[Bon-Young Koo Column] Will We Choose Entrenched Division Over Unification?

Inter-Korean relations are as cold as the early winter weather. Last month, the Government of South Korea proposed military talks with the North, aiming to prevent accidental clashes amid severed communication channels. However, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has remained silent for three weeks. On the 2nd, at the inauguration of the 22nd Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), President Lee Jae Myung directly suggested restoring inter-Korean communication channels. This was in line with his belief that 'if North Korea keeps avoiding us, we must chase after them to start a conversation.' Yet, Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, appears to be ignoring these overtures as if dealing with a stalker.
There is a saying, 'No news is good news.' However, it is difficult to be optimistic about Inter-Korean relations. There is not even any sign of behind-the-scenes maneuvering to improve ties. President Lee has even mentioned the possibility of adjusting the ROK-US Combined Military Exercise, knocking on the North’s door, but Kim Jong Un shows no sign of breaking out of the regime’s characteristic closed circuit. Instead, he recently made a public visit to the Ministry of State Security to root out anti-regime elements. This signals a tightening of surveillance and control over party and government officials who interact with the outside world.
In 2023, Kim Jong Un first introduced the 'hostile two-state theory.' He referred to South Korea as 'South Korea' and dismissed it as an unworthy foreign country. In line with this, during his policy speech at the Supreme People's Assembly last July, he declared, 'There will be no sitting across from South Korea, nor will we do anything together.'
The aim of Kim Jong Un’s two-state theory is clear. As Professor Andrei Lankov accurately pointed out, 'He seeks to abandon unification, define South Korea as a separate hostile state, discard the logic of a single national community, and institutionalize the reality of two states.' The ominous shadow of entrenched division is the byproduct. For the Kim Jong Un regime, which has been thoroughly defeated in the competition of systems, this is a pragmatic choice. The very existence of a free and prosperous Republic of Korea (ROK) poses an existential threat to the hereditary dictatorship. The DPRK’s economy is already in shambles, and as a result of its nuclear ambitions, it has become an international pariah.
If the Korean Wave flows into the North through exchanges, and the realities of the South are revealed, the North’s regime could be shaken to its core. This is not the time for Pyongyang to bluff about federal unification as it did in the past. Last month, President Lee Jae Myung told foreign journalists that broadcasting to the North was 'pointless,' arguing that 'North Koreans can find all the information they need simply by searching the internet.' However, this was a misjudgment. According to the Digital 2024 Global Report, 'more than 99.9% of North Koreans are offline as of early 2024,' underscoring the regime’s overwhelming 'fear of openness.'
Nevertheless, the Lee Jae Myung administration’s North Korea policy is becoming increasingly muddled. It is natural to persistently pursue dialogue and exchanges with the North. However, the problem is that Pyongyang is currently extremely negative about talks. At the end of July, Kim Yo Jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, ruled out the possibility of inter-Korean dialogue in a statement, saying that while North Korea would not engage with the South, it would consider nuclear arms reduction talks with the United States if its nuclear status were recognized.
It is even more problematic if the current government appears overly eager to accommodate the Kim Jong Un regime. Chung Dong-young, Minister of Unification, has echoed Kim Jong Un’s two-state theory, merely rebranding it from 'hostile' to 'peaceful.' Not only past South Korean governments but also the regimes of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il maintained the principle of 'One Korea.' Even the Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-Aggression, and Exchanges and Cooperation Between South and North Korea, signed three months after the simultaneous admission of both Koreas to the United Nations (UN), defined inter-Korean relations as a 'special relationship formed provisionally in the process toward unification.' Recognizing 'two states' risks cementing permanent division.
Look at the precedent set by Germany, which achieved unification before us. In a speech at the '2025 International Korean Peninsula Forum' in Berlin last September, Minister Chung argued that West Germany effectively recognized East Germany as a sovereign state after the signing of the Basic Treaty in 1972. But the truth is different. East Germany, having lost the competition of systems, consistently advocated the two-state theory, but West Germany rejected it until unification.
Moreover, unlike the socialist regime of East Germany, the Kim Jong Un regime is clinging to nuclear armament. If division becomes prolonged, both Koreas will bear the consequences. It is not just that future generations will have to live under the threat of North Korean nuclear weapons. If Kim Ju Ae becomes the fourth hereditary ruler and the North continues to reject reform behind closed doors, the suffering of the North Korean people will be unimaginable.
If such a scenario unfolds, the two-state theory will be proven to be a 'historically treacherous act that seeks permanent division,' as Kim Chun Sig, former head of the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), put it. If the DPRK becomes a foreign country, our justification and legal grounds for unifying the Korean Peninsula will be weakened. In the worst-case scenario, North Korean territory could fall into the hands of neighboring China during a crisis. If China’s Northeast Project is a buildup for this, it is not an unfounded concern. We must not leave behind an everlasting regret by pursuing reckless policies that entrench division.
kby777@fnnews.com Reporter