The Ramifications of Korean Re-Unification: Part One

A Dream Deferred: The Ramifications of Korean Unification

The two Koreas have certainly leapt into the news cycle lately with the usual alarms, rhetoric and glimmers of hope. This article is intended to illustrate something of the confusing, poignant and explosive history of Korea in three parts. Given the international importance of events on the Korean Peninsula, it is somewhat surprising that many Americans know more about Japan and China. Yes, Korea was known as the “Hermit Kingdom” for a long time because of the tendency of that nation to avoid foreign contacts. Now is the time to gain some understanding because what happens in the two Koreas will have a great impact on the balance of power in Asia and perhaps everywhere.

It is appropriate to review recent events before plunging into the vast topic of the history of a small nation. To shed light on the present a look at ancient Korea is appropriate. As is the case with all Korean history, ancient Korean history is very complicated. The story involves the three competing Korean kingdoms of Paekche, Korguryo and Shilla. Three outside powers; Japan, China and the Mongols were very influential in the course of Korean History.

The second section will deal with Modern Korean History with a detailed description of the Korean War including the ideologies and international politics that swirled around the conflict. The most important point here is that the Korean War is not over. There is an armistice or a cease-fire; there is no true peace. This is why the situation in Korea remains dangerous.

Thirdly; the question of Korean re-unification arises. Obviously, this dream has been dealt some set-backs lately. An understanding of the bitter, intractable differences between North Korea and the West is necessary here. Some of the more bizarre incidents between the two Koreas will be examined. Further questions necessarily arise when considering potential re-unification. Is it possible? If it is possible how other powers react such as China, Japan, the Russian Confederation and the United States becomes a very sensitive question. If it is possible: how will the re-construction of North Korea be paid for? Only one thing is certain; re-unification is the dream of most Korean people. Despite the artificial division of their country they consider themselves to be one race, one blood and one people. I have witnessed Koreans crying at the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) as they looked across the closed border. They follow negotiations between North and South with intense, emotional interest.

The recent news from the Koreas is certainly beyond interesting. On August 4^th & 5^th, 2009 former President Bill Clinton traveled to North Korea and arranged the release of two journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Whether or not it was wise for two western reporters to be active in the border area between China and North Korea is an open question. The two women work for former Vice President Al Gore’s, “Current TV”. In March they were accused by the North of spying and sentenced to a hard labor camp. Clinton’s visit was considered, “private” meaning that the Obama administration kept a careful distance. We now know that North Korea insisted on dealing with a very high profile figure from the US. This is a typical strategy on their part; North Korea desires to be, “stroked”. There is a method to the seeming madness and brinksmanship of this regime because they certainly got the attention they wanted. 

This is because North Korea has been under intense international pressure lately for extremely provocative behavior. The North has conducted two tests of nuclear bombs, the second coming on May 29^th, 2009. In addition; the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been busy launching ballistic missiles. They even dared to fire missiles over Japan a country that retains an understandable nervousness about nuclear war. There is small comfort in the fact that these weapons seem to have a relatively short range because the missile program seems to be advancing. Because the North Koreans agreed to dismantle their nuclear program in 2007 President Bush removed that nation from the list of state sponsored terrorist nations 2008.

When North Korea resumed atomic and missile tests the world was outraged. United Nations sanctions followed intended to monitor the movements of DPRK merchant ships. North Korea followed this with more fiery rhetoric and threatened to throw out the armistice agreement that “ended” the Korean War. The attitude of the United States hardened. There were to be no diplomatic discussions between the US and the DPRK. Rather, the North was pressured to return to the “Six-Party” talks consisting of the US, South Korea (ROK), the DPRK, Russia, China and Japan.  President Clinton will be de-briefed regarding his observations of the situation, including the health and attitudes of Kim Jong Il, the, “Dear Leader” of the only regime on Earth that is Stalinist with a hereditary means of succession. Icy statements from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama have made it clear that there will be no linkage between the release of the two journalists and larger questions of security. This is where things stand as we look into the Korean past in an attempt to illuminate the present.

