South Korea Seeks Dialogue, Cooperation with North
In a speech on Thursday to mark the end of Japanese rule over the Korean peninsula, South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol called for a working-level dialogue consultative body to ease tensions with North Korea....
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Facts
- In a speech on Thursday to mark the end of Japanese rule over the Korean peninsula, South Korean Pres. Yoon Suk Yeol called for a working-level dialogue consultative body to ease tensions with North Korea.[1][2]
- In his speech, Yoon outlined his 'freedom-based unification' vision with North Korea and said he would begin political and economic cooperation if Pyongyang 'takes just one step' toward denuclearization.[3][4]
- On the occasion of Liberation Day, Yoon also said that liberation from Japanese colonial rule remains 'an unfinished task' as long as South Korea and North Korea remain divided.[5][6]
- In seeking 'the peaceful unification' of the two Koreas, Yoon said he would take steps to strengthen the North's economy, improve human rights, and expand North Koreans' access to outside information.[7][8]
- Yoon's remarks come at a time when South Korea is expanding military drills with Japan and the US, and North Korea is ramping up missile tests and advancing its nuclear programs.[9][10]
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rejected the suggestion of reconciliation with Seoul earlier this year, instead calling for his country to revise its constitution to define South Korea as the North's 'primary foe and invariable principal enemy.'[11][12]
Sources: [1]NBC, [2]Dw.Com, [3]NK PRO, [4]South China Morning Post, [5]UPI, [6]Korea Herald, [7]The Mainichi, [8]Koreatimes, [9]New York Times, [10]Associated Press (a), [11]Associated Press (b) and [12]CNN.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by NK PRO. Yoon proposes unification by absorption, not by uniting two equals. His 'vision' primarily focuses on challenging and inducing change within the Kim Jong Un regime and influencing North Koreans. It's a plot to consolidate his pro-Japan, pro-US, ultra-right forces and instigate war with Pyongyang.
- Narrative B, as provided by Nikkei Asia. North Korea insults Yoon and threatens to annihilate South Korea. Yet, the South Korean president is reaching out to his neighbor to promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges to create a free and unified Korean Peninsula, which would ultimately end the misery and despair of the North Korean people.
- Narrative C, as provided by NK News. Yoon's offer isn't feasible under current realities. Locked in acute confrontation, liberal South Korea and totalitarian North Korea don't share the same culture, language, identity, and history — preconditions for reunification. Seoul and Pyongyang would be better off peacefully coexisting as separate political entities.
