How will unification be accomplished?
Achieving a harmony between gradual change
and radical change is important for the success of unification. Ordinarily,
radical changes are not ideal outcomes, but when it comes to unification, some
changes will need to be swift. The first aspect to consider is sovereignty.
There is no way to gradually phase out sovereign control. If the sovereignty
issue is dealt with gradually, lots of problems will result and there is even
the possibility that the process will change direction entirely in mid-course.
Other parts of the unification process that will need to be dealt with rapidly
include: improving scientific technologies, building social overhead capital
(SOC), and basic economic development. The reason these fields will need to be
rapidly improved is because as it currently stands, the gap between the North
and South is too deep and wide.
But how about the remaining categories?
Normally, radical change is not good. Therefore, the non-essential parts of
unification should be carried out in a more gradual fashion. These categories
include: cultural unification, economic union, improvements to North Korea’s system,
and consciousness and civilizational aspects. Of course, there is no reason to
be excessively sluggish when it comes to these aspects of unification, but
before proceeding, we should observe all the relevant factors and proceed
cautiously one step at a time. Here, speed is less important than the efficacy
of the outcome.
In addition, during the process of
unification, no single doctrine should be upheld and instituted absolutely.
National/ethnic solidarity and pacifism are examples of doctrines. Engaging in
unification under the tenets of said dogmas over the long term is not a good
idea. If the situation demands it, there may be a need to exercise strength and
leadership. If doctrines restrict this effort, then the country might be at
risk of dividing all over again.
It might even become necessary to
temporarily re-divide the nation if the unification process becomes
significantly endangered. If a doctrine is forcibly used to prevent this
re-division, the possibility of successful, long-term unification might
actually end up becoming even more remote. Deciding to re-divide certainly
won’t be an easy decision, but mindlessly preventing it no matter what would
work counter to the interests of the peninsula and expose it to considerable
danger.
One of the classical examples of a doctrine
is pacifism. Preferring and aiming for peaceful development is a no-brainer,
and it is obviously worth much expense and effort to try to keep the process
peaceful. However, if pacifism becomes an absolute guiding doctrine, there
might be negative repercussions. That’s because there are instances when
deploying military force ends up saving lives.
Liberal democracy is also a doctrine. We
should try to stick to the principles of a liberal democracy as much as possible
as we develop North Korea. But because North Korea is such a substantially
backward society, we should leave some room for flexibility. Authoritarianism
was used to accelerate the process of development in modernization efforts
undertaken by Park Chung Hee, Lee Kuan Yew, Jang Kyung Gook, and Jang Gae Seok.
Over-applying the tenets of liberal democracy
to the North during unification could be troublesome. It simply might not be
suitable to order the North to unconditionally and immediately adopt exclusively
liberal democratic features. In certain circumstances it might make sense to
apply a command economy, and during the confusion and chaos of the transition
period, it might make sense to institute a public distribution system as well.
Additionally, to make the unification
process a success, we will also need to consult and cooperate with China. In
order to quickly develop North Korea, it will be absolutely essential to
establish and maintain close economic ties with China. However, if we allow
doctrines to steer us, this cooperation might become difficult.
