View source for Korean reunification

{{short description|Potential unification of North and South Korea into a single Korean state}}
{{redirect|Unified Korea|the unified sports teams of North and South Korea|Unified Korean sporting teams}}
{{Original research|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox Korean name/auto
|image= Unification flag of Korea.svg{{!}}border
|caption=[[Korean Unification Flag]]
|hangul=^남북_통일
|hanja=南北統一
}}
{{Korean nationalism|Principles}}
{{Politics of North Korea|expanded=Foreign relations}}
{{Politics of South Korea|expanded=Related topics}}
'''Korean reunification''' is the hypothetical unification of [[North Korea]] and [[South Korea]] into a singular  [[Korea]]n [[sovereign state]]. The process towards reunification of the peninsula while still maintaining two opposing regimes was started by the [[June 15th North–South Joint Declaration]] in June 2000, was reaffirmed by the October 4th Declaration in October 2007 and the [[Panmunjom Declaration]] in April 2018. In the Panmunjom Declaration, the two countries agreed to work to officially end the [[Korean conflict]] in the future.

Prior to the [[First World War]] and [[Korea under Japanese rule]] (1910–1945), all of Korea had been unified as a single state for over a millennium, notably under the [[Goryeo]] and [[Joseon]] dynasties (the latter of which was declared the [[Korean Empire]] in 1897). After the end of World War II in 1945 and during the beginning of the [[Cold War]], Korea had a unified government, the [[People's Republic of Korea]]. However, this would be brief and serve as the last government, as Korea was divided into two countries along the [[Division of Korea|38th parallel]] (now the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]]) in 1948. After World War II, North Korea was occupied by the [[Soviet Union]], and later administered by the Workers' Party of Korea under [[Kim Il Sung]]. South Korea was occupied by the United States, later becoming independent under dictator [[Syngman Rhee]]. Both governments of the two new Korean states claimed to be the sole legitimate government of all of Korea. The [[Korean War]], which began in June 1950, ended in a stalemate in July 1953.

Even after the end of the Korean War, reunification proved a challenge as the two countries increasingly diverged at a steady pace. The [[North Korea–South Korea relations|relations between North and South Korea]] warmed somewhat in early 2000s and again in late 2010s when South Korea pursued the [[Sunshine Policy]] of greater engagement with the North, though relations have subsequently deteriorated.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=J Berkshire |title=Great aspirations: Inter-Korea relations going forward |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/great-aspirations-inter-korea-relations-180504095245725.html |work=Al Jazeera|date=May 4, 2018|access-date=January 24, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Majority of South Koreans favor North Korea 'friendship' |url=https://www.dw.com/en/majority-of-south-koreans-favor-north-korea-friendship/a-42643399 |work=DW.COM|first=Julian|last=Ryall|date=February 19, 2018|access-date=January 24, 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="april272018">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/04/27/the-panmmunjom-declaration-full-text-of-agreement-between-north-korea-and-south-korea/|title=The full text of North and South Korea's agreement, annotated|first=Adam|last=Taylor|date=27 April 2018|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=January 24, 2024}}</ref> Further deterioration has also been seen in 2024, with [[Kim Jong Un]] officially "ruling out unification" with South Korea, and subsequently demolishing the [[Arch of Reunification]] in [[Pyongyang]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=North Korea Demolishes Monument Symbolising Union With South: Report |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/north-korea-demolishes-monument-symbolising-union-with-south-report-4917750 |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=NDTV.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-01-23 |title=Kim Jong Un: Is North Korea's leader actually considering war?|work=[[BBC News]]|first=Frances|last=Mao |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68052515 |access-date=2024-01-23 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In the recent decades, public support for reunification in South Korea has dropped, especially among the younger generation.

==Background==
{{Main|Division of Korea|Korean War}}
The current division of the Korean Peninsula is the result of decisions taken at the end of [[World War II]]. In 1910, the [[Empire of Japan]] [[Korea under Japanese rule|annexed Korea]] and ruled over it until its [[Surrender of Japan|defeat]] in World War II. The Korean independence agreement officially occurred on 1 December 1943, when the United States, China, and the United Kingdom signed the [[1943 Cairo Declaration|Cairo Declaration]], which stated: "The aforesaid three powers, mindful of the enslavement of the people of Korea, are determined that in due course Korea shall become free and independent". In 1945, the [[United Nations]] developed plans for trusteeship administration of Korea.<ref name=CN-MP-X-CPDPRK>{{cite news|last=O'Shaughnessy|first=Brig Gen Karlynn Peltz|title=The Economic implications of Korean reunification|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA414229.pdf|accessdate=5 March 2024}}</ref><ref name=CN-MP-X-CPDPRK2>{{cite news|last=Ballard|first=Barclay|title=The Economic implications of Korean reunification|url=https://www.worldfinance.com/special-reports/the-economics-of-korean-reunification|accessdate=5 March 2024}}</ref>

The division of the peninsula into two military occupation zones was agreed: the [[Soviet Civil Administration]] in the North and the [[United States Army Military Government in Korea]] in the South. At midnight on 10 August 1945, two army lieutenant colonels selected the [[38th parallel north|38th parallel]] as a dividing line. [[Imperial Japanese Army|Japanese troops]] north of the line were to surrender to the Soviet Union, and the troops south of the line would surrender to the United States.<ref name=CN-MP-X-CPDPRK/>

The partition was not originally intended to last long, but [[Cold War]] politics resulted in the establishment of two separate governments in the two zones in 1948, and rising tensions prevented co-operation. The desire of many Koreans for a peaceful unification was dashed when the [[Korean War]] broke out in 1950.<ref>Ch'oe, Yong-ho, Bary William Theodore. De, [[Martina Deuchler]], and Peter Hacksoo. Lee. Sources of Korean Culture: From the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Century. Vol. 2. New York: Columbia Univ., 2000. 425. Print.</ref> On 25 June 1950, troops from North Korea invaded South Korea. [[Mao Zedong]] encouraged the confrontation with the United States<ref>{{cite web | last=Boose | first=Donald Jr. |title=The Korean War Revisited |publisher=Vincent Ferraro, Resources for the Study of International Relations and Foreign Policy |year=1998 |url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/korrev.htm |access-date=10 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302024548/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/korrev.htm |archive-date=2 March 2013}}</ref> and [[Joseph Stalin]] reluctantly supported the invasion.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lankov |first=Andrei | author-link = Andrei Lankov|title=Stalin had direct impact on Korea in 1945-53 period |newspaper=[[The Korea Times]] |date=16 May 2012 |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/issues/2012/12/363_111125.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609221954/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/issues/2012/12/363_111125.html |archive-date=9 June 2016 }}</ref> After three years of fighting, which involved both Koreas, China and [[United Nations]] forces led by the US, the war ended with an [[Korean Armistice Agreement|armistice agreement]] at approximately the same boundary.

==History==
{{Further|Aftermath of the Korean War|North Korea–South Korea relations}}

=== Bilateral agreements ===
==== North-South Joint Communiqué, 1972 ====
After the [[détente]] between the [[United States]] and [[China]], the North and South Korean governments made in 1972 the [[July 4 South–North Joint Statement]] to improve the relations between the two countries on July 4, 1972. It had a representative of each government secretly visit the other's capital city, and both sides agreed to a North-South Joint Communiqué, outlining the steps to be taken towards achieving a peaceful [[reunification]] of the country:
# Unification shall be achieved through independent Korean efforts without being subject to the external imposition of interference.
# Unification shall be achieved through peaceful means, and not through the [[use of force in international law|use of force]] against each other.
# As a homogeneous people, a great [[national unity]] shall be sought above all, transcending differences in ideas, ideologies, and systems.
# In order to ease tensions, and foster an atmosphere of mutual trust between the South and the North, the two sides have agreed not to slander or defame each other, not to undertake armed provocations whether on a large or small scale and to take positive measures to prevent inadvertent military incidents.
# The two sides, in order to restore severed national ties, promote mutual understanding, and expedite independent peaceful unification, have agreed to carry out various exchanges in many fields such as culture and science.
# The two sides have agreed to cooperate positively with each other to seek early success of the North-South [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Cross]] talks, which are underway with the fervent expectations of the entire people.
# The two sides, in order to prevent the outbreak of unexpected military incidents and to deal directly, promptly, and accurately with problems arising between the North and the South, have agreed to install a direct telephone line between Seoul and Pyongyang.
# The two sides, in order to implement the aforementioned agreed-upon items, to solve various problems existing between the North and the South, and to settle the unification problem on the basis of the agreed-upon principles for the unification of the [[Fatherland]], have agreed to establish and operate a North-South Coordinating Committee co-chaired by Director [[Lee Hu-rak|Yi Hurak]] [representing the South] and Director [[Kim Yong-ju]] [representing the North].
# The two sides, firmly convinced that the aforementioned agreed-upon items correspond with the common aspirations of the entire people, who are anxious to see an early unification of the Fatherland, hereby solemnly pledge before the entire [[Korean people]] that they will faithfully carry out these agreed-upon items."<ref>''Korean Quarterly'' 14:3 (autumn 1972):58-60.</ref>

The agreement outlined the steps to be taken towards achieving a peaceful reunification of the country. However, the North-South Coordination Committee was disbanded the following year after no progress had been made towards implementing the agreement. In January 1989, the founder of [[Hyundai Group|Hyundai]], [[Jung Ju-young]], toured North Korea and promoted tourism in [[Mount Kumgang]]. After a twelve-year hiatus, the prime ministers of the two Koreas met in [[Seoul]] in September 1990 to engage in the [[Inter-Korean summits]] or High-Level Talks. In December, the two countries reached an agreement on issues of reconciliation, [[Non-aggression pact|nonaggression]], cooperation, and exchange between North and South in "The Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression, Cooperation, and Exchange Between North and South",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/t/ac/rls/or/2004/31012.htm|title=Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression and Exchanges And Cooperation Between the South and the North|website=2001-2009.state.gov|access-date=2018-11-19}}</ref> but these talks collapsed over [[North Korea and weapons of mass destruction#International inspections|inspection of nuclear facilities]]. In 1994, after former U.S. President [[Jimmy Carter]]'s visit to [[Pyongyang]], the leaders of the two Koreas agreed to meet with each other, but the meeting was prevented by the [[Death and state funeral of Kim Il Sung|death of Kim Il Sung]] that July.<ref>Ch'oe, Yong-ho, Bary William Theodore. De, Martina Deuchler, and Peter Hacksoo. Lee. Sources of Korean Culture: From the Sixteenth to the Twentieth Century. Vol. 2. New York: Columbia Univ., 2000. 425–6. Print.</ref>

==== June 15th North–South Joint Declaration, 2000 ====
[[File:June 15th Joint Declaration 6.15 공동선언.jpg|alt=June 15th Joint Declaration signed by Kim Jong Il and Kim Dae-jung|thumb|June 15th Joint Declaration signed by Kim Jong Il and Kim Dae-jung]]
In June 2000, North and South Korea signed the [[June 15th North–South Joint Declaration]], in which both sides made promises to seek out a peaceful reunification with the co-existence of two systems:<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/791691.stm|title=North–South Joint Declaration|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=15 June 2000|access-date=2018-11-19}}</ref>

# The North and the South agreed to solve the question of the country's reunification independently by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation responsible for it.
# The North and the South, recognizing that the low-level [[federation]] proposed by the North and the [[commonwealth]] system proposed by the South for the reunification of the country have similarity, agreed to work together for the reunification in this direction in the future.
# The North and the South agreed to settle humanitarian issues (such as the [[North Korean famine]]) as early as possible, including the exchange of visiting groups of separated families and relatives and the issue of unconverted long-term prisoners, to mark August 15 this year.
# The North and the South agreed to promote the balanced development of the national economy through economic cooperation and build mutual confidence by activating cooperation and exchange in all fields, social, cultural, sports, public health, environmental and so on.
# The North and the South agreed to hold an authority-to-authority negotiation as soon as possible to put the above-mentioned agreed points into speedy operation.

==== October 4th Declaration, 2007 ====
During the 2007 high-level inter-Korean talks held in Pyongyang between Kim Jong Il and Roh Moo Hyun, both sides agreed to the October 4th Declaration, improving on inter-Korean relations on the basis of the June 15 Joint Declaration. The eight points of the declaration signed on the 4th of October 2007 are as follows:

# "The north and the south shall uphold and positively implement the June 15 Joint Declaration.
# "The north and the south agreed to convert north-south relations definitely into those of mutual respect and confidence, transcending the difference in ideology and system.
# "The north and the south agreed to closely cooperate with each other in the efforts to put an end to hostile military relations and ensure détente and peace on the Korean peninsula.
# "The north and the south, based on the common understanding of the need to put an end to the existing armistice mechanism and build a lasting peace mechanism, agreed to cooperate with each other in the efforts to push forward with the issue of arranging a meeting on the territory of the Korean peninsula of the heads of state of three or four parties directly concerned to promote the matter of declaring an end to war.
# "The north and the south agreed to reactivate economic cooperation and bring about its sustained development on the principles of ensuring common interests and prosperity and meeting each other's needs with a view to balanced development of the national economy and common prosperity.
# "The north and the south agreed to develop exchanges and cooperation in social and cultural fields such as history, language, education, science and technology, culture and the arts, and sports to add brilliance to the time-honored history and fine culture of the nation.
# "The north and the south agreed to push forward humanitarian cooperation.
# "The north and the south agreed to strengthen cooperation on the international arena in the efforts to protect the interests of the nation and the rights and interests of overseas Koreans."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Declaration for Development of North-South Relations, and Peace and Prosperity|url=http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?lang=eng&ptype=cfotpo&no=5|website=Uri Minzokkiri|access-date=2021-03-28|archive-date=2022-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904150815/http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?lang=eng&ptype=cfotpo&no=5|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Panmunjom Declaration, 2018 ====
In April 2018, at the north-south summit talks at the "House of Peace" in Panmunjom, Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in signed the [[Panmunjom Declaration]], declaring that there would be no longer war and a new era of peace has opened on the Korean peninsula. They declared as follows reflecting the firm will to put an end to division and confrontation, to open up a new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity and more actively improve and develop the north-south ties. A brief outline of the three main points of the agreement are as follows:

# "The north and the south will achieve comprehensive and epochal improvement and development in the north-south ties and thus relink the severed blood vessel of the nation and bring earlier the future of common prosperity and independent reunification.
# "The north and the south will make joint efforts to defuse the acute military tensions and to substantially defuse the danger of a war on the Korean peninsula.
# "The north and the south will closely cooperate with each other to build a durable and lasting peace mechanism on the Korean peninsula."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula|url=http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?lang=eng&ptype=cfotpo&no=6|access-date=2021-03-28|archive-date=2020-12-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231072604/http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?lang=eng&ptype=cfotpo&no=6|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Internationally ===
A [[Unified Korean sporting teams|unified Korean team]] marched in the opening ceremonies of the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]], [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004]], and [[2006 Winter Olympics|2006]] Olympics, but the North and South Korean national teams competed separately. There were plans for a truly unified team at the [[2008 Summer Olympics]], but the two countries were unable to agree on the details of its implementation. In the [[1991 World Table Tennis Championships]] in [[Chiba Prefecture|Chiba]], [[Japan]], the two countries formed a unified team. A [[Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics|Unified Korea]] women's ice hockey team competed under a separate IOC country code designation (COR) in the [[2018 Winter Olympics]]; in all other sports, there were a separate [[North Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics|North Korea team]] and a separate [[South Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics|South Korea team]].<ref>{{cite news|title=N. Korea to send 22 athletes in three sports to PyeongChang Winter Olympics: IOC|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2018/01/20/0200000000AEN20180120003653315.html|access-date=20 January 2018|agency=Yonhap|quote=The team [Unified Korea women's ice hockey team] will use the acronym COR and will be the first joint Korean sports team at an Olympic Games.|date=18 January 2018}}</ref>

