Unification is impossible on North Korea's terms

Sandip Kumar Mishra

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly said on Dec. 30 at a five-day plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party’s Central Committee that Pyongyang would no longer seek unification and reconciliation with South Korea as the South has declared North Korea its "main enemy."

He said that "the party (Workers’ Party of Korea) has come to the conclusion that unification is not possible." North Korea now considers inter-Korea relations as relations between "two hostile countries" or "countries in a state of combat." It appears to be a big shift in North Korea’s policy toward Korean unification and was widely reported in media across the world.

It is indeed an important shift in North Korea’s formal stance towards South Korea. Until now, North Korea has maintained that unification of the two Koreas is the ultimate goal. It is interesting to note that the ruling formation of North Korea is called the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea or Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland (DFRF) which is led by the Workers' Party of Korea and at present has 24 political parties and organizations as members. The Front was founded in July 1946 prior to the establishment of North Korea and if unification is not the goal of North Korea, the Front must be renamed and reorganized.

In North Korea, there is also a Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea which was established in May 1961. Even though the committee is not a governmental body, it has played its role in inter-Korea relations. It is to be seen if North Korea abandons this committee also. Another important change is that until now most of the inter-Korea joint declarations such as those drafted in 1972, 1991, 2000, 2007 and 2018 have iterated that the goal of Korean unification is paramount and beyond all "ideas, ideologies and systems." North Korea’s unilateral withdrawal from its stated position in these documents could indeed be considered an important shift in the North Korean approach.

However, in reality, the shift in North Korea’s approach could not be considered a big one. Actually, in the 2023 plenary party meeting Kim Jong-un also said that South Korea is an “undoubted enemy” and thus North Korea should “exponentially” increase its nuclear capabilities.

Thus, the recent statement of Kim Jong-un that reunification is “impossible” basically means that unification of the two Koreas on the terms of North Korea is not possible. The statement may be the first such admission by North Korea but experts on inter-Korea relations have been aware of this reality for around three decades. The economic, military and cultural capabilities of South Korea have taken a big leap along with its ironclad security alliance with the U.S. and any future unification of Korea would happen in terms of South Korea’s liking. Thus, the statement of Kim Jong-un is merely a North Korean admission of reality.

Kim Jong-un’s statement that the “enemies have taken reckless measures to invade North Korea and it is certain that war on the Korean peninsula may break out anytime” is also not anything new. He said that the North Korean military must be ready to “pacify the entire territory of South Korea using nuclear weapons if it is necessary in the event of an attack.” Similar statements have been made by North Korea’s leaders in the past.

In fact, the statement of the North Korean leader is encouraged by its growing confidence in being able to make renewed connections with China and, more significantly, Russia. The Ukraine war has brought North Korea and Russia close to each other in a very significant way. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Russia in 2023 and it is speculated that Putin might make a reciprocal visit to North Korea in 2024. Furthermore, it has been reported that North Korea has provided artillery and other equipment to Russia and has received advanced weapons as well as assistance in launching its spy satellite from Russia. North Korea would seek to provoke South Korea more in 2024 through its statements and actions in the expectation that it would bring it closer to Russia and China. North Korea’s strategy is also meant to show that South Korea’s toughened approach towards North Korea and its increased connections with the U.S. and Japan are futile and even counterproductive.

In brief, it could be said that Kim Jong-un's statement about abandoning the goal of unification of Korea is an important shift in terms of its formal position but substantially, it is just a continuation of its existing policy to deal with South Korea, as well as the U.S. and Japan. The statement as such is merely a frank admission that unification of Korea would not happen on North Korea’s terms and conditions.

The author teaches at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and can be reached at sandipmishra10@gmail.com