Political Science

By way of reputation, the Korean peninsula has been regarded as the Land of the Morning Calm.  The serene mornings over the region underscore that image from the rugged mountains to the bustling plains and coastlines where serenity could be felt. This serenity was disrupted when Korea was forcibly opened by the powerful western nations and Japan by the late 19th century.  In 1910, Korea completely lost its independence when it was colonized by Japan which would go on until the end of the Second World War. As allied occupation forces, mainly American (south) and Soviet (north), occupied the Korean peninsula to facilitate the surrender of the Japanese, they differed on how to restore the sovereignty in the peninsula.  The Soviets installed a communist regime under their protg, Kim Ilsung in Pyongyang while the Americans installed a western-educated Syngman Rhee in Seoul. The 38th Parallel divided the two Korean states. Both leaders wanted the peninsula to be reunited, but the difference was under which government and ideology. The norths invasion of the south in 1950 underscored Kims determination to unite the peninsula under his regime even when it meant using force. The beleaguered south sought the aid of the newly-created United Nations (UN) which sent a multinational force where the bulk of it was mainly American to check the advance of the communist and managed to push them back beyond the Yalu River. The intervention by the Chinese changed everything as the UN forces were pushed back. The UN forces were able to regroup despite the relief of General Douglas MacArthur and were able to push the communists back over the 38th Parallel until an armistice was called in 1953 that put a halt to the fighting (Millett, 2002).

Contrary to what most people think, the armistice did not officially end the Korean War.  It was only but a ceasefire, and a state of war still exists in the Korean peninsula to this day.  Because of this, Korea became the Land of the Broken Calm. Although a full-blown conflict has not resumed, there have been countless instances of clashes and terrorist attacks (by the north) between the two forces which fortunately have not escalated into a full-blown conflict. Despite these unfortunate incidents, reunification is on the minds of every Korean, primarily to reunite families separated by the conflict (Gittings, 2000). Hope for reunification has increased with the developments going on in the two Koreas. In the south, the restoration of full democracy with the election of Kim Youngsam and later Kim Daejung ended more than 20 years of authoritarian rule beginning with Park Chunghee. In the north, the passing of Kim Ilsung in 1994 also gave hints of hope for reunification which was underscored when President Kim Daejung visited the north in 2000, the first from a South Korean leader, in what would later be known as Sunshine Diplomacy which he initiated in 1998. There have also been several organized reunions between relatives from both sides as well as regular pilgrimages by southerners to Mount Kumggang situated in the north. Another hint of reunification has been shown during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney when the two Koreas marched under one flag during the opening ceremonies. Given these indicators, optimists would infer that the two Koreas are getting there.

Despite these hopeful overtures, there are also several factors that hinder the progress of reunification, and all fingers point to North Korea.  North Korea continues to be an enigma to the outside world owing to its very stringent policy of seclusion that keeps everyone guessing what goes on and what will happen next. It does not help much that Pyongyang practices an anachronistic form of government that combines communist totalitarianism with personality cult in the Stalinist and Maoist line. According to the accounts of visitors to the north (who are not diplomats), it is a very paranoid and anal-retentive state with watchers or minders all over to ensure the maintenance of ideological purity and the continuing belligerent status towards the imperialist United States, which continues to be reviled or vilified through regular propaganda instruments.  There is also the unpredictable and eccentric behavior of the Dear Leader, Kim Jongil, which continues to baffle intelligence and security analysts. One one hand, he appears to be conciliatory by accommodating Kim in 2000 while on the other, he authorizes ballistic missile tests to frighten South Korea and Japan and bars inspectors of its nuclear power plants. There have also been indicators that all is not well in North Korea following an abortive coup in 1996, which led to the execution of the instigators. Analysts believe that Kim might be growing desperate and that he needs to consolidate his hold on power, which is further exacerbated by economic bankruptcy from spending heavily on military hardware and maintaining his opulent lifestyle and famine that continues to ravage his fiefdom (Quinones, 2003 Snyder, 2001 Scobell, 2003).

Despite the likelihood of war, South Korea and its allies would not start one but are prepared to act in self-defense in the event the North initiates conflict again. They are hopeful that the regime in Pyongyang will implode and cause a possible regime change that would be more conciliatory. Short of engaging the north in war, the United States and its allies continue to engage the north diplomatically while maintaining a defensive posture (Quinones  Tragert, 2003).

Nevertheless, the two Koreas are still bent on reunification and they believe that this will bring lasting peace to the region and restore Koreas claim to be once more the Land of the Morning Calm.  Their situation is much similar to the Germans. They are one people divided by ideologies, but this would not stop them from coming together once again.