==Current status==
The nature of unification, i.e. through North Korean collapse, South Korean collapse, or the formation of two systems under a united federation, is still a topic of intense political debate and even conflict among interested parties, which include both Koreas, China, Japan, Russia, and the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR300/RR331/RAND_RR331.pdf |title=Preparing for the Possibility of a North Korean Collapse |first=Bruce W. |last=Bennett |date=2013 |publisher=RAND Corporation |access-date=2015-03-17 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319062410/http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR300/RR331/RAND_RR331.pdf |archive-date=2015-03-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24182193 |work=[[BBC News]] |title=Doomsday scenario plan would divide North Korea |date=25 September 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925042132/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24182193 |archive-date=25 September 2013 }}</ref>

Relations between the two Koreas have been strained, with conflict between the two coming to a head such as in the enforcement of the colonial era National Security Law in South Korea which led to the arrest of South Korean pro-reunification activist [[Roh Su-hui]], [[ROKS Cheonan sinking|suspected torpedoing of the ROKS ''Cheonan'']]<ref>{{cite news|title=Seoul reaffirms N. Korea's torpedo attack in final report |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/09/205_72997.html |newspaper=[[The Korea Times]] |access-date=14 September 2010 |date=13 September 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916193320/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/09/205_72997.html |archive-date=16 September 2010 }}</ref> and the [[bombardment of Yeonpyeong|bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10130413 |work=[[BBC News]] |title=Q&A: Inter-Korean crisis |date=2010-12-20 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209044918/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10130413 |archive-date=2010-12-09 }}</ref> both in 2010, the rocket launches [[Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3|in April]] and [[Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2|December]] of 2012 and [[2013 North Korean nuclear test|North Korea's third nuclear test]] in 2013. Kim Jong Un's sudden accession and limited experience governing have also stoked fears about power struggles among different factions leading to future instability on the Korean Peninsula.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://royce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=273163 |title=Kim death threatens chaos for US policy |first=Shaun |last=Tandon |agency=AFP |publisher=U.S. Representative Ed Royce, 39th District of California |date=2011-12-20 |access-date=9 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307112634/http://royce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=273163 |archive-date=2014-03-07 }}</ref>

Reunification has remained a long-term goal for the governments of both North and South Korea. North Korean leader [[Kim Jong Un]] made calls in his 2012 New Year's Day speech to "remove confrontation" between the two countries and implement [[Inter-Korean summits|previous joint agreements]] for increased economic and political cooperation.<ref>{{cite news|last=Harlan |first=Chico |title=In New Year's speech, N. Korea's Kim says he wants peace with South |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |location=Seoul |date=1 January 2013 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-new-years-speech-n-koreas-kim-says-he-wants-peace-with-south/2013/01/01/bce3a4dc-53dd-11e2-8b9e-dd8773594efc_story.html |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130108225910/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-new-years-speech-n-koreas-kim-says-he-wants-peace-with-south/2013/01/01/bce3a4dc-53dd-11e2-8b9e-dd8773594efc_story.html |archive-date=8 January 2013 }}</ref> The South Korean [[Ministry of Unification]] redoubled their efforts in 2011 and 2012 to raise awareness of the issue, launching a variety show (''Miracle Audition'') and an Internet sitcom with pro-unification themes.<ref name="Wary">{{cite news|last=Harlan |first=Chico |title=South Korea's young people are wary of unification |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |location=Seoul |date=17 October 2011 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/south-korean-youth-grow-wary-of-unification/2011/10/14/gIQA3ujmqL_story.html |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720025059/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/south-korean-youth-grow-wary-of-unification/2011/10/14/gIQA3ujmqL_story.html |archive-date=20 July 2012 }}</ref><ref name="UnifTV">{{cite news|last1=Strober |first1=Jason |last2=Hugh-Jones |first2=Rob |title=Will young South Koreans watch 'unification TV'? |work=PRI's The World |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=4 December 2011 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15537467 |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107121028/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15537467 |archive-date=7 January 2012 }}</ref> The Ministry already promotes curriculum in elementary schooling, such as a government-issued textbook about North Korea titled "We Are One" and reunification-themed arts and crafts projects.<ref name="Wary" />

===2018–19 Korean peace process===
In Kim's 2018 New Year's address, a Korean-led reunification was repeatedly mentioned and an unexpected proposal was made for the North's participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics that were held in [[Pyeongchang County]] of South Korea, a significant shift after several years of increasing hostilities, the [[2018–19 Korean peace process]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nkleadershipwatch.org/2018/01/01/new-years-address|title=New Year's Address|date=2018-01-01|work=North Korea Leadership Watch|access-date=2018-02-10|language=en-US}}</ref>  Subsequent meetings between North and South led to the announcement that the two Koreas would march together with a unified flag in the Olympics' Opening Ceremony and form a unified ice hockey team, with a total of 22 North Korean athletes participating in various other competitions including figure skating, short track speed skating, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.sky.com/story/north-korea-calls-for-reunification-with-south-korea-11221519|title=North Korea Calls for Reunification with South Korea|date=2018-01-25|work=Sky News|access-date=2018-11-19|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/news/ioc-president-bach-says-pyeongchang-olympics-can-send-message-of-peace-to-world|title=IOC President Bach Says PyeongChang Olympics Can Send 'Message of Peace' to World.|date=2018-11-19|work=International Olympic Committee|access-date=2018-11-19|language=en|archive-date=2018-04-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421174247/https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/news/ioc-president-bach-says-pyeongchang-olympics-can-send-message-of-peace-to-world|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In April 2018, at a summit in [[Panmunjom]], Kim Jong Un and South Korean President [[Moon Jae-in]] signed a deal committing to finally seal peace between both Koreas by the end of the year. Both leaders also symbolically crossed each other's borders, marking the first time a South Korean president crossed the North border and vice versa. Kim stated that the North will start a process of [[Nuclear disarmament|denuclearization]], which was supported by the U.S. President [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/27/north-south-korea-summit-leaders-promise-lasting-peace-denuclearisation-kim-jong-un-moon-jae-in|title=North and South Korean leaders promise 'lasting peace' for peninsula|newspaper=The Guardian|first1=Benjamin|last1=Haas|first2=Justin|last2=McCurry|first3=David|last3=Smith|date=April 27, 2018|access-date=May 2, 2018}}</ref> In 2019, Moon Jae-in proposed reunification of the Korean peninsula by 2045.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCurry |first1=Justin |date=15 August 2019 |title=Korean peninsula will be united by 2045, says Seoul amid Japan row |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/15/korean-peninsula-will-be-united-by-2045-says-seoul-amid-japan-row |access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref> The peace talks led to nothing,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=Ellen |title=North Korea States It Will Never Give Up Nuclear Weapons |url=https://www.csis.org/analysis/north-korea-states-it-will-never-give-nuclear-weapons |website=www.csis.org |date=9 September 2022 |access-date=September 18, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> as North Korea continued forward with their nuclear program, despite former U.S. President Donald Trump showcasing it as a considerable win.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/04/20/north-korea-trump-advance-nuclear-ambitions|title=North Korea Continues to Flout Trump, Advance Nuclear Ambitions|newspaper=Foreign Policy|first=Colum|last=Lynch|date=April 20, 2020|access-date=December 11, 2020}}</ref>

=== Deteriorating relations and Yoon Suk Yeol's presidency (2022–2025) ===
Under President [[Yoon Suk Yeol]], South Korea adopted a harder policy towards North Korea, with the South Korean government officially declaring their goals of “unification by absorption” under a “[[liberal democracy]]” system.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Kim |first=Jeongmin |date=1 January 2024 |title=Why North Korea declared unification 'impossible,' abandoning decades-old goal |work=[[NK News]] |url=https://www.nknews.org/2024/01/why-north-korea-declared-unification-impossible-abandoning-decades-old-goal/ |access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref>

