[Initial Perspective] Cold North Korea, South Korea Only Sending Love Calls

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] "I hope unification is seen not as a documentary but as entertainment. Some people criticize ‘Crash Landing on You’ as being pro-North Korean, but is there any unification consensus policy beyond that?"

This was said by former Minister of Unification Hong Yong-pyo in his speech commemorating the 52nd anniversary of the Ministry of Unification last March. His remark that unification should be viewed like entertainment can be interpreted as meaning that the people of both South and North Korea should open their hearts more and think about unification joyfully. A senior official from the Ministry of Unification also praised the drama ‘Crash Landing on You’ in private, calling it "a work that greatly changed the negative perception of unification."

However, the recent atmosphere surrounding the unification front is far from entertainment. If it were entertainment, there would be witty ping-pong remarks or at least some mutual excitement between the parties involved, but one side consistently responds with one-sided insults and coldness, while the other side only sends one-sided love calls. This reality was well demonstrated by the non-face-to-face video conference demonstration held on the 26th, a day before the 3rd anniversary of the April 27 inter-Korean summit.

The Ministry of Unification set up a video conference room for inter-Korean talks on the 3rd floor of the Inter-Korean Summit Headquarters in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and held a demonstration of the meeting. The other party, North Korea, was not present; it was a rehearsal in preparation for a future non-face-to-face video conference with the North Korean side. A Ministry of Unification official expressed confidence, saying "there are no technical problems," but the most important issue is not the level of technology but whether the North is willing to engage in dialogue with us.

Our side is trying hard to create an opportunity to talk, but North Korea does not respond to this desperate courtship. What the North is waiting for is only how the Biden administration will conclude its review of the new North Korea policy. According to the principle of ‘strong against strong, soft against soft,’ if the U.S. takes a hard line, North Korea will respond strongly; if the U.S. acts flexibly, North Korea will respond flexibly. The North has already established a ‘self-reliant survival’ policy through the 8th Party Congress.

The temperature difference between the two sides commemorating April 27 is also clear. We had President Moon Jae-in and Minister of Unification Lee In-young directly express their positions on the April 27 summit, but North Korean media remain silent. President Moon said, "It is time to prepare to turn back the clock of peace," and Minister Lee called out, "North Korea should come to the path of dialogue," but these may become hollow echoes. Already, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un declared in January that "inter-Korean relations have reverted to the state before the Panmunjom Declaration," putting an end to this issue, leaving the impression that only we are clinging to it. The government plans to push for parliamentary ratification of the Panmunjom Declaration based on national consensus, but it seems that not only the public but even North Korea will not agree.

The drama ‘Crash Landing on You’ ends with the two main characters falling in love. However, this is because the two had mutual affection. The current inter-Korean relationship is different. The more we send one-sided ‘love calls’ to North Korea, the more they respond with insults like ‘boiled small brain,’ ‘top idiot,’ and ‘American parrot.’ How long must we interpret their insults as a ‘willingness to dialogue’?