Korean Unification - Is it Possible?

The notable economic and social problems that have developed in North Korea have spurred recent talks to reunify North and South Korea. While this move has been judged by many analysts to be a positive move toward establishing political stability in the Far East, the reality is that this situation carries with it a host of problems. Although many analysts have attempted to compare the reunification of North and South Korea to the unification that occurred between East and West Germany in 1990, the extent of the social, political and economic issues that have developed in North and South Korea are much more extensive. As such, it is difficult for either experts or governments to know for sure how the process of reunification will impact outcomes for both countries.

With the realization that the reunification of North and South Korea carries with it such notable challenges, there is a clear impetus to examine the issues facing these two governments. To this end, this investigation considers the problem of Korean reunification. In particular the different economic systems used in each country as well as the social and political problems impacting North and South Korea will be examined. Through a careful consideration of what has been written about these issues, it will be possible to provide a more integral understanding of the specific problems that Korea will face through the process of unification. Further, by examining these problems overall, the challenges faced by both counties in establishing a clear pathway for unification will be elucidated.

Unification-An Overview of the Issues

Critically reviewing what has been written about the potential fore reunification between North and South Korea, it is evident that the stark contrast in political and economic systems that have developed in both North and South Korea continues to pose a notable barrier for reunification. For instance, one author examining the history of Korea makes the following observations:

Once the country was divided into two parts, Korean citizens on both sides were practically forced to accept for themselves an alien political system; i.e. a capitalistic system in the South and a communist system in the North. Under these totally different conditions, the people in each political system have been disparately socialized in varying ways to such a great degree that eventually Koreans in the two systems have acquired different personality and value premises (Shuja, 66).

This author goes on to note that because of the markedly different cultures that have evolved in the two countries, the process of reunification will face notable challenges when it comes to integrating the two economies and their respective political and social systems.

In addition to the culture clash that could potentially occur as the result of unification, researchers have also noted that significant social problems could arise for South Korea as a result of assuming responsibility for the social and economic problems occurring in North Korea. Researchers note that in addition to the radical behaviors of the North Korean government that have prompted international attention from the West-in particular the testing of nuclear weapons-North Korea carries with a high social burden because of the government's desire to develop military and defense capabilities instead of economic and social problems to help the country's citizens (Choi, 25). "North Korea's economy has literally collapsed, operating at about 20 percent of what it was in the late 1980s. Famine has struck the country. Million are reported to have died of starvation and millions more are threatened with the same fate" (26). Choi goes on to argue that adherence to the police of juche (self reliance), central planning failures and decreased foreign aid from both China and Russia have all contributed to the problems that are occurring in North Korea (26).

Other scholars examining the problems that have developed in North Korea have been quite to argue that while the system of socialism that had been adopted by the government was viable during the Cold War era, with the collapse of communism in the 1990s, the ability of the North Korean government to support itself has become significantly weaker in recent years. It is for this reason that many experts examining the issue of reunification argue that, at some point in the near future, South Korea will have no other choice but to absorb North Korea because its economic and political systems are destroying the very fabric of North Korean society. Thus, when North Korea finally does collapse, the end result will be the reunification of Korea out of necessity (Liu, 30).

Examining the problems that have developed in North Korea, Liu goes on to report that the economic polices of socialism that have been adopted by the North Korean government are promulgating considerable distress for citizens in the country. In particular, Liu notes that the economic problems that have developed in the county stem from: "a highly-centralized managing system; a failed state-led distribution system for materials and goods; over-diversion of resources to the heavy industry sector; unnecessary 'vanity' construction projects; over-dependence on Chinese and Russian energy supplies and markets; a lack of internationally competitive products available on the international markets; and obsolete technology and production capacity" (31). While this system appears to have worked well in the past, the changes that have occurred in both the context of the world economy and the economies of former-communist countries-such as Russia-have made it difficult for North Korea to effectively maintain a prominent economy (31).

