The Korean Reunification Project

Peace through diplomacy

The Korean War was nearly 66 years ago, but to those in North and South Korea, it might as well be yesterday. While the western world, especially the United States, postures regarding the belligerence of the North Korean leader and punishes them with sanction after sanction, the one true goal in the minds of Korean people is the reunification of their two nations, and their two peoples. On both sides, the population is torn, approaching a 50/50 split on the benefits versus harm of reunification. To the west, reunification would be a geopolitical nightmare, resulting in a force to be reckoned with on the Korean peninsula that would have both economic and military might capable of opposing all UN security council members in a realistic battle for power. It would jeopardize the US desire to encroach on communist lands, and it would ruin China’s plans to gain a further stranglehold on the peninsula which it plans to control through the takeover of the sea with manmade islands. In conclusion, it’s not happening. The nuclearization of the Korean peninsula is a strategic ploy to sit at the same dinner table and attempt to diplomatically coerce the removal of economic sanctions that have been starving the Korean population for decades. So, if nobody is budging, and the hermit kingdom is destined to remain that way until the natural capitalization of their economy over time like 20^th century post-Mao China, then what can be done in the meantime. How about reunification of their people?

While this seems like an unlikely concept, given the physical (see DMZ) and political barriers, it is not unprecedented. Through diplomatic discussions with the South Korean government, the North Korean counterpart allowed reunification of families over the past couple years as relations thawed between the neighbors. However, there are still many more families waiting to reunite with their loved ones who they have not seen for decades. And the clock is ticking.

After so many years, they may not be alive for much longer. In our estimation, with the proper diplomatic approach and conversation, it is not entirely out of the realm of possibility to have the North Korean government agree to further reunions. And why should we stop there? There are also families in Japan and China and elsewhere in the world who desire reunification. It is our goal to find all of these families one by one, compiling a database of names, ages, and locations, prioritizing those who are the oldest and closest to predicted mortality, and establishing diplomatic talks with the offices in charge of family reunions between nations to accomplish this endeavor within the next 5 years at the latest. Nothing is stronger than the bond of family. And that bond is held together by the force of love. In a time of such tension, the only force that can bring these two nations together is just that. Love for one another, that supersedes all forms of national identity.

Relations between North and South Korea are currently at a stand still due to recent tensions resulting in the destruction of the Joint Liaison Office working towards improved inter-Korean relations. Our project is attempting to navigate these tense times and continue our efforts towards unifying the separated families.