Many Americans are now familiar with Korean culture. They watch the film Parasite, listen to the music of BTS, and enjoy Korean food such as Bulgogi, Galbi, and Bibimbap. Many teenagers in the United States are learning Taekwondo and studying Hangul and the Korean language. Furthermore, smartphones made by Samsung and cars made by Hyundai or Kia can be easily seen here in the United States.
In this manner, many Americans know and enjoy Korean culture
much better than before, but there are still many cases where they do not know
much about: Korea's geography and history. Currently, there are two separate
countries on the Korean Peninsula: the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), separated by the armistice line.
It is not that the two countries existed separately on the
Korean Peninsula from the beginning. Rather, on the Korean Peninsula, one united
country has existed for a longer period at least since modern times. They spoke
the same language, shared the same ethnicity, and enjoyed the same culture for
a long time.
The reason that the Korean Peninsula was divided into two
countries was due to the Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula and the
Cold War that began immediately after World War II. Independence movements and
armed struggles for independence from the Japanese colonial rule continued on
the Korean Peninsula with a great deal of sacrifice, but the liberation and
independence of the Korean Peninsula was achieved by the unconditional
surrender of Japan to the Allied Powers in 1945.
After the end of World War II, Germany in Europe was divided
into East and West with responsibility for the war, in Asia, whereas the Korean
Peninsula and Vietnam were divided into North and South instead of Japan. At
that time, the majority of Koreans opposed division, but the Cold War and the
dynamics of international relations forced them to accept division along the
38th parallel. Furthermore, the Korean War, which began in 1950, not only
caused numerous casualties and a total destruction of resources, but also
further hardened and strengthened the division and the confrontation between
the two Koreas.
About 40 years later, the Cold War led mainly by the United
States and the Soviet Union came to an end due to the collapse of the Soviet
Union and the Eastern European communist states. On the Korean Peninsula, however,
the division of North and South Korea, a legacy of the Cold War, is still
maintained, and the Korean Peninsula is still suffering a lot of sacrifice and
enduring pain due to the division.
In particular, the Korean Peninsula is at a quasi-war state
because a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War has not yet been reached.
Such military instability on the Korean Peninsula not only threatens the
security of the Korean Peninsula, but also poses a great threat to the stability
of East Asia and world peace.
The surest way to eliminate military tension and maintain
lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula is to achieve unification between two
countries that share language, ethnicity, history, and culture. However, such
unification cannot be achieved through war or coercion, so a very gradual and
long-term process is required. Therefore, peace must be established on the
Korean Peninsula before unification is achieved, and peace is an essential
condition and method for achieving unification.
In the meantime, many efforts have been made to establish
peace on the Korean Peninsula, but the most recent efforts for a complete
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a permanent
peace regime, stable and lasting inter-Korean relations, the economic
co-prosperity on the Korean Peninsula is the peace process initiative by the
Moon Jae-in government of South Korea.
Recently, the United States has also made efforts to
denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and establish a peace regime. In 2018,
then-US President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held the first-ever
US-DPRK summit and issued a joint statement in Singapore, and in 2019 they held
the second US-DPRK summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. Unfortunately, no further progress
has been made since then, due to differences of opinion and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under such circumstances, what roles can the United States
play in the future for peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula? The
United States is still the world's most powerful country and can contribute to
world peace through diplomacy, international cooperation, and humanitarian aid.
In addition, since the security and economic prosperity of the United States
are closely linked to the stability and prosperity of the international order,
world peace is a matter directly related to the national interest of the United
States.
Regarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, first
of all, the US government must resolve the North Korean nuclear issue in a
diplomatic way through dialogue and negotiation. On the Korean Peninsula, even
a local armed conflict can easily trigger an all-out war or an international
war, so the idea of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue using force must
be abandoned.
Since the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and
the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula are two sides of
the same coin, the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue requires the
declaration of an end to the Korean War, the easing or lifting of economic sanctions
against North Korea, the conclusion of a peace treaty, and the normalization of
US-DPRK relations. In this process, the US should work closely with its ally
and partner, the South Korean government.
Ordinary Americans can also play an important role in
promoting peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula. You can support the
Korean Peninsula Peace Act, the North American Family Reunion Act, and the
North Korean Humanitarian Assistance Act, which are pending in the Congress, by
sending letters or e-mails to the Senators and Representatives. You can also
organize and participate in educational activities or peaceful demonstrations
for the declaration of an end to the Korean War and the conclusion of a peace
treaty. Only when the people of North and South Korea, Korean Americans, and
peace-loving American citizens go together on the path for peace and
reunification on the Korean Peninsula will the stability of the Korean
Peninsula and world peace will come.
P.S. This article was published in The Road to Unification by the Orange County San Diego Chapter of the National Unification Advisory Council of the Republic of Korea.
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