In response, in December 2023, during a speech at the 9th plenum of the [[8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea]], Kim called for a "fundamental turnabout" in North Korea's stance towards South Korea, calling the South the "enemy".<ref name=":3">{{cite news |last1=Seo |first1=Heather |date=31 December 2023 |title=North Korea says it will no longer seek reunification with South Korea, will launch new spy satellites in 2024 |language=en |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/31/asia/north-korea-reconciliation-south-korea-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref> He stated "the party's comprehensive conclusion after reviewing inter-Korean relations is that reunification can never be achieved with those ROK riffraffs that defined the 'unification by absorption' and 'unification under [[liberal democracy]]' as their state policy", which he said is in "sharp contradiction with what our line of national reunification was: one nation, one state with two systems".<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Kim |first=Jeongmin |date=1 January 2024 |title=Why North Korea declared unification 'impossible,' abandoning decades-old goal |work=[[NK News]] |url=https://www.nknews.org/2024/01/why-north-korea-declared-unification-impossible-abandoning-decades-old-goal/ |access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref>

Kim cited [[Constitution of South Korea|South Korean constitution]]'s claims over the entire Korean Peninsula and President Yoon's policy towards the north as evidence that South Korea is an unsuitable partner for reunification.<ref name=":3" /> He said the relations between the two Koreas currently were "states hostile to each other and the relations between two belligerent states" and no longer ones that are "consanguineous or homogeneous",<ref>{{cite news |date=31 December 2023 |title=Reunification with South? No, says North Korea's Kim Jong-un |language=en |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |agency=dpa |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3246812/kim-jong-un-says-north-korea-no-longer-eyeing-reunification-south-warns-war-any-time |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref> continuing by saying it is "unsuitable" to discuss the issue of reunification "with this strange clan [South Korea], who is no more than a colonial stooge of the U.S. despite the rhetorical word [we used to use] — 'the fellow countrymen." Kim also instructed the WPK on reforming organizations related to inter-Korean relations, including the WPK's [[United Front Department of the Workers' Party of Korea|United Front Department]].<ref name=":4" />
[[File:Monument-to-National-Reunification-2014.jpg|thumb|[[Arch of Reunification]], demolished in early 2024 in North Korea]]
Kim further confirmed a shift in policy in January 2024, when he gave a speech to the [[Supreme People's Assembly]] (SPA) calling for the [[Constitution of North Korea|constitution]] to be amended to remove references to cooperation and reunification, as well as specify DPRK's territorial borders and add an article specifying the ROK as the most hostile country.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last1=Zwirko |first1=Colin |last2=Kim |first2=Jeongmin |date=16 January 2024 |title=North Korea to redefine border, purge unification language from constitution |url=https://www.nknews.org/2024/01/north-korea-to-destroy-inter-korean-links-redefine-borders-in-constitution/#:~:text=North%20Korea%20will%20change%20its,state%20media%20reported%20on%20Tuesday. |access-date=16 January 2024 |work=[[NK News]]}}</ref> He also rejected the maritime [[Northern Limit Line]], saying that "If the Republic of Korea invades our ground territory, territorial air space, or territorial waters by even 0.001 mm, it will be considered a provocation of war". He called for the removal of physical symbols such as the [[Arch of Reunification]], which he called an "eyesore". The SPA also voted on the abolition of three inter-Korean cooperation organizations; the [[Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland]], the Korean People's Cooperation Administration, and the Kumgangsan International Tourism Administration.<ref name=":5" />

On March 1, 2024, the government of President [[Yoon Suk Yeol]] plans to develop a new vision of unification with North Korea to include the principle of liberal democracy. South Korea intended to update its vision of unification for the first time in 30 years. This was the first revision of the [[Unification Formula of the national community]], South Korea's unification policy unveiled in August 1994 under the administration of late President [[Kim Young-sam]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wonju |first=Yi |date=2024-03-01 |title=S. Korea to update unification vision for 1st time in 30 years |url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240301002500315 |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=[[Yonhap News Agency]] |language=en}}</ref> On 15 August 2024, Yoon outlined his policy on reunification, calling for a "unified Republic of Korea"; this was the first time this term was used by a South Korean administration. It was seen as South Korea's most explicit policy statement to date in support of unification by absorption, referring to unifying the Korean Peninsula under the Republic of Korea. He called on efforts to increase support among North Koreans for a "freedom-based unification", which he said would be done by expanding efforts to increase North Korean people's access to information.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kim |first=Jeongmin |date=15 August 2024 |title=Yoon calls for ‘freedom-based unification’ with North Korea under ROK rule |url=https://www.nknews.org/2024/08/yoon-calls-for-freedom-based-unification-with-north-korea-under-rok-rule/ |access-date=24 October 2025 |work=[[NK News]]}}</ref>

=== Lee Jae Myung's presidency (2025–present) ===
Following the inauguration of President [[Lee Jae Myung|Lee Jae-myung]] in June 2025, South Korea’s approach toward North Korea shifted to a more pragmatic and engagement-oriented stance, contrasting with the hardline policies of his predecessor.

On 11 June 2025, Lee banned anti-North Korean activists from sending leaflets into the North by balloon. He also ordered the [[Republic of Korea Armed Forces|military]] to halt [[loudspeaker]] [[Propaganda in South Korea|propaganda broadcasts]] across the border with North Korea, South Korea even switched off shortwave radio broadcasts that had carried similar propaganda for over half a century in an attempt to improve [[North Korea–South Korea relations|relations]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 June 2025 |title=한국과 북한, 확성기 방송 중지에 담긴 의미는? |url=https://www.bbc.com/korean/articles/c4gr1jg8515o |access-date=8 August 2025 |website=BBC News 코리아 |language=ko}}</ref> North Korea responded by halting [[Propaganda in North Korea|their own propaganda]] loudspeakers towards the South just a few hours later.<ref>{{Cite web |last=권혁철 |date=12 June 2025 |title=북, 대남 '소음 방송' 멈췄다…이 대통령 확성기 중단에 호응했나 |url=https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/politics/defense/1202391.html |access-date=8 August 2025 |website=한겨레 |language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=김철선 |date=13 June 2025 |title=북, 40여곳에서 틀던 대남 소음방송 이틀째 중지 {{!}} 연합뉴스 |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20250613117500504 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250613100744/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20250613117500504 |archive-date=13 June 2025 |access-date=8 August 2025 |work=연합뉴스 |language=ko-KR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=조선일보 |date=12 June 2025 |title=대북 확성기 끄자... 北도 대남 소음 방송 멈췄다 |url=https://www.chosun.com/politics/diplomacy-defense/2025/06/12/67TIWEQX3ZHMXJN3XGKFFB4WBA/ |access-date=8 August 2025 |website=조선일보 |language=ko}}</ref> Lee expressed gratitude for the North's reciprocation, remarking that the speed of their response had exceeded his expectations, and also expressed hope for an improvement in relations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=하채림 |date=3 July 2025 |title=남북관계 "길게 보겠다"는 李대통령…北인권문제엔 말 아껴 {{!}} 연합뉴스 |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20250703122000504?section=politics/all |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250703093438/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20250703122000504?section=politics/all |archive-date=3 July 2025 |access-date=8 August 2025 |work=연합뉴스 |language=ko-KR}}</ref>

But these efforts by Lee were “not the work worthy of appreciation,” said [[Kim Yo Jong]], who spoke for her brother, [[Kim Jong Un]], in a statement. She went on to say that no matter what policy was adopted in Seoul or proposal was sent that they had zero interest in discussion with South Korea. These had been the first official remarks on the new administration by the North. South Korea sought to downplay the significance of the statement by Kim Yo Jong, saying that the government would continue its efforts to promote reconciliation and cooperation. A South Korean government spokesman, Koo Byoung-sam, said that the remarks from the North “showed how high the wall of distrust has become in [[North Korea–South Korea relations|South-North Korean relations]].”<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-07-28 |title=North Korea Rejects New South Korean Leader's Peace Overtures |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/world/asia/north-korea-rejects-peace-gestures.html |access-date=2025-08-12 |language=en}}</ref>

