Hi Everybody,
This article is not meant to be pretentious in any way and of course little me can’t solve the problem of a divided Korea. However I would like to raise this topic on Steemit and hope that somehow it might help in an open discussion that the current stalemate, already ongoing for many decades, will also not be a solution. In the meantime the whole North Korean population is held hostage, suffering and forced to fight to the death for a dreadful regime.
Probably no one is expecting that Kim Jun Un will start a Glasnost like Gorbatsjov in de eighties. On the other hand the military presence of the US in South Korea and the increasing aggressive rhetoric by Trump will only escalate the situation, which we are already facing due to the increase missile tests.
So how can the world help the Koreans in a peaceful reunification? Personally I think that the approach of the US in the current situation is doing more harm than good. What the Koreas need is a mediator in this conflict, not abundant presence of US military muscles in South Korea (and Nagasaki, Guam, etc)
1 China as an intermediary to promote peaceful coexistence
China might be a better party to take up the role as intermediary between the Koreas, who has no interest at all in military escalation in its backyard. And more important, China is in many ways still trusted by North Korea as being its bigger brother.
The peaceful coexistence approach might sound a bit Cold War period , but what worked back then to prevent a nuclear war, might also help for the Koreas. China could promote peaceful coexistence between both Koreas by negotiating for a treaty, in which both Koreas agree on mutual respect and a non-aggressive approach.
2 Revisit the Sunshine Policy
Earlier attempts for reunification unfortunately ended in nothing. The South Korean Sunshine policy for de-escalation, co-operation between the Koreas and peaceful reunification ended around 2008 but should be revisited in order to give peaceful reunification a chance besides peaceful coexistence.
(Reunification Flag Korea)
3 Free elecctions and guarantee total immunity to the Kim’s family
This might sound a bit controversial and unethical, but in my opinion it is the probably one of the very few ways to set the North Korean population free from this regime and to move towards free election. It is questionable if the Northern regime will even accept such a proposal, but if it does, it might prevent a lot of bloodshed among the innocent. In fact the Kuomintang did the same thing in 1911 to prevent a total war, by promising the Qing court total immunity and even an annual allowance for the surrender. If it worked in China, it might also work in Korea.
What is Your Opinion?
These are my thoughts on this subject. I wonder what your views are on this topic. What is the best way for North and South Korea to move towards a peaceful reunification? Or do you think this is impossible or not desirable due to economic or other consequences?
Please Resteem this post to involve other people in this discussion and hopefully this might help a very little bit in the discussion towards a peaceful Korea