Soviet forces occupied the areas north of the 38th parallel, whereas the United States occupied the southern part. Thus the peninsula was divided along this imaginary line.
In 1948, K.P.S. Menon, an Indian, was unanimously elected as the chairman of the United Nations Temporary Commission on Korea (UNTCOK) to supervise the election for the formation of a national government for the entire Korean Peninsula. Menon gave his best effort to unify the peninsula but was unsuccessful. The Communists in the North opposed the election. As a result, elections were held only in the areas south of the 38th parallel, which divided the country by political means.
Another effort to unify the Korean Peninsula was made by North Korea on June 25, 1950 through armed aggression against South Korea. The U.S. and its allies under the United Nations Command came in support of South Korea. on the other hand, China sent thousands of People's Volunteers to fight in support of the North. Hundreds of thousands died in the war which was threatening to lead to another world war. However an armistice agreement was signed on July 27, 1953 through the efforts of India and other neutral nations, which halted the hostilities between the warring parties. This time, the Korean Peninsula was divided along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) by military means.
A ray of hope emerged when Kim Dae-jung became the president of South Korea in 1998. He initiated the Sunshine Policy of rapprochement and reconciliation with the North Korean regime. It seemed that unification was imminent. Several joint projects such as the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mount Geumgang tours were started. But the arrival of the conservative administration of Lee Myung-bak to power in 2008 in South Korea and the inflexible attitude of the regime in the North destroyed the developing economic interdependence between the two Koreas. Economic exchanges were curtailed and tourism stopped. As a result, the Korean Peninsula again got divided through economic means.
The present Park Geun-hye administration is making efforts to reunify the peninsula by initiating a "Trust Policy." President Park has prepared an entire blueprint for the unification, and its costs and benefits are being calculated by mathematical means. But decades of mistrust between the two Koreas will not diminish in a year or two. It has to be gradual and may take several years.
In order to build up trust, begin with emphasis on the unique cultural traditions and 5,000 years of common heritage of the Korean nation by establishing the "United States of Korea." It would be a loose confederation with two different systems of governance. But there would be one flag and one national anthem, possibly Arirang. At any international sports or cultural event, the two Koreas will be represented as one nation.
Culture has tremendous potential to bind the people. The emergence of nationalism in Europe and the "Clash of Civilizations" thesis by Samuel P. Huntington were based on cultural factors. Therefore, let there be another effort to unify the Korean Peninsula and this time through cultural means.
The author is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. His email address is rkdhawan13@hotmail.com.
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