| The purpose of this study is (1) to examine the origins of the division of Korea and to trace historically the major unification policies for the nation; (2) to analyze the steps taken by both sides, North and South, towards Korean unification; and (3) to examine the prospects for Korean unification in the context of the changing balance of power in East Asia.;This study considers the situation in Korea during the eighteen years from 1961 to 1979, which are the years of the Park Chung Hee regime. Park Chung Hee, a Major General in the South Korean Army, took over the Democratic Chang Myon government by a military revolution on May 16, 1961. He emphasized economic development first and relegated the unification issue to a secondary position.;During the 1960's the North Korean formula for "peaceful unification" involved unchanging principles of "unification by force" and "the war of national liberation which has never ended yet.".;Fortunately on July 4, 1972, the South and North Korean governments released a joint communique in which they pledged to seek the reunification of the divided country based upon three principles of: (1) seeking an independent solution without relying upon any outside forces; (2) using peaceful means; and (3) invoking a spirit of national harmony that transcends differences in ideology or system. But by mid-1974 the South-North dialogue had reached a deadlock.;The major components considered in this analysis of the unification policies are: (1) ideology, (2) strategy, (3) tactics, (4) propaganda, and (5) operational directions. The primary methods and techniques employed in this study are the historical approach, the case study method, the analytical method in terms of system transformation, and strategic analysis.;The basic goals of South Korea have been to reduce tension, prevent the recurrence of hostilities, and establish a durable peace on the peninsula. Emphasis was given to the solution of socioeconomic problems, rather than of political or military ones.;South Korea's unification policy under Park's regime can be summarized by President Park's three basic principles: (1) a nonaggression agreement should be concluded; (2) the societies of both sides should be opened to each other, and multilateral exchanges should be promoted to restore trust between South Korea and North; and (3) free elections, proportionate to the populations in South and North Korea, should be held to unify the divided country.;The Korean peninsula still contains the most intensive concentration of troops, weaponry, and political conflict of any area in the world. Korea is a geopolitical buffer between Japan, China, and the Soviet Union. Korea is the complex area where the interests of all the major powers intersect. This comparatively small peninsula is the meeting point of diverging interests on which the great powers have not been able to reach an agreement; therefore it does not seem likely that any major power would support any abrupt change in the status quo of Korea. For this reason Korea must solve the unification problem by herself. The Korean people must reintegrate under Korean nationalism, otherwise the country and its future will remain divided. |
