Korean Reunification: An Operation in Progress

It’s been 70 years since the division of the Korean peninsula, yet the two countries are no closer to reaching a mutual agreement than they were at the height of the Korean War. From the inception of a separate government in 1945, South Koreans have been increasingly vocal in their desire to be reunified with fellow countrymen, particularly as the US-backed schism forced its way between relatives. However, as the pain of family division has faded from people’s memories, public support of reunification has been replaced by the rationality of the next generation, who emphasizes continuously the expected costs of such a venture. As of today, South Korea’s finance ministry has placed the predicted price of reunification at 7% of the country’s yearly GDP for the next 10 years. Though the upfront costs will cause a serious dip in Korea’s growing economy, the expected benefits from natural resources, labor, and overland access to neighboring countries are projected to ameliorate the damage in the long-term. In addition, reunification will lead to the elimination of a major nuclear threat, and subsequent decrease in required military presence will give South Korea greater flexibility to focus efforts elsewhere. With young professionals viewing the task as more of a financial burden than an imminent future though, the prospects of consolidation are very slim.

Despite such rising apathy, efforts to promote increased dialogue between the two nations are continually on the rise. Earlier this month, family reunions between Koreans of the North and South occurred for the first time since 2010, a symbolic gesture carried out only with support from the Kim regime. The leaders of both nations have also spoken on more actively pursuing interests for renewed relations. In his New Year’s Day address, Kim Jong Un expressed hopes for better ties with the South, while President Park Geun-hye recently made headlines by calling reunification a “jackpot.”

South Korean president Park Geun-hye recently made headlines by calling reunification "a jackpot."

Reunification, though conducted with a highly capricious regime, will positively impact not only the Korean peninsula, but all those nations with economic ties to the Republic of Korea. The last prime minister of East Germany recently compared the situation in Korea to that faced by his home country decades before, and offered both unique knowledge and words of advice. At the time of the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, the GDP difference between the East and West was at a ratio of 1:3. From the debilitating effects of this gap, Germans are still recovering from inequality and imbalance between the formerly divided nations. Korea faces a far greater crisis with an estimated ratio of over 30:1, but the minister suggested that with a focus on social and economic integration, Koreans would be able to reap the long-time benefits of union.

Kim Jong Un, the chairman of the Communist Workers' Party, has also expressed interest in a reunified state.