[The Editors' Verdict] Reflecting on a Unified Korea on Nation-Building Day

August 15th comes without fail every year. The reason this day is special to all of us is that it marks the day of liberation from Japanese colonial rule and the birth of the newly established Republic of Korea. August 15th carries the meaning of both liberation and nation-building, but the significance of nation-building is regarded as more precious. Although it was only half of the country, sovereignty was restored, and a self-reliant independent nation based on freedom, democracy, and human rights was established, laying the foundation for today's success. Despite this undeniable historical fact, it is regrettable that some in society emphasize only the meaning of liberation while downplaying the significance of nation-building. It is also unfortunate that the will and efforts for complete nation-building through the unification of the Korean Peninsula are fading away after the half-built nation. Of course, being the same ethnic group does not necessarily mean that a unified state must be completed, but the issue of division must be resolved in some form. The resolution of the division issue requires a decisive choice, whether to follow the path of independent states like Germany and Austria or to complete a unified Germany like East and West Germany. Regardless of which path is chosen, the important fact is that it must be based on shared values and ideology.

Even after 75 years of division, South and North Korea both desire unification on their own terms. South Korea has pursued absorption unification based on freedom, democracy, and human rights, while North Korea has sought forceful absorption unification backed by nuclear weapons. Especially dangerous is the theory of permanent division of the Korean Peninsula, which is circulating mainly among people in their 20s and 30s, ignoring the differing values and ideologies. Therefore, division seems to have no solution other than unification. However, there is considerable public opinion opposing absorption unification due to the enormous(?) unification costs. The permanent division theory advocated by people in their 20s and 30s is in the same vein. The problem is the reality that if absorption unification is not led by South Korea, North Korea will inevitably absorb South Korea through communist takeover.

This reality was also confirmed during the Moon Jae-in administration. In July 2017, President Moon announced the New Berlin North Korea policy concept at the K?rber Foundation in Germany, which included "not wishing for North Korea's collapse, not pursuing absorption unification, and not pursuing artificial unification." This concept proposed that South and North Korea maintain a peace coexistence system by recognizing each other through peace as a mediator and complete unification at a certain point. However, the idea of peace coexistence between the two Koreas, given the confirmed status of North Korea as a de facto nuclear state, is an illusion, as confirmed by 40 years of inter-Korean dialogue experience. In this way, the Moon administration's unification policy, which pushed unification to the background, can be called the "Three No's (3불) Unification Policy." President Moon's 3-No unification policy was reaffirmed in his keynote speech at the 72nd United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 22, 2017, and was presented to the international community under the guise of prioritizing peace.

Thus, President Moon's 3-No unification policy points to the disappearance of unification policies and strategies that would resolve division in a divided country. Moreover, the policy of relying on "more exchanges and cooperation" rather than preparing for unification actually strengthens North Korea's position and capability for communist unification of the South. Particularly problematic is that the Moon administration's 3-No unification policy closely resembles China's Korea policy of the "3-No (不) 1-No (無) Principle." China's 3-No 1-No principle opposes war on the Korean Peninsula (不戰), rapid collapse of the North Korean regime (不亂), absorption unification by South Korea (不統), and advocates denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula (無核). Not only do the terms opposing North Korea's collapse and absorption unification resemble each other, but their meanings are also similar. It cannot be ignored that China's Korea policy, as a strong patron of North Korea, and President Moon's 3-No policy are similar. This similarity is problematic.

The spirit of the times for August 15th, marking the 75th anniversary of liberation and the 73rd anniversary of nation-building, is to complete a unified Korea. This is because a unified Korea is the first step toward moving beyond a "half-built nation" to a "complete nation." Of course, a "complete nation" must be a Korea-led unification based on freedom, democracy, human rights, and autonomy. Only Korea-led unification can guarantee better success, a brighter future, and healthy peace on the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, I look forward to a progressive recognition and policy shift on unification by the Moon Jae-in administration.