ONE KOREA: Visions of Korean unification

摘要

A key strength of this edited volume is its overarching view of the issue of inter-Korean unification, an event that would exert a substantial impact on the lives of seventy-five million Koreans as well as on the peace and stability of the East Asia region. First, the volume closely examines the significant discrepancies between North and South Korea's unification formulae-Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo (DFRK) and Korean National Community (KNC), respectively. The DFRK formula is "to establish a federal state with one nation, one state, two systems, and two regional governments" while the KNC formula is "to establish a unitary, democratic unified state based on nationalism, democracy, freedom, and a welfare state" (18). In addition, the DFRK plan presents at least five preconditions to establishing a federal state, including the resignation of the current South Korean government and the withdrawal of US troops from the peninsula. It is extremely difficult for South Korea to accept such conditions. Given the implausibility of adopting either the DFRK or the KNC formula, the volume proposes an alternative approach-a unified Korea through neutralization. This neutralization-unification formula first requires the two Koreas to make every effort to neutralize their extreme thinking and antagonistic policy measures. These actions, it is argued, will trigger national reconciliation, the harmonization of interests, and ultimately peace between North and South Korea, thus smoothing the road toward a peaceful unification. A unified Korea will maintain the status of a non-aligned, neutral state and seek a balanced security and foreign policy. Based on this basic concept, the volume presents specific action plans for a five-stage neutralization-unification formula.