United Korea: The goal that everyone strives for but no one really wants

In an apparent act of retaliation for the deployment of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea, China has recently thwarted attempts by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo to adopt a UNSC statement criticizing the latest ballistic missile launches carried out by North Korea.

It should be noted that only a few months ago, in March 2016, China supported imposing the largest set of sanctions against Pyongyang in the history of the North Korean nuclear issue. Back then Seoul considered that move as a sign that China is beginning to put pressure on Pyongyang.

South Korea continues to hope that North Korea's economic crisis, further exacerbated by international sanctions and China's harsh stance, would force Kim Jong-un to abandon his nuclear program and become more pliable. Essentially, Seoul considers the nuclear disarmament of North Korea as a first step towards a larger goal - the unification of the Korean Peninsula.

Recent analyses indicate that bringing North Korea's economy up to the South's level would require at least 20 years and cost approximately $1 trillion. And according to a poll conducted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, despite the fact that the majority of the Republic of Korea's citizens support the reunification, only about 35 percent of the country's youth would be willing to pay a "reunification tax," with approximately 64 percent of the elderly supporting this measure.

Furthermore, when asked about when would they like the reunification to take place, the majority of respondents replied "depending on circumstances." The people of South Korea, it seems, want the two nations to become one - someday, but apparently not today.

In the meantime, South Korean authorities continue their attempts to persuade the world that reunification is inevitable and to everyone's benefit.

The potential reunification of the Korean Peninsula is also unlikely to occur without the approval of key regional players. Russia and China are concerned that this move would result in the US military being deployed right at their doorstep. The US fears losing their influence in the region and the new country getting in cahoots with China.

Photo: © Flickr/ Mario Micklisch
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