==Public opinion==
Support for reunification in South Korea has been falling, especially among the younger generations. In the 1990s, the percent of people in government polls who regarded reunification as essential was over 80%. By 2011 that number had dropped to 56%.<ref name="Wary" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/world/asia/koreas-olympics-reunification.html|title=Olympic Dreams of a United Korea? Many in South Say, 'No, Thanks'|date=2018-01-28|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2018-11-20|language=en}}</ref> According to a December 2017 survey released by the [[Korea Institute for National Unification]] (KINU), 72.1% of South Koreans in their 20s believe reunification is unnecessary,<ref name="CBC">{{cite news|last1=Petricic|first1=Saša|title=As Olympics open door to reunification, young Koreans are tuning out|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pyeongchang-olympics-korea-unification-1.4520151|access-date=6 February 2018|work=[[Canadian Broadcasting Company]]|date=5 February 2018}}</ref> with younger South Koreans saying they are more concerned about issues related to [[Economy of South Korea|their economy]], employment, and [[Cost of living|living costs]].<ref name="CBC" /> In 2025, a poll by the KINU showed that 51% thought reunification was unnecessary, while 49% thought it was necessary; it marked the first time a majority of South Koreans thought of reunification as unnecessary. A further 63.2% agreed that "unification is not necessary if peaceful coexistence can be maintained", 47% said it was "acceptable" for the two Koreas to be permanently divided, and 68.1% said they were "indifferent" to North Korea.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kim |first=Jeongmin |date=2025-10-21 |title=Majority of South Koreans say unification ‘unnecessary’ for first time: Survey |url=https://www.nknews.org/?p=962754 |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=[[NK News]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

Polls show a majority of South Koreans, even those in age groups traditionally seen as being more eager to reunify the peninsula, are not willing to see their living conditions decline in order to accommodate a reunification with the North.<ref name="CBC"/> Moreover, about 50% of men in their 20s see North Korea as an outright enemy that they want nothing to do with.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Choe|first1=Sang-hun|title=Reunification with North Korea unappealing for young South Koreans|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/01/28/reunification-with-north-korea-unappealing-for-young-south-koreans.html|access-date=6 February 2018|work=[[Toronto Star]]|agency=[[The New York Times]]|date=28 January 2018}}</ref>

Some scholars, like [[Paul Roderick Gregory]], have suggested that a complete abandonment of Korean reunification may be necessary, in exchange for the North to dismantle its [[North Korea and weapons of mass destruction|nuclear weapons program]] and permanently ending the Korean War with a [[peace treaty]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gregory|first1=Paul|title=To end the North Korea dispute, abandon the aim of Korean reunification|url=http://www.newsweek.com/end-north-korea-dispute-abandon-aim-korean-reunification-651508|access-date=19 August 2017|work=[[Newsweek]]|date=17 August 2017}}</ref>

==Strategies==
===Sunshine Policy===
{{Main|Sunshine Policy}}
[[File:Seoul-National.Assembly-02.jpg|thumb|South Korea's [[National Assembly of South Korea|National Assembly]]. The woman holding a dove symbolizes [[peace]] and [[prosperity]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA |url=https://korea.assembly.go.kr:447/portalEn/main/contents.do?menuNo=1500103 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250805151156/https://korea.assembly.go.kr:447/portalEn/main/contents.do?menuNo=1500103 |archive-date=2025-08-05 |access-date=2025-11-02 |website=korea.assembly.go.kr |language=en}}</ref>]]

Introduced by the [[Millennium Democratic Party]] of South Korea under President [[Kim Dae-jung]], as part of a campaign pledge to "actively pursue reconciliation and cooperation" with North Korea, the Sunshine Policy was intended to create conditions of economic assistance and cooperation for reunification, rather than [[Sanctions against North Korea|sanctions]] and [[military threat]]s. The plan was divided into three parts: increased cooperation through inter-Korean organizations (while maintaining separate systems in the North and South), national unification with two autonomous regional governments, and finally the creation of a central national government. In 1998, Kim approved large shipments of food aid to the North Korean government, lifted limits on business deals between North Korean and South Korean firms, and even called for a stop to the American economic [[embargo]] against the North. In June 2000, the leaders of North and South Korea met in Pyongyang and shook hands for the first time since the division of Korea.

Despite the continuation of the Sunshine Policy under the Roh administration, it was eventually declared a failure by the South Korean [[Ministry of Unification]] in November 2010 over issues of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, stymied further negotiations, and again strained relations between the two Koreas.

====Opponents====
Opponents of the Sunshine Policy argue that dialogue and trade with North Korea did nothing to improve prospects for peaceful reunification, despite the transfer of large funds to the North Korean government by President [[Kim Dae-jung]], but allowed the North Korean government to retain its hold on power. Others believe that South Korea should remain prepared for the event of a North Korean attack. Hardliners also argue that the continued and maximized isolation of the North will lead to the country's collapse after which the territory could be absorbed by force into South Korea.

In November 2000, outgoing US President [[Bill Clinton]] wanted to visit Pyongyang. However, the intended visit never happened because of the controversy surrounding the results of the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 US presidential election]]. Around April or May 2001, Kim Dae-jung was expecting to welcome Kim Jong Il to Seoul. Returning from his meeting in Washington D.C., with newly elected President Bush, Kim Dae-jung described his meeting as embarrassing while privately cursing President Bush and his hardliner approach. This meeting negated any chance of a North Korean visit to South Korea. After the Bush administration labeled North Korea as part of the "[[axis of evil]]", North Korea renounced the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons|nonproliferation treaty]], kicked out [[International Atomic Energy Agency|UN inspectors]], and restarted its nuclear program.<ref name=Cumings>{{cite book|last=Cumings|first=Bruce|title=Korea's Place in the Sun: a Modern History|publisher=Norton|year=2005|isbn=9780393327021|pages=502–04}}.</ref> In early 2005, the North Korean government confirmed that the country had successfully become a [[nuclear armed states|nuclear armed state]], with its first nuclear test conducted in October 2006.<ref name=Cumings/>{{rp|504–505}}<ref>{{cite web | title=2006 DPRK Announced Nuclear Test | url=https://www.ctbto.org/our-work/detecting-nuclear-tests/2006-dprk-nuclear-test }}</ref>

=== The Three Charters for National Reunification, 1997 ===
In North Korea, the Three Charters for National Reunification have served as the sole guidelines for reunification. They contain the [[Three Principles of National Reunification|Three Principles for National Reunification]], [[Ten Point Programme for Reunification of the Country]] and the plan of founding the {{visible anchor|Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo}}.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=POLICIES FOR KOREA'S REUNIFICATION|url=http://www.naenara.com.kp/main/index/en/politics?arg_val=reunification|website=Nae Nara}}</ref> They were formulated by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il into the Three Charters for National Reunification in his public work "''Let Us Carry Out the Great Comrade's Instructions for National Reunification''", in 1997.