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It is frozen in time. It is frozen in rage and in the clash of ideologies, a monstrous relic of the Cold War. The Korean De-Militarized Zone is actually one of the most highly militarized places on Earth. It stretches across the entire width of the Korean Peninsula through mountains, rice fields and river basins. It separates an ancient and homogeneous people. This dangerous construct consists of mine fields, artillery emplacements, multiple layers of fortifications, observation posts, electronic eaves-dropping stations, concrete shelters for armored vehicles, mazes of trenches and tunnels dug bored through granite. South Korean and American soldiers suffer icy winters, tropical summers and relentless edgy boredom as they face North Korean troops month after month and year after year. This border, this situation along the 38^th Parallel will change someday. The question is; will change come through war or through peace? When Korea unifies, for it will someday, the geo-political map of the world will undergo an immense shift. A simple glance at the map will suffice to explain.

North Korea borders the People’s Republic of China and also touches the Russian Confederation near Vladivostok. South Korea is very near to Japan with three seashores; the Yellow Sea to the West, the Pacific Ocean to the South and the Sea of Japan to the East. Taken as a whole in terms of geography; the Koreas are a natural pathway to the Japanese Islands. Reversing directions to the North, the Koreas look towards an increasingly powerful China, an increasingly active Russia and a currently pro-Western Mongolia. If there was ever a case of how geography influences History; it is Korea.

Re-unification of the Korean Peninsula is the great question. North Korea is a dangerous, terrible and repressive place. The ‘Dear Leader’, Kim Jong Il is reputed to be in poor health. Should he pass away it is very unclear who will succeed him and what the attitudes of the new leader or leaders will be. Whatever we may think of North Korea in the West; we should always remember that these are very tough people.

South Korea is a vibrant and buoyant democratic nation. The country has surpassed Japan in shipbuilding on its rise to being the eleventh biggest economy in the world. South Korea is the most ‘wired’ nation in terms of broadband access, Inter-net usage and other forms of modern electronica. There are many problems in this culture. Modern values are clashing with the ancient ways of old Asia. South Korea is highly industrialized, fairly polluted and overcrowded.

Should the two Koreas manage to re-unify; a number of fruitful possibilities and potential dangers arise. I will note these in the form of brief statements or questions. A unified Korea would create a power the equivalent of France, Germany, Japan or the United Kingdom. This power would have two powerful militaries, atomic weapons, advanced technology and a large population with the Confucian work ethic. How the advent of ‘Korea’ affect the ‘great game’ of international geo-politics? The other powers in the ‘Six Party Talks’ are the United States, Japan, China and Russia. Merely considering what any of these nations might think of a unified Korea is an intriguing exercise. Is there a face saving way to usher the old guard Communists out of power in North Korea peacefully without disrupting South Korean democracy? Given the catastrophic nature of the 1950-53 Korean War all tough minded, pragmatic peaceful options need to be carefully assessed. What is a reasonable timeline for this process? By that I mean and at the risk of proffering an old cliché; is there a difference in perception in terms of time between East and West. What of the cost? The re-building of East Germany proved to be an enormous burden for West Germany. It will require fantastic amounts of money to improve the North Korean infrastructure. The nature of this new and ancient state will be of vital importance. The inherent questions are multiple and complex. The greatest question might be; how long will any Asian nation diplomatically support the ongoing US led ‘War on Terror’ if that conflict disrupts their supplies of petrol-chemicals? The heartfelt desire of the Korean people to be one nation remains a vital factor in any equation.

#1: Ancient Korea

Korea is a very old civilization. There is archeological evidence of organized human life dating as far back as 6,000 years or more. The inhabitants are of Asian ethnicity with genetic links to the Chinese and to the Mongolians. Korean History is extremely complicated for a number of reasons. As centralized civilizations appeared on the peninsula much of the historical story was dominated by the ‘Three Kingdoms’ of Shilla, Koguryo and Paekche. These kingdoms most likely evolved in a manner familiar to Western historians; they were the dominant or most effective walled city states. The kingdoms competed with each other over the centuries. This complex and at times bloody competition shifted and changed over time as the kingdoms rose or fell in terms of relative power. In addition; the Japanese, Chinese or Mongolians entered the picture at times often through war or, more softly, cultural influence. So, we see the Three Kingdoms playing each other off against the three outside powers, or allied with one of the powers in various combinations. China succeeded in taking Korea as did the Mongols. Japan tried and failed until modern times. The Mongols under Kublai Khan tried to conquer Japan twice (1274 &1281) via Korea were driven back by bad weather and the Samurai. The Koreans managed to control parts of Manchuria at times. Confucianism entered Korea in the mid to late-600’s (AD) as did Buddhism in the mid-700’s both through China. Korea was unified by the Shilla Dynasty in 668 with help from the Chinese Tang Dynasty. However, Paekche and Koguryo never fully accepted this situation and after more intricate conflicts Korea was unified under Koguryo (at this point called Koryo, the root of the word ‘Korea’) in the earlier 900’s. All of the above does not mention the internal politics of Korea. The peasant class played a major role as did the Confucian bureaucracy.

