Historical context of Korean Peninsula division

From: jameskerlindsay

In January 2024, North Korea officially announced the abandonment of the goal of unification with the South [00:00:00]. This news, while not entirely unexpected given long-held beliefs that reunification was unlikely, nevertheless came as a shock to observers and carries far-reaching implications [00:00:13]. It signals a more unstable relationship between North and South Korea and indicates a potential new threat to wider regional and international security [00:00:20].

An Enduring Legacy of the Cold War

The division of the Korean Peninsula remains one of the most enduring legacies of the Cold War [00:00:47]. While the Soviet Union has disappeared and China has reinvented itself, Korea’s division represents a “living fossil” of a bygone era in international relations [00:00:53]. This division is not merely an international quirk; it has profound implications [00:01:05].

Profound Implications of Division

The division significantly affects the peninsula and its inhabitants [00:01:12].

• The two parts of Korea are still technically at war [00:01:17].
• The border between North and South Korea is one of the most heavily fortified in the world [00:01:20].
• The constant threat of war pervades every aspect of society, influencing mass conscription and high defence spending [00:01:25].
• The division also casts a long shadow over international peace and stability [00:01:32]. Major powers like the United States, China, Russia, and Japan are deeply involved in the peninsula’s security, meaning Korea’s division complicates broader international relations [00:01:36].
• North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons has added a new, worrying dimension to the situation [00:01:48].

Despite their profound political, economic, and social differences, both Koreas have historically maintained an official policy of peaceful reunification – until recently [00:01:55].

Korea’s Geographic and Demographic Overview

The Korean Peninsula is located in East Asia and is divided along the 38th parallel [00:02:08]. It consists of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) [00:02:12].

• North Korea is slightly larger in size, covering approximately 120,000 square kilometers (47,000 square miles) [00:02:22]. Its population is around 25 million [00:02:45].
• South Korea covers roughly 100,000 square kilometers (39,000 square miles) [00:02:32], but has a population of 51 million, double that of the North [00:02:39].

Pre-Division History

Korea has a long and rich history spanning at least 2,000 years, emerging as a single entity in the 10th century [00:02:49]. While Koreans forged a distinct identity, the peninsula often found itself caught between more powerful neighbours [00:03:00].

• For much of the past millennium, Korea was a Chinese vassal state [00:03:09].
• In the late 19th century, as Japan’s power grew, China’s influence over Korea declined [00:03:13].
• In 1910, Japan annexed Korea, beginning a brutal colonial occupation that lasted three and a half decades until Japan’s defeat in 1945 [00:03:21].

The Post-World War II Division (1945)

After Japan’s defeat in 1945, there were hopes for Korea to become a united and independent state [00:03:39]. However, these hopes were short-lived [00:03:42].

• Similar to Europe’s division into US and Soviet spheres of influence, the start of the Cold War led to a power struggle over control of the Korean Peninsula [00:03:47].
• Washington and Moscow agreed to divide Korea into two zones along the 38th parallel [00:03:57].
• South Korea: The United States military government remained in control until May 1948, when the Republic of Korea was created [00:04:02].
• North Korea: Soviet rule continued until November 1948, when the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea emerged, led by Kim Il-sung [00:04:14].

The Korean War (1950-1953)

From the outset, Kim Il-sung was determined to unite the peninsula under communist rule [00:04:25].

• On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces launched a full-scale invasion of the South [00:04:30].
• The UN Security Council authorized an international force under US command to repel the attack, capitalizing on Russia’s boycott of the UN at the time [00:04:36].
• As North Korea retreated, the People’s Republic of China, then allied with the Soviet Union, intervened [00:04:47].
• On July 27, 1953, the sides agreed to a ceasefire [00:04:54].
• After three years of bitter fighting and millions of deaths, the peninsula remained partitioned along the 38th parallel [00:04:59].

Post-War Tensions and Early Unification Dialogue

Without a formal peace agreement, tensions continued for over a decade and a half, as both sides claimed legitimate control over the entire peninsula [00:05:08].

• Ideological Divide: North Korea remained under communist control, pivoting between Beijing and Moscow as Sino-Soviet relations collapsed [00:05:18]. The South’s authoritarian military government remained firmly allied with the West [00:05:31].
• 1970s Shift: By the early 1970s, things appeared to change [00:05:37]. On July 4, 1972, the two sides issued a historic joint statement outlining the principles of reunification through peaceful means and without foreign interference [00:05:41]. However, little progress was made over the next two decades [00:05:53].

