This English translation is an abridged and edited version of the KINU Research Paper, Unification and North Korea Policy of the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration: Implementation of Government Duties, Dong-ho Han et al. This research explores ways to successfully and efficiently execute the proposed national political agendas on North Korean unification and policies. These conditions call for a more cautious and strategic approach to the implementation of unification and North Korea policies.
To provide practical support for policy implementation, this study suggests directions for the policy environment and important guidelines for implementing the unification policies of the Yoon government and North Korea. The Yoon administration's unification and North Korea policies include the vision of a denuclearized, peaceful, and prosperous Korean Peninsula. Source: Ministry of Unification, “A Denuclearized, Peaceful, and Prosperous Korean Peninsula: The Unification and North Korea Policy of the Yoon Suk Yeol Government” (English edition), Seoul: Ministry of Unification, 2022, p. 11.
The following principles show the directions of the Yoon administration's unification and North Korea policy aimed at increasing deterrence against North Korea through reliable national security and, accordingly, expanding the space for diplomatic maneuvers , ultimately developing the foundations for better inter-Korean relations and unification. Source: Ministry of Unification, “A Denuclearized, Peaceful, and Prosperous Korean Peninsula: The Unification and North Korea Policy of the Yoon Suk Yeol Government” (English edition), Seoul: Ministry of Unification, 2022, p. 21. Below, we present policy environments and task-specific executive initiatives for implementing the Yoon administration's unification policies and North Korea policies.
North Korea is seeking to build tensions on the Peninsula to justify its advancement of nuclear and missile capabilities and brag against the US. and deterrence capabilities against South Korea. ROK-U.S. strengthened. enhanced deterrence and increased response preparation by South Korea and the US will aggravate North Korea. By passing the Nuclear Policy Law in September 2022, North Korea essentially declared a veto on denuclearization and the irreversibility of its pursuit of nuclear weapons development.
Priority should be given to slowing and, at least initially, freezing North Korea's nuclear progress. As a result, South Korea failed to clarify its response principles against non-cooperation and betrayal to North Korea. Solutions to North Korea's problems should be linked to US Indo-Pacific strategies, thereby elevating the position of South Korea and the US. alliance at the center of the mechanism behind maintaining order and ensuring security in East Asia.
China also has the power and will to persuade North Korea to stop its nuclear provocations. Therefore, South Korea needs to try to elicit Chinese support and cooperation in nuclear deterrence against North Korea, support the normalization of relations between the United States and North Korea, and pursue the declaration of the end of the war. The Audacious initiative is composed of three steps: 1) initial actions and comprehensive agreements (South Korea's food aid in exchange for North Korea's natural resources;.
Despite the difficult circumstances, it is important for South Korea not to exclude Russia when discussing North Korea's nuclear issues.
Normalization of Inter-Korean Relations
Realistically, however, there are limits to the immediate implementation of North Korea's "responsibility first, inter-Korean relations second" principle. We must adhere to realistic limits, prevent further misconduct by North Korea, and finally hold North Korea accountable for its past mistakes.
Strategies for Pursuing Inter-Korean Green Détente
As the Yoon administration's bold initiative seeks inter-Korean interaction and cooperation in conjunction with the denuclearization of North Korea, implementation strategies and plans for implementing core tasks for Green Détente must also be systematically developed in step with the denuclearization process.
Establishing the Foundations for Unification
Resolving Inter-Korean Humanitarian Issues
Humanitarian Aid
Inter-Korean Humanitarian Issues Including Separated Families
In addition to finding solutions to the problem faced by separated families, South Korea is also at a point where it needs medium- to long-term policy solutions to prepare for the passing of its first-generation separated families. To preserve the history and documentation of separated families, South Korea should develop a systematic memorial project for separated families. In addition, South Korea should also consider legally establishing a Day of Separated Families to help the public commemorate the issue of separated families and organize related events.
Improving North Korea's Human Rights
Conclusion
This article examined the directions for pursuing the Yoon administration's unification and North Korea policies. The Audacious Initiative is a comprehensive initiative that integrates the goals of North Korean denuclearization and development. Constructively building on past unification and North Korea policies, the Audacious initiative reflects the administration's willingness to pragmatically and fairly pursue national interests based on South Korean values and identities.
As the Yoon administration enters its second year in power in 2023, its unification and North Korea policy is expected to begin to materialize. In his end-of-the-year press conference, Unification Minister Young-se Kwon mentioned that next year will be a year that gains the momentum to realize the Audacious Initiative.7) While the strategic and unification environment is not likely not to transform quickly, the future of the Korean Peninsula will approach the peaceful unification environment desired by all people in the South and the North if the sustainability and effectiveness of the administration's unification and North Korea policy remains guaranteed. In the end, the willingness of the government and a united public opinion are the key features that are continuously required.
Therefore, from a medium to long-term perspective, the following principle of North Korea's unification and policy must be consistently emphasized: laying the foundation for peaceful unification.