The Koryo Dynasty was considered one of the most advanced civilizations in the world in ancient times. However, it was utterly overwhelmed, crushed by the Mongols in 1231. When the Ming Dynasty in China managed to throw the Mongols out in 1316, this, in turn gave opportunity for the Koreans to rise again. Korea was unified again under the Choson Dynasty. Choson lasted until 1910 when it was absorbed by Imperial Japan in part, as an unanticipated consequence of Russo/Japanese War of 1904-05. A few notes on old Korea are appropriate here before moving on. The Koreans made use of movable metal type by 1234, around two hundred years before Guttenberg. There is some evidence of contact between ancient Korea and Arabic sea-faring traders. The Koreans were the first to use metal clad warships, The Turtle Ships’ between1592-1597 to foil Japanese invasions almost 300 years before the ‘Monitor’ and the ‘Merrimac’ battled in the American Civil War. Korean Celadon pottery is regarded as the finest in the world with its distinctive gray-green-jade coloring. Old Paekche, in particular had a definite influence on Japanese culture. This is a controversial topic because such a claim is a very quick way to annoy Japanese nationalists. An enlightened Korean King, Sejong, along with his scholars created the useful, logical and practical Korean alphabet, ‘Hangul’ in 1620. This alphabet has proved to be one of the best in terms of modern computer usage and programming. In spite of all this cultural advancement the interesting but uncomfortable fact is that at some point, the Korean mind and borders closed during the latter era Choson period; Korea became known as ‘The Hermit Kingdom’. The decline of Choson followed the classical pattern. Infighting and diminishing talent among the royalty, an expensive, costly bureaucracy, and a discontented populace were the ingredients for an eventual fall once the Japanese began to push.

As it goes with all cultures or nations Korea is not a perfect place. Korea knew slavery, rigid class systems, peasant revolts, terrible famines and due to their unfortunate geography; endless wars. Koreans generally tend to regard the Chinese more fondly than they do the Japanese. This loyalty, however ancient, constantly shifts in the minds of individuals perhaps due to the accelerating changes in the post-modern world. The weather is generally horrible except for the beautiful and brief fall. The summers are hot, wet and very humid. The winters feature months of snow and frigid winds from Siberia. Spring can be uncomfortably murky at times because pollution from China and red dust from the Gobi desert darken the skies. Korean is known as, “The Land of the Morning Calm” and it truly is a very beautiful place. The mountains look somehow alien or different to the Western eye. These jagged, forested ranges slope down to rice paddies, farms, cities and towns. Beautiful rivers, streams, brooks and underground fresh water springs abound. The larger cities look like science-fiction sets due to the creative modern architecture. When a traveler ducks down an alley he or she goes back in time. One discovers a world of small shops and tiny shack-like stalls. Everything is for sale from compact discs, copies of American baseball caps, exotic foods to mysterious herbal remedies. The entire effect grows in the observer’s mind until the subtle attractiveness of this crowded place becomes apparent.

As a society; Korea both enraptures and troubles Westerners, especially individualist Americans. This is in my view, due to the mixed blessing of Confucianism. Family bonds are eternal, somehow transcending time from the deceased honored ancestors to the youngest children. Elements of patriarchy dominate as women or anyone who is a ‘free-thinker’ struggles to rise. A basic guide-book for Korea will tell you that the Koreans are the, ‘Irish’ of Asia. This indicates a certain poignancy in regards to Korean History and in the characters of the people. They love to drink socially; they love sad ballads, they are loyal friends and the toughest of enemies, a fact that should come as no surprise given their history.