Turbulent geopolitics: 'Korean Dream' initiative can be a path forward

As the Sinamrok River Bridge — a core logistical gateway on the North Korea–China border — officially opens and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un makes a visit to Dandong, China, the Northeast Asian geopolitical landscape is rapidly restructuring into a tightly knit North Korea–China–Russia axis. Having gained nuclear capabilities, North Korea has secured external and economic safeguards through China and Russia, emboldening Kim Jong-un to aggressively push his “hostile two-state doctrine” and sever all ties with South Korea.

This tectonic shift not only renders South Korea’s traditional appeasement policies obsolete but also diminishes any realistic expectations for meaningful breakthroughs in potential future U.S.–North Korea summits. With China and Russia actively ignoring international sanctions, Kim has no structural incentive to compromise with Washington or rush into dialogue for sanctions relief, effectively neutralizing America's primary leverage.

While a nuclear-armed Kim regime backed by Beijing and Moscow may appear impregnable from the outside, a fatal flaw lies within North Korea itself. Deprived of freedom and human rights under strict information blockades for eight decades, the North Korean populace suffers under extreme poverty and oppression. Kim’s diplomatic maneuvers are calculated political steps designed strictly to preserve his autocratic rule, not to improve the lives of his people.

As Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon, chairman of the Global Peace Foundation (GPF), pointed out at the recent One Korea International Forum, North Korea’s decision to abandon unification and declare its two-state doctrine presents a strategic window of opportunity for South Korea to seize the initiative on peninsular unification. Renouncing unification directly contradicts the instructions of Kim’s predecessors, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, and effectively negates the North Korean regime's own identity — a contradiction that places Pyongyang in an extremely awkward position if South Korea responds proactively.

From a historical perspective, the North Korean regime was never a legitimate successor to the Korean nation and its heritage. The Republic of Korea is the sole legitimate government representing the freedom and prosperity of the Korean people on the peninsula, whereas the North Korean regime originated under the shadow of foreign Soviet influence. Its recent deployment of troops to the Russia–Ukraine war serves as stark proof that it remains nothing more than a puppet state.

As explicitly stated in Article 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, the ultimate objective of inter-Korean policy must always be peaceful unification based on the basic order of free democracy. The target of this strategy must be the North Korean people, not an illegitimate regime that acts as a foreign proxy. Because South Korea must present the oppressed North Korean people with a clear constitutional vision and blueprint for their future, we must look to the “Korean Dream” — a vision for unified Korea rooted in our shared national identity.

Anchored in the founding principle of "Hongik Ingan (to benefit all humanity)," the Korean Dream delivers hope — human rights, liberty and economic prosperity — to the oppressed people of the North while empowering Koreans on both sides of the border as active agents of unification. Simultaneously, it deters provocations through a steadfast South Korea–U.S. alliance and trilateral security cooperation with Japan while presenting neighboring powers with a compelling rationale of a unified Korea as a model state contributing to Northeast Asian stability and global peace. A peaceful, Korean-led unification is a moral imperative the international community cannot reject and a win-win resolution for all neighboring nations.

The three strategic proposals presented by Moon at the 2026 One Korea International Forum in Seoul provide concrete policy milestones to realize this vision:

First, adopt the "Korean Dream" as official national policy. The South Korean government should immediately adopt the Korean Dream as its formal unification framework. Moving past short-term approaches that fluctuate with changing political administrations, South Korea must re-anchor its national narrative on an enduring bipartisan vision.

Second, it is necessary to transition from the Ministry of Unification to a civil-led unification committee. The current Ministry of Unification — often weaponized for political agendas — should be replaced by a non-partisan, citizen-driven "Civil Unification Committee." Moving away from bureaucratic, state-to-state transactions, civil society and grassroots initiatives at home and abroad must be led by unification discourse and civic exchanges.

Third, we must integrate the Korean Dream into national education. The core concepts of the Korean Dream should be incorporated into the K–12 public school curriculum. By educating future generations to view unification not as a financial burden but as a historic opportunity for restoring human rights and a national leap forward, South Korea can overcome growing skepticism among its youth.

Even amidst the geopolitical headwinds of the North Korea–China–Russia realignment, commitment to a unified Korean Peninsula must not waver. By projecting a vision rooted in national identity and universal values alongside a robust security posture, South Korea can liberate the North Korean people and bring genuine peace and prosperity to Northeast Asia.

Seo In-teck is the standing chairman of Action for Korea United. He is a civic leader dedicated to advancing the Korean Dream vision and promoting citizen-led initiatives for a free and unified Korea.