==== Three Principles for National Reunification ====
North Korean President [[Kim Il Sung]] proposed the [[Three Principles of National Reunification]] in 1972 as the central force that should drive reunification. They are as follows:

# "National reunification should be achieved independently without reliance on outside forces and free from their interference.
# "Great national unity should be promoted by transcending the differences in ideas, ideals and systems.
# "National reunification should be achieved by peaceful means without resorting to arms."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kim Il-sung|url=https://www.korea-dpr.com/lib/9004.pdf|title=On the Three Principles of National Reunification|year=1972|access-date=2021-03-27|archive-date=2021-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104215142/https://www.korea-dpr.com/lib/9004.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Ten Point Programme for Reunification of the Country ====
The [[Ten Point Programme for Reunification of the Country]] was written by [[Kim Il Sung]] in 1993 and contains the idea of reunification with South Korea under a pan-national unified state. It emphasises once again the need for an independent reunification, and more specifically, the removal of US forces from the peninsula. It is laid out as follows:

# "A unified state, independent, peaceful and neutral, should be founded through the great unity of the whole nation.
# "Unity should be based on patriotism and the spirit of national independence.
# "Unity should be achieved on the principle of promotion coexistence, coprosperity and common interests and subordinating everything to the cause of national reunification.
# "All manner of political disputes that foment division and confrontation between the fellow countrymen should be stopped and unity be achieved.
# "They should dispel fears of invasion from the south and from the north, prevail-over-communism and communization altogether and believe in and unite with each other.
# "They should set store by democracy and join hands on the road to national reunification, not rejecting each other for the difference in isms and principles.
# "They should protect material and spiritual wealth of individual persons and organizations and encourage them to be used favorably for the promotion of great national unity.
# "The whole nation should understand, trust and unite with one another through contacts, travels and dialogues.
# "The whole nation in the north and the south and overseas should strengthen solidarity with one another on the way to national reunification.
# "Those who have contributed to the great unity of the nation and to the cause of national reunification should be highly estimated."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kim Il-sung|url=http://www.korea-dpr.com/library/201.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060106045846/http://www.korea-dpr.com/library/201.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2006-01-06|title=10-Point Programme of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation for the Reunification of the Country}}</ref>

==== Plan for founding the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo ====
In accordance with the three principles and the ten point programme, [[Kim Il Sung]] elaborated on the [[List of proposed state mergers|proposed state]], called Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo (DFRK),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Donahue|first1=Ray T.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rq8Bq7xQZE0C&q=koryo+confederal+republic&pg=PA128|title=Diplomatic Discourse: International Conflict at the United Nations – Addresses and Analysis|last2=Prosser|first2=Michael H.|date=1 January 1997|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9781567502916|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420062109/https://books.google.com/books?id=Rq8Bq7xQZE0C&pg=PA128&lpg=PA128&dq=koryo%20confederal%20republic&source=bl&ots=zRTZQEBMkH&sig=BxfYldoe7lQjE3MekOQnyj7HTgU&hl=en&ei=WevASrT3HNLZ-QaF3pjFAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6|archive-date=20 April 2017|url-status=live|via=Google Books}}</ref> on October 10, 1980, in the ''Report to the Sixth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea on the Work of the Central Committee''. Kim proposed a [[confederation]] between North and South Korea, in which their respective political systems would initially remain. It is described by North Korea as a "...peaceful reunification proposal to found a federal state on the condition that the north and the south recognize and tolerate each other's existing ideologies."<ref name=":1" /> It was stated that the DFRK should be a neutral country which does not participate in any political, military alliance or bloc, embracing the whole of the territory and people of the country.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Plan for the Founding of the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo|url=http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?lang=eng&ptype=cfotpo&no=3|website=Uri Minzokkiri|access-date=2021-03-28|archive-date=2022-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220917001600/http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?lang=eng&ptype=cfotpo&no=3|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Reunification tax, 2011 ===
On January 1, 2011, a group of twelve lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties introduced a bill into the [[National Assembly (South Korea)|South Korean National Assembly]] to allow for the establishment of a "unification tax". The bill called for businesses to pay 0.05% of corporate tax, individuals to pay 5% of inheritance or gift taxes, and both individuals and companies to pay 2% of their [[income tax]] towards the cost of unification. The bill initiated legislative debate on practical measures to prepare for unification, as proposed by President [[Lee Myung-bak]] in his [[National Liberation Day of Korea|Liberation Day]] speech the previous year. The proposal for a unification tax was not warmly welcomed at the time. Lee has since reiterated concerns regarding the imminence of unification, which, combined with North Korean behavior, led to the tax proposal gaining wider acceptance. Practical measures to prepare for unification are becoming an increasingly frequent aspect of political debate, as concern regarding imminent and abrupt unification increases.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.junotane.com/analytical-updates/korea-unification-tax-proposal.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713125012/http://www.junotane.com/analytical-updates/korea-unification-tax-proposal.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-07-13|title=Korea unification tax proposal – Analytical Updates – Junotane Korea – Political, Economic and Strategic Affairs<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref>

===Korean Economic Community===
It has been suggested that the formation of a Korean [[economic community|Economic Community]] could be a way to ease in unification of the peninsula.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.korea.net/news/News/newsView.asp?serial_no=20070824029|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309011658/http://www.korea.net/news/News/newsView.asp?serial_no=20070824029|archive-date=2009-03-09 |title=Toward reunification via inter-Korean economic community |publisher=[[Korea.net]] |author= Hong Soon-Jik |date=2007-08-26 |access-date=2007-12-06}}</ref> Lee Myung-bak, departing from the Saenuri Party's traditional hardline stance, outlined a comprehensive diplomatic package on North Korea that includes setting up a consultative body to discuss economic projects between the two Koreas. He proposed seeking a Korean economic community agreement to provide the legal and systemic basis for any projects agreed to in the body.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200709/200709110015.html |title=Lee Myung-bak Unveils Inter-Korean Cooperation Plans|date=31 December 2009 |newspaper=[[The Chosun Ilbo]]|url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231053353/http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200709/200709110015.html |archive-date=31 December 2009 }}</ref>

===Reunification Investment Fund===
In 2017, former [[Inha University]] professor Shepherd Iverson proposed creating a $175 billion reunification investment fund aiming to bribe the elite officials on top of DPRK's hierarchy to ensure a diplomatic way to resolve the Korean conflict by conducting an internal [[regime change]]. In the proposal a sum of up to $23.3 billion would be paid in total to the families of those elite officials who wield power in [[Pyongyang]], while he noted that the top ten families would receive $30 million each, and the top thousand families would get $5 million. Another sum of $121.8 billion would go to the country's general population to start their life again post-reunification, and it's envisioned that the proceeds for the fund is to be raised from private groups and business moguls.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kim Jong-un Removal Will Cost $175 Billion, Claims A New Theory |url=https://www.inquisitr.com/4212098/kim-jong-un-removal-will-cost-175-billion-claims-a-new-theory/ |website=www.inquisitr.com |date=11 May 2017 |access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Could we pay the North Korean elite to give up power and nukes?|work=[[NK News]] |url=https://www.nknews.org/2017/04/could-we-pay-the-north-korean-elite-to-give-up-power-and-nukes |first=Gianluca|last=Spezza |access-date=11 February 2020 |date=28 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Iverson |first1=Shepherd |title=Stop North Korea! : a radical new approach to the North Korean standoff |date=7 March 2017 |publisher=Tuttle |isbn=9780804848596 }}</ref>

==International positions==

===China===
{{Further|China–North Korea relations|China–South Korea relations}}

In 1984, the ''[[Beijing Review]]'' provided China's view on Korean unification: "With regard to the situation on the Korean peninsula, China's position is clear: it is squarely behind the proposal of North Korea for tripartite (between the two Koreas and the United States) talks to seek a peaceful and independent reunification of Korea in the form of a confederation, free from outside interference. China believes this is the surest way to reduce tension on the peninsula."<ref>Mu Yaolin, "President Reagan's China Visit," ''Beijing Review'', April 23, 1984, p. 4.</ref>