Post-Cold War Hopes for Unification

The end of the Cold War in the early 1990s offered new hope for change on the peninsula [00:06:00].

• The reunification of East and West Germany and the merger of North and South Yemen (see also: Yemen’s historical divisions and attempts at unification) offered parallels and hope that Korea could also reunite [00:06:09].
• North and South Korea were finally admitted as UN members, having previously been kept out due to their disputed claims to authority over the entire peninsula and the vetoes of their Cold War patrons [00:06:19].
• Active Engagement (1990s-2000s): The 1990s and early 2000s saw more active engagement, including the first inter-Korean Summit in June 2000 between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il [00:06:33]. Both sides committed to working towards peaceful reunification [00:06:48].
• Another Summit in 2007 reaffirmed the 2000 declaration and agreed to greater cooperation, jointly sponsoring a UN General Assembly resolution calling for international support for dialogue and reunification [00:06:54].
• Even as recently as 2018, the sides again called for peaceful reunification, which was also underscored in a communiqué after the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un [00:07:16].

Divergent Paths and Challenges to Unification

Despite continual voiced commitment to reunification, the chances of unity became increasingly distant as the two Koreas moved in increasingly different directions [00:07:39].

• Economic Disparity: While the industrialised North was initially more prosperous, this changed by the 1960s, and by the late 1980s, the South was racing ahead [00:07:53].
• Political and Social Differences: The North remained a repressive, inward-looking, and increasingly impoverished autocracy under the Kim dynasty [00:08:05]. The South, by contrast, embraced democracy and an international outlook [00:08:11]. These stark differences were highlighted by the decision to award the 1988 Olympic Games to the South [00:08:16].
• Practical Problems of Reunification:
  • Political System: The obvious question of what political system would be adopted and the position of the North’s ruling Kim family [00:08:47].
  • Social Integration: Integrating millions of indoctrinated Northerners would have massive social consequences, including a divergence in language since the 1940s [00:08:55].
  • Economic Costs: Integrating two fundamentally different economies would be monumental, especially as the Northern workforce would be wholly untrained for an advanced high-tech economy [00:09:04].

Deteriorating Security Situation

While peaceful negotiated reunification has long been unrealistic, the deteriorating security situation and North Korea’s increasingly belligerent posture have become a particular cause for concern [00:09:20].

• Military Buildup: Over the past two decades, North Korea has steadily built up its military capabilities against the South, Japan, and the United States [00:09:35].
• Nuclear Weapons: The most worrying development is North Korea’s acquisition of nuclear weapons, with its first atomic test in 2006 [00:09:54]. It’s estimated they may have 30 warheads with material for 50 more [00:10:06].
• Ballistic Missile Program: The North has rapidly expanded its ballistic missile program, conducting a record number of tests over the past two years, regularly launching missiles over Japan [00:10:15]. In December 2023, Japan believed North Korea built a missile capable of striking any point in the mainland United States [00:10:27].
• Cooperation with Russia: Expanding cooperation with Russia, particularly through providing weapons for the war in Ukraine and a summit between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin in September 2023, has raised concerns about North Korea’s direction [00:10:39].

Abandonment of the Unification Goal

Against this backdrop, news broke in January 2024 that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for rewriting the country’s Constitution, erasing articles that call for peaceful unification [00:11:12]. Even more worryingly, he announced that the North now regards South Korea as its primary enemy [00:11:26].

While the announcement shocked observers due to its open and sudden nature regarding an “existential policy” [00:11:34]:

• On one hand, after 80 years of division, few expected a negotiated peaceful reunification [00:11:51]. The Kim dynasty would not voluntarily relinquish power, and the South would not agree to a North-dominated union [00:12:01].
• On the other hand, the statement is profoundly important [00:12:11]. Optimistically, it suggests the North is merely giving up the idea of reunification for its population [00:12:16]. More worryingly, against growing tension, it may signal that the North is preparing for a new war with the South [00:12:26].

Ultimately, any hopes for Korea’s peaceful negotiated reunification have now seemingly disappeared [00:12:35]. Any future reunification is likely to come from war or the collapse of the North, scenarios that would carry devastating consequences [00:12:44].