
Demilitarized Zone, South Korea on this side and North Korea on that side
June marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War. Before the war, the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, divided the peninsula. Now there is no Soviet Union, no reckoning of the Cold War. The two Vietnams have become one, the two Germans have become one but the Korean Peninsula is still divided. This war has not even officially ended. The conflict ended on June 25, 1950, with the signing of a ceasefire agreement, exactly three years after the war that began with the invasion of North Korea. There was no lasting peace agreement to end the war. It has been like that for 60 years.
The South Korean Association of Journalists (JAK) regularly organizes a world conference (WJC) in their country with the participation of journalists from different countries. I joined such an event in June 2014. Exactly 7 years later, on September 14-18, I had the opportunity to attend the conference again. But this time virtually.
Since attending the 2014 conference, there has been growing interest in the Korean Peninsula, the two Koreas, its division, the possibility of the two Koreas becoming one, and its geopolitical aspects. The experience of roaming the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on the border that divides the two Koreas in particular gave rise to a strange feeling; How world politics has divided the people of a country and sustained it year after year! After World War II, in 1945, the Japanese-occupied Korean Peninsula was divided into two superpowers by treaty, where the will of the Korean people was not taken into account.
North Korea is a country isolated from the rest of the world. We do not have the opportunity to know what the people of the country want or what their thoughts are. Let the two Koreas be one, who knows how intense this desire is among them! But by joining the WGC in South Korea in 2014, I realized how deep the dream of South Korea and its people to end the division of the Korean Peninsula is. The main theme of the conference was "Peace on the Korean Peninsula and the Unification of the Two Koreas." The theme of this year's virtual conference was "60 Years of the Korean War and the Principles of Peace on the Korean Peninsula." I wrote an article back from the last conference, entitled 'Two Koreas, the Dream of One' (Prothom Alo, June 26, 2014). Six years later, what are some of the paths to peace, nuclear disarmament and integration on the Korean Peninsula?
North Korea is a country isolated from the rest of the world. We do not have the opportunity to know what the people of the country want or what their thoughts are. Let the two Koreas be one, who knows how intense this desire is among them! But by joining the WGC in South Korea in 2014, I realized how deep the dream of South Korea and its people to end the division of the Korean Peninsula is.
In 2016, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in sat down for a meeting in Panmunjom, known as the Village of Peace on the border between the two Koreas. From that meeting came the Panmunjom Declaration for ‘Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula’. The two sides also agreed to work together for the support and cooperation of the international community to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Earlier, the women's ice hockey team participated in the Winter Olympics held in South Korea in January 2016 as the only Korean team. The team was made up of two Korean players.
And as an international initiative, US President Trump has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three times in the last six years. Two summits in Singapore and Vietnam and two leaders meeting in the village of Panmunjom on the Korean border. The President of the United States has set foot in the village of Panmunjom on North Korean soil.
Much of what has happened in the last six years has been unexpected. But what happened to the work? The three meetings between the two Koreas in 2016 raised hopes. But that process has now stopped. Because the Trump-un talks did not end well. Negotiations between the two Koreas are not progressing as relations between North Korea and the United States have not improved.
Two South Korean experts, Yul-Chul Lim, a professor of Far Eastern Studies at Qingnam University, and Sun Tayek Wang, a PhD in North Korean studies, were present at the World Press Conference. According to Professor Lim, the lack of understanding between North Korea and the United States is the biggest obstacle to peace on the Korean Peninsula. He thinks North Korea wants a fundamental solution. The blockade threatens the people and development of the country, they want the blockade lifted. They will not initiate nuclear disarmament until the blockade is lifted.
In such a situation, Professor Lim expects some initiatives from the United States, including direct communication between Pyongyang and Washington, a waiver on the entry of humanitarian aid to North Korea, and a relaxation of restrictions on the travel of U.S. citizens to the country. At the same time, he said, North Korea should stop testing nuclear and ballistic missiles, take steps to return prisoners of war and survivors of the Korean War. According to Professor Lim, much of the process of establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula or uniting the two Koreas depends on North Korea's relationship with the United States.
But is there an opportunity to deny the role of other parties active in global and regional geopolitics? Especially countries like China, Japan or Russia. North Korea can only agree to nuclear disarmament if it thinks the United States is not a threat to its security. This is possible only if the United States withdraws from the Korean Peninsula. But the U.S. presence on the Korean Peninsula ensures security not only for South Korea, but also for Japan. Japan and South Korea are both allies of the United States, but the Korean people have historically been uneasy about Japan occupying the Korean Peninsula. To the Koreans, Japan is an occupying power. There is a long-standing psychological animosity and rivalry between the people of the two countries. The big question is whether a strong and single Korea would like to see Japan at all.
The length of the border between North Korea and Russia is very short but the two countries are connected by territory. Russia is not far behind in trying to influence regional and global geopolitics. There is no way to ignore Russia's position on the future question of the bordering Korean Peninsula.
The United States is increasingly at odds with China over competition and influence. Observers expect it to increase further in the coming days. The US position on the Korean Peninsula is giving the country a chance to breathe on China's neck. Will the United States risk losing it at all? North Korea, on the other hand, has survived the blockade and is isolated from the rest of the world, largely with the support and assistance of China. The move to unite the two Koreas means losing their influence on the Korean Peninsula. Will the United States and China make such big concessions to fulfill the Korean dream of the Korean people?
South Korean analyst Sun Tayek Wang thinks the international community's support for the Korean Peninsula issue is complex. He spoke in support of the US Alliance, but said that maintaining some independence was important. He reminded everyone that journalists can play a role in this.
The misfortune of the Korean people is that deciding whether or not the two Koreas will become one does not depend solely on their will. But it is important for any peace-loving person in the world to understand how important it is to erase the dividing line on the Korean Peninsula. This division is very sad and painful. It has separated millions of people from their families. In the last 60 years, many Koreans have left the world with this hardship. And yet they have to live in fear of war.
Who knows how much longer the Korean people will have to wait!