Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
'Bipartisan consensus crucial for unification'
By Jun Ji-hye
Volker Ruhe
By Jun Ji-hye
Former German Defense Minister Volker Ruhe called on rival parties here to reach a core belief to overcome the division of the Korean Peninsula.
Ruhe cited the need for such a consensus over unification though political infighting can be taken as the normal democratic process, and parties do not have to agree with every single step.
“The division is unnatural and will be overcome. The Koreas should not be divided like this,” he said in an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Thursday,
“You have to invest for the future of a unified Korea. Why not invest in a hospital in North Korea? The North may turn you down once or twice, but you should try to think about this. This is what we (Germany) did during the division.”
Ruhe stressed that investing and spending money is not wasting money in a hostile state. Rather, it is an investment for the future of Korea.
He also called on South Korea to use every opportunity to resume a dialogue and contact with Pyongyang.
The Hamburg native served as the defense chief during the first government of the reunified Germany.
He noted that it took far less time for the complete unity of two German states than the eight to 10 years believed by the government then.
“The main reason was we had a legal institution that people in East Germany were also legally the citizens of Germany from our point of view. So when the wall came down, they could all move freely in Germany,” he said.
“And East Germans were rushing to join West Germany. The pressure was not coming from the West. They did it.”
He said millions of people coming from East to West to visit knew what West Germany was, and what they were missing.
The former minister also noted that Germany was united every evening at 8 even before the reunification, because most East Germans watched West German television programs.
“I know differences here are even bigger than Germany. So I believe it is more likely to have a process which might last much longer,” he said. “If the two Koreas had a relationship like two European Union states in the Schengen Area, which will give freedom of movement, that would be revolutionary and a big change.”
The Schengen Area refers to the area comprising 26 European nations that have abolished passport checks and all other types of border control.
Last but not least, Ruhe asked the younger generation who have become indifferent to unification to be aware that the people in the North have the same rights and are also human beings.
“If they care for human rights in Africa or anywhere else in the world, they should care even more for human rights in North Korea,” he said. “My message to South Korea is don’t stop making proposals to get together.”
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye