[The Editors' Verdict] "Moon Jae-in's Korean Peninsula Policy" Needs Revision

Young-gi Cho, Special Professor at the Graduate School of Political Science, Kookmin University · Chairman of the Advanced Unification Research Association, Korea Peninsula Advancement Foundation

The new year of 2021, the year of Sinchuk (辛丑), has dawned. At the beginning of the new year, people make new resolutions. New Year's resolutions are a determination to reflect on the mistakes of the past year and to seek new paths. The "Moon Jae-in's Korean Peninsula Policy" (refer to the Ministry of Unification website) also appears to urgently need new resolutions. "Moon Jae-in's Korean Peninsula Policy" is the first North Korea unification policy named after the president himself, in the same vein as the "Sunshine Policy" and the "Engagement Policy." These policies are structured around building mutual trust between South and North Korea through trade (contact) and completing unification based on that trust.

The logic of this elegant(?) plan is functionalism through a gradual, step-by-step approach. The problem is that when values and systems differ, the effectiveness of the policy is almost nonexistent. It has already been proven that the d?tente between East and West in the 1970s partially eased tensions but did not contribute to substantive peace at all. Especially in the case of South and North Korea, where heterogeneous values and systems have persisted for over 75 years, it is a clear reality that there is no space for functionalism to be applied. Ignoring this reality and pushing reconciliation and cooperation as if they were a panacea has instead repeatedly caused side effects that damage national dignity. Originally, the reconciliation and cooperation policy aimed to transform North Korea's totalitarian nature and embrace it as a space that upholds universal human values. However, North Korea's totalitarian nature has only been strengthened, and rather, by being swayed by North Korea's pseudo-democratic cooperation and peaceful coexistence, there have been side effects of assimilation and exploitation by North Korea.

In particular, the current government's excessive pro-North orientation has frequently witnessed the paradoxical phenomenon of "North Korea as the superior party, South Korea as the inferior." Last June, when Kim Yo-jong, the deputy director, appeared at the forefront of the South Korea policy and demanded the prohibition of the distribution of leaflets to North Korea following the destruction of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the inter-Korean liaison office, the government responded with silence on the destruction and answered with a law revision(?). Also, in September last year, the horrific incident of the killing of a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official by North Korean forces was misrepresented as a voluntary defection to the North, and a farce was seen where the government expressed gratitude in a North Korean notification letter. The problem is that the constitutional spirit to protect the lives and property of the people has disappeared, and due to the leaflet prohibition law, the channels for delivering messages of freedom, human rights, democracy, and peace have been blocked, leading to the folly of bearing the yoke of a backward human rights country.

Especially, the leaflet prohibition law blocked the tool for ideological liberation of North Korean residents, providing a foundation for the abnormal behavior of North Korea to continue further. The fact that the unfairness of the leaflet prohibition law is pointed out worldwide and the need for correction is raised clearly shows the mistake. Such negative evaluations domestically and internationally mean that "Moon Jae-in's Korean Peninsula Policy" has reached the end of its life. In other words, the North Korea and unification policy based on reconciliation and cooperation requires a complete revision.

It is now time to break free from the illusion of reconciliation and cooperation and shift the policy toward the fundamental change of North Korea. Fundamental change in North Korea means a process of normalization that accepts universal human values from the totalitarianism of the three-generation hereditary succession. Common causes of fundamental change include increased public dissatisfaction arising from severe economic crises, government deficit financing, dissatisfaction with taxes, preferential treatment, administrative disputes and confusion, defection of intellectuals, loss of confidence among the ruling class, and intensified social conflicts. Of course, dictatorial countries have a higher possibility of fundamental change. And the fundamental changes in these countries inevitably occurred after facing the worst situations. Such historical experiences are no exception for North Korea.

Now, the focus of North Korea and unification policy should not be on dialogue versus pressure but on how to lead North Korea's fundamental change. The triple economic hardships confessed by North Korea last year provide grounds that can be used as a starting point for fundamental change, depending on how we utilize them. Therefore, it is essential to recognize that the resumption of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the reopening of Mount Kumgang tourism are linked to North Korea's fundamental change, and approaches from a reconciliation and cooperative perspective are prohibited. Also, new international cooperation measures must be devised to cut off the connection between North Korea and China. Furthermore, the toxic provisions of the leaflet prohibition law need to be substantially revised to establish an institutional foundation for building the mental infrastructure necessary for North Korea's fundamental change. Therefore, not only the material engagement of existing reconciliation and cooperation but also the mental enlargement that conveys universal human values must be pursued simultaneously. Only then can true peace on the Korean Peninsula be established. We look forward to the government's policy shift.

Jo Young-ki, Special Professor at the Graduate School of Political Science, Kookmin University & Chairman of the Advanced Unification Research Association, Korean Peninsula Advancement Foundation