[Opinion] Unification Ministry’s Greatest Taboo

It was the “perestroika” and “glasnost” of the Soviet Union that changed the direction of world history in the latter half of the 20th Century. Former President Mikhail Gorbachev initiated the change. Revolutionary changes emerged around the world after he declared his reform and market opening policies at the Communist Party’s 27th congress in February 1986. Some of such changes were the dissolution and democratization of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the communist system in Eastern Europe, the end of the Cold War, and the unification of Germany. Those changes swept through the socialist countries of the world.

Except for one. The northern part of the Korean peninsula still remains unaffected by the wave of reforms and market openings led by the fall of the USSR.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il reportedly expressed his strong displeasure recently about the South perceiving that the Gaesong Industrial Complex project is a prelude to North Korean reform and market opening. That is why President Roh Moo-hyun said after his visit to the North, “Reforms are North Korea’s business.”

The South’s Unification Ministry immediately responded to the president’s remarks. It deleted the terms “reform” and “market opening” from its data about the Gaesong project on its official website.

The Ministry’s core task is to come up with and implement unification policies. The steady increase in inter-Korean exchanges and economic cooperation is aimed at ultimately leading to a smooth reunification by encouraging the North to reform and open themselves. That is the principal cause for the engagement policy toward the North. The incumbent government spent 4.5717 trillion won by August on supporting the North for such purposes. No one knows how much additional money will be needed to implement the agreements reached at the inter-Korean summit. If the Ministry forbids the mere mention of the terms, however, it amounts to a denial of their reason for existence. If so, there is no way to explain why the administration pours taxpayer money into the North.

People’s thoughts and words change their behavior. That is why the military administration in the 1970s and 80s banned songs and books. To help the North transform itself into a normal country and accelerate unification on such a basis, the South should discuss the need for reform along with exchanges and assistance, even if Pyongyang expresses aversion to the idea. If the administration continues its unconditional assistance, it may be even harder to expect the North to change.

Lee Jin-nyong, Editorial Writer, jinnyong@donga.com