China's current [[China–North Korea relations|relationship with North Korea]] and position on a unified Korea is seen as dependent on a number of issues. A unified Korea could prevent [[North Korea and weapons of mass destruction#Nuclear weapons|North Korea's nuclear weapons program]] from destabilizing East Asia as well as the Chinese government. The 2010 [[United States diplomatic cables leak]] mentioned two unnamed PRC officials telling the Deputy Foreign Minister of South Korea that the [[Generations of Chinese leadership|younger generation]] of Chinese leaders increasingly believed that Korea should be reunified under South Korean rule, provided it were not hostile to China.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tisdall|first=Simon|date=2010-11-29|title=Wikileaks cables reveal China 'ready to abandon North Korea'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/29/wikileaks-cables-china-reunified-korea|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911175226/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/29/wikileaks-cables-china-reunified-korea|archive-date=2013-09-11|access-date=2010-12-01|website=TheGuardian.com|language=}}</ref> The report also claimed that senior officials and the general public in the PRC were becoming increasingly frustrated with the North acting like a "spoiled child," following its repeated missile and nuclear tests, which were seen as a gesture of defiance not only to the West, but also to China.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/30/china-wants-korean-reunification |location=London |work=The Guardian |first1=Simon |last1=Tisdall |first2=Tania |last2=Branigan |title=WikiLeaks row: China wants Korean reunification, officials confirm |date=2010-11-30 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221142854/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/30/china-wants-korean-reunification |archive-date=2016-12-21 }}</ref> The business magazine ''[[Caixin]]'' reported that North Korea accounted for 40% of China's foreign aid budget and required 50,000 tonnes of oil per month as a [[buffer state]] against Japan, South Korea, and the United States, with whom trade and investment is now worth billions. North Korea is seen in China as expensive and internationally embarrassing to support.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/nov/29/wikileaks-north-korea-china-south-reunification |location=London |work=The Guardian |first=Isabel |last=Hilton |title=US embassy cables: Beijing's lost patience leaves Pyongyang with little to lose |date=2010-11-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221143154/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/nov/29/wikileaks-north-korea-china-south-reunification |archive-date=2016-12-21 }}</ref>

However, the collapse of the North Korean regime and unification by Seoul would also present a number of problems for China. A sudden and violent collapse might cause a [[refugee|mass exodus]] of North Koreans fleeing or fighting poverty into China, causing a [[humanitarian crisis]] that could destabilize [[northeast China]]. The movement of South Korean and American soldiers into the North could result in their being temporarily or even permanently stationed on China's border, seen as a potential threat to China sovereignty and an imposition of a [[United States foreign policy toward the People's Republic of China|China containment policy]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sun |first=Yun |title=The Logic of China's Korea Policy |magazine=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |date=22 June 2012 |url=https://thediplomat.com/new-leaders-forum/2012/06/22/the-logic-of-chinas-korea-policy/ |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308173459/https://thediplomat.com/new-leaders-forum/2012/06/22/the-logic-of-chinas-korea-policy/ |archive-date=8 March 2013 }}</ref> A unified Korea could also more strongly pursue its [[East China Sea EEZ disputes|territorial disputes with China]]<ref name="Congress">{{cite web|title=US Congressional Report Expects China To Intervene In North Korea |publisher=ROK Drop |date=7 January 2013 |url=http://rokdrop.com/2013/01/07/us-congressional-report-expects-china-to-intervene-in-north-korea/ |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120190423/http://rokdrop.com/2013/01/07/us-congressional-report-expects-china-to-intervene-in-north-korea/ |archive-date=20 January 2013 }}</ref> and might inflame nationalism among [[Koreans in China]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Byington |first=Mark |title=The War of Words Between South Korea and China Over An Ancient Kingdom: Why Both Sides Are Misguided |work=History News Network |publisher=George Mson University |date=10 September 2004 |url=http://hnn.us/articles/7077.html |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509032647/http://hnn.us/articles/7077.html |archive-date=9 May 2013 }}</ref> Some have claimed the existence of [[OPLAN 5029#Chinese plans|contingency plans]] for the PRC intervening in situations of great turmoil in North Korea<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ko:중국 인민해방군, 북한 급변사태 때 대동강 이북 점령 |language=ko |publisher=Defence21 |date=25 May 2011 |url=http://defence21.hani.co.kr/9875 |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214060026/http://defence21.hani.co.kr/9875 |archive-date=14 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=US Congressional Report Expects China To Intervene In North Korea |publisher=ROK Drop |date=7 January 2013 |url=http://rokdrop.com/2013/01/07/us-congressional-report-expects-china-to-intervene-in-north-korea |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120190423/http://rokdrop.com/2013/01/07/us-congressional-report-expects-china-to-intervene-in-north-korea/ |archive-date=20 January 2013 }}</ref> (with the [[Northeast Project (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)|Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Northeast Project]] on the [[Goguryeo controversies|Chinese identity of the Goguryeo kingdom]] potentially used to justify [[Military intervention|intervention]] or even [[annexation]]).<ref name="UnifTV" />

===Japan===
{{Further|North Korea–Japan relations|Japan–South Korea relations|Japan–Korea disputes}}
Similarly, reunification of Korea poses complications for future Korea-Japan relations, especially with regards to the disputed territorial status of the [[Liancourt Rocks]] and historical issues such as the [[Comfort women]]. A reunified Korea will likely position itself as an economic competitor to Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://japan-forward.com/asias-next-page-japans-stance-on-a-united-korea-ambivalence-or-realpolitik/|title=[Asia's Next Page] Japan's Stance on a United Korea: Ambivalence or Realpolitik?|work=[[Japan Forward]]|first=Jagannath|last=Panda|date=July 3, 2022|access-date=January 24, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=AY2018 WIAS Research Bulletin No.11 (Issued in March, 2019) | url=https://www.waseda.jp/inst/wias/news-en/2019/03/29/6097 }}</ref>

===Soviet Union and Russia===
{{Further|North Korea–Russia relations|Russia–South Korea relations}}
{{Update|section|date=May 2014}}
As relations between North Korea and the Soviet Union warmed, the latter returned to warm public support for Kim Il Sung's peaceful reunification proposals. Soviet attention in Northeast Asia gradually began to focus on a new plan for "[[collective security]] in Asia" first proposed in an ''[[Izvestia]]'' editorial in May 1969 and mentioned specifically by [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet general secretary]] [[Leonid Brezhnev]] in his address to the [[1969 International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties|International Conference of Communist and Workers' Parties]] in Moscow the following month:<ref>''[[Pravda]]'', June 8, 1969.{{Full citation needed|date=September 2024}}</ref>

{{blockquote|For us, the burning problems of the present international situation do not push into the background more long-range tasks, especially the creation of a system of collective security in those parts of the world where the threat of the unleashing of a new World War and the unleashing of armed conflicts is centered... We think that the course of events also places on the agenda the task of creating a system of collective security in Asia.}}

===United States===
[[File:President Trump Meets with Chairman Kim Jong Un (48164813552).jpg|thumb|US President [[Donald Trump]] (left), North Korean Chairman [[Kim Jong Un]] (center), and South Korean President [[Moon Jae-in]] (right) in the demilitarized zone in 2019]]
{{Further|OPLAN 5027|OPLAN 5029|North Korea–United States relations|South Korea–United States relations}}
The United States officially supports Korean reunification under a democratic government, but questions still remain as to the continued relevance of US military presence on the peninsula.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA408232.pdf |title=The Effects of Korean Unification on the US Military Presence in Northeast Asia |last=Haselden Jr. |first=Carl E. |date=November 2002 |page={{Page needed|date=September 2024}} |website= |publisher= |access-date=10 September 2024 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brookings.edu/articles/korean-reunification-and-u-s-interests-preparing-for-one-korea/|title=Korean Reunification and U.S. Interests: Preparing for One Korea|website=brookings.edu|first=Evans J.R.|last=Revere|date=January 20, 2015|access-date=January 25, 2024}}</ref> [[Mike Mansfield]] proposed that Korea be neutralized under a great-power agreement, accompanied by the withdrawal of all foreign troops and the discontinuation of security treaties with the great power guarantors of the North and South.

In the 1990s, despite issues surrounding the controversial US-South Korean joint [[Team Spirit]] military exercises, the Clinton administration still managed to help turn around the situation regarding peace with North Korea through [[Jimmy Carter]]'s support. It promised [[Light-water reactor|light water reactors]] in exchange for the availability of North Korea for inspection of its facilities and other concessions. North Korea reacted positively, despite blaming the United States as the original aggressor in the Korean War. There were attempts to [[Japan–North Korea relations|normalize relations with Japan]] as well as the United States with South Korean President Kim Dae-jung in open support. North Korea actually favored the United States military's position on the front lines because it helped prevent an outbreak of war. Eventually, aid and oil were supplied, and even cooperation with South Korean business firms. However, one of the remaining fears was North Korea, with their necessary uranium deposits, having the potential to achieve a high level of nuclear technology.