Clearly, socialism is the central reason for the failure of North Korea's economy. Experts examining other aspects of the country's development in recent years have noted that many of social problems that have occurred in recent years are also the result of failed socialist policies. For instance, Liu argues that, "The food crisis is simply a symptom of the failure of North Korea's socialist central agricultural planning policies; even without recent natural disasters, it is widely recognized that the North Korean people would be unable to produce enough food to attain agricultural self-sufficiency" (32). What this effectively suggests is that if the North Korean political and economic system were to collapse in the next few years, South Korea would have to address all of these issues when it comes to the process of reunification. While West Germany faced similar issues in its reunification with East Germany, the social and economic landscape that existed in East Germany before unification was not as bleak as what has already happened in North Korea.

Clearly, what the current data on the process of reunification in Korea demonstrates is that the social problems that have developed as a result of North Korea's staunch imposition of socialist policies will make it difficult for South Korea to eventually absorb North Korea. While the social and economic problems that have developed in the North Korea are indeed important to understanding the challenges facing policymakers, the political instability that has been wrought as a result of North Korea's application of socialist ideologies also continues to be a notable barrier for the process of reunification. "The road to reconciliation is a difficult one, made even more arduous by the North's propensity for brinkmanship. Pyongyang acts with apparent disregard for global public opinion and the consequences of its defiant policy on its people, and always seems intent on testing the patience and nerve of other states" (Soon-young, 8-9).

In addition to the fact that South Korea faces problems with simply getting along with the socialist North Korean government, researchers examining the current situation in Korea have noted that the process of reunification will be impacted by North Korea's ability (or inability) to get along with other countries in the international community. ("Regime collapse...", 12). If North Korea is unable to build solid international relations with other countries, its government will face further economic hardship and political alienation. As this process continues over time, this will make the process of reunification much more difficult for South Korea. Continued adherence to socialist polices will only serve as the basis to exacerbate the current problems that exist in North Korea.

Conclusion

Synthesizing all of the information that has been presented in this investigation, it becomes quite obvious that the road to unification for Korea will be plagued with a number of hardships. For South Korea, the challenges of integrating a socialist regime into a capitalist system is one that carries with it considerable problems. Further given the extent of the social and economic problems that exist in North Korea, assuming the burden of this responsibility through creating a unified Korean state may carry with it considerable hardship for the citizens of South Korea. With this in mind, it is not surprising to find that North and South Korea have not yet taken the formal steps to unify the country. Although, Korea has not become a unified county, given the current problems facing North Korea, it seems reasonable to argue that South Korea should undertake unification sooner rather than later.

Considering the specific reasons as to why South Korea should unify in the present rather than choosing to wait, it is evident that as long as the North Korean government remains in power, the social, economic and political problems that have been wrought as a consequence of socialist policies will only continue to become exacerbated. North Korean citizens will not be able to effectively garner the social and economic resources that they need to meet their daily needs. This situation will be aggravated by the international community's overall response to the actions taken by the North Korean government. If South Korea choose unification at a later time, the problems that currently exist in North Korea will be worse. This will make it even harder for the South Korean government to effectively manage the process of unification.

In the end, it is clear that the problems that are occurring in North Korea need to be mitigated by more than just socialist policies. Although communism may have been a boon to North Korea during the Cold War, the collapse of communism in the 1990s has made it difficult for North Korea to support a socialist regime in the international community. Clearly, it is time for North Korea to move forward. By allowing this to happen sooner rather than later, the detrimental socialist policies that have been employed by North Korea can be stopped and the country, as a unified whole, can begin to heal.

Works Cited

Choi, Young Back. "Political union vs. economic cooperation." Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, 4(2), (2001): 25-40.

Liu, Ming. "An obsessed task: Prospects, models, and impact of Korean reunification." East Asia: An International Quarterly, 17(4), (1999): 30-54.

"Regime collapse: Conceivable, not certain." Asia Monitor: China & North East Asia Monitor, 11(2), (2004): 12.

Shuja, Sharif M.. "Korean reunification." Contemporary Review, 283(1651), (2003): 65-76.

Soon-young, Hong. "Thawing Korea's Cold War." Foreign Affairs, 78(3), (1999): 8-12.