Former US Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]], another supporter of Korean unification, proposed a [[Six-party talks|six-party conference]] to find a way out of the [[Korean conflict|Korean dilemma]], composed of the two Koreas and four connected powers (the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and Japan). North Korea denounced the "four plus two" scenario, as it was also known, by claiming Korea would be at the mercy of the [[great power]]s and insinuated the reestablishment of Japanese power in Korea. However, North Korea ultimately lacked confidence in getting simultaneous help from China and the Soviet Union.<ref name=Cumings/>{{rp|508}}

===United Nations===
{{Further|Korea and the United Nations}}
Following a summit meeting held between leaders of the two countries in Pyongyang from June 13 to 15 in 2000, the chairmen of the [[Millennium Summit]] issued a statement welcoming their Joint Declaration as a breakthrough in bringing peace, stability, and reunification to the Korean peninsula.<ref>{{UN document |docid=A-55-PV.4 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=55 |meeting=4 |page=1 |anchor=pg001-bk02 |date=6 September 2000 |accessdate=2008-04-06 |title=Statement by the Co-Chairpersons – Millennium Summit}}</ref> Seven weeks later, a resolution to the same effect was passed by the [[United Nations General Assembly]] after being co-sponsored by 150 other nations.<ref>{{UN document |docid=A-55-PV.45 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=55 |meeting=45 |page=14 |anchor=pg014-bk02 |date=31 October 2000 |accessdate=2008-04-06 }}</ref>

A scheduled General Assembly debate on the topic in 2002 was deferred for a year at the request of both nations,<ref>{{UN document |docid=A-56-PV.111 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=56 |meeting=111 |page=2 |anchor=pg002-bk02 |date=6 September 2002 |accessdate=2008-04-06 }}</ref> and when the subject returned in 2003, it was immediately dropped off the agenda.<ref>{{UN document |docid=A-57-PV.94 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=57 |meeting=94 |page=7 |anchor=pg007-bk11 |date=15 September 2003 |accessdate=2008-04-06 }}</ref>

The issue did not return to the General Assembly until 2007,<ref>{{UN document |docid=A-62-PV.41 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=62 |meeting=41 |page=1 |anchor=pg001-bk02 |date=31 October 2007 |accessdate=2008-04-06 |title=Peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula}}</ref> following a second Inter-Korean summit held in Pyongyang on October 2–4, 2007. These talks were held during one round of the [[Six-party talks|Six-Party Talks]] in Beijing which committed to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.<ref>{{UN document |docid=A-62-PV.41 |body=General Assembly |type=Verbotim Report |session=62 |meeting=41 |page=1 |anchor=pg001-bk06-pa04 |date=31 October 2007 |speakername=Mr. Choi Young-jin | speakernation=Republic of Korea |accessdate=2008-04-06 }}</ref>

==Implications==
A unified Korea could have great implications for the balance of power in the region, with South Korea already considered by many a regional power.<ref>{{Section link|Regional power|East Asia}}</ref>

In September 2009, [[Goldman Sachs]] published its 188th Global Economics Paper about the subject of "reassessing North Korea Risks and A United Korea"<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Global Economics Paper No: 188 "A United Korea?" |url=http://www.nkeconwatch.com/nk-uploads/global_economics_paper_no_188_final.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714185418/http://www.nkeconwatch.com/nk-uploads/global_economics_paper_no_188_final.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-14 |access-date=2010-10-15 |page=17}}</ref> which highlighted in detail the potential economic power of a unified Korea, which would surpass many G7 countries, including Canada, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and possibly Japan within 30–40 years of reunification, with a potential [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] of more than $6 trillion by 2075.<ref name="The Korea Times">{{cite news |date=2009-09-21 |title=Unified Korea to Exceed G7 in 2075 |newspaper=[[Korea Times]] |url=https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2009/09/123_52202.html |url-status=live |access-date=2010-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722134436/http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2009/09/123_52202.html |archive-date=2011-07-22}}</ref> The young, [[skilled labor]] and large amount of natural resources from the North combined with the advanced technology, infrastructure, and large amount of capital in the South, as well as Korea's strategic location connecting three major economic powers, were cited as potential factors that could drive this growth. According to some opinions, a unified Korea could occur before 2075.<ref name="The Korea Times" /> If it occurred, Korean reunification would immediately raise the country's population to over 80 million.<ref>[[List of countries by population]]</ref> According to research by Jin-Wook Kim at [[Citigroup|Citi]], reunification would require an investment of US$63.1 billion in the long term to rebuild transportation such as railroads, roads, airports, seaports, and other infrastructure like power plants, mines, oil refineries, and gas pipelines.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Korea in 2075<ref name=":0" />
! !! {{flagicon|Korea|unification}} United Korea !! {{flag|South Korea}} !! {{flag|North Korea}}
|-
| [[GDP]] in [[USD]] || $6.056 trillion || $4.073 trillion || $1.982 trillion
|-
| [[GDP per capita]] || $78,000 || $81,000 || $71,000
|-
| [[GDP growth]] (2015–2075) || 4.8% || 3.9% || 11.4%
|-
| [[Population|Total population]] || 78 million || 50 million || 28 million
|}
However, there is a downside to this. The role of neighboring powers in a unified Korea will change. For example, there will continue to be competition between Russia and China to increase their influence on the Korean Peninsula.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.asaninst.org/contents/division-management-and-unification-korea-vs-germany/#:~:text=Positive%20Reasons%3A,the%20regional%20collective%20security%20system. |title=The Diplomacy of Korean Unification: Positive and Negative Reasons, Policies  |date=13 November 2015 |publisher=ASAN Institute for policy studies }}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|North Korea|South Korea}}

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit]]
* [[2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit]]
* [[2019 Koreas–United States DMZ Summit]]
* [[23880 Tongil]] (asteroid honoring reunification process)
* [[Peace Treaty on Korean Peninsula]]
* [[Inter-Korean summits]]
* [[Seoul–Pyongyang hotline]]
* [[Korean conflict]]
* [[Division of Korea]]
* [[Korean Armistice Agreement]]
* [[North Korea–South Korea relations]]
* [[North Korea and weapons of mass destruction]]
* [[OPLAN 5027]] and [[OPLAN 5029]]
* [[Panmunjom Declaration]]
* [[Korean peace process]]
* [[List of international trips made by Kim Jong Un]]
* [[United Front Department of the Workers' Party of Korea]]
* [[Chinese unification]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book|author=Kim Il-bong|title=Reunification Question|series=Understanding Korea|volume=10|year=2017|publisher=[[Foreign Languages Publishing House (North Korea)|Foreign Languages Publishing House]]|location=Pyongyang|isbn=978-9946-0-1647-4|translator1=Kim Myong-chan|translator2=Pak Hyo-song|url=http://www.korean-books.com.kp/en/packages/xnps/download.pg.php?436#.pdf|access-date=2017-11-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035949/http://www.korean-books.com.kp/en/packages/xnps/download.pg.php?436#.pdf|archive-date=2017-12-01|url-status=dead}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Korean reunification}}
* [http://www.unikorea.go.kr/eng_unikorea/ Ministry of Unification (South Korea)]
{{Irredentism}}
{{Korea topics}}
{{Unification Church}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Korean Reunification}}
[[Category:Korean reunification| ]]
[[Category:Politics of North Korea]]
[[Category:Politics of South Korea]]
[[Category:National unifications]]
[[Category:Proposed political unions]]
[[Category:North Korea–South Korea relations]]
[[Category:Aftermath of the Korean War]]
[[Category:Anti-imperialism in Korea]]
[[Category:Korean irredentism]]
[[Category:Proposed countries]]
[[Category:Government of North Korea]]
[[Category:Government of South Korea]]
[[Category:Korea|reunification]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of North Korea]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of South Korea]]
[[Category:Military history of Korea]]
[[Category:Public policy proposals]]