01 November 2010
- RSIS
- Publication
- RSIS Publications
- The Korean Peninsula: Peaceful Engagement for Humanitarian Concerns (NTS-Asia WP No. 3)
Abstract
This paper reviews the prospects for Korean reunification in view of the policies and actions of the governments of the two Koreas. It also looks at the roles played by the major global powers, that is, the US, China, Japan and Russia, as their policies directly affect any long-term political solution and ongoing humanitarian concerns on the Korean peninsula. This paper argues that Korean reunification can best take place through sustained engagement and peaceful means. An important facet is the creation of the right environment for achieving the goal of reunification and denuclearisation, a daunting task, particularly before the implementation of at least one of the international commitments made, such as the 2000 and 2007 South-North Summit Declarations or the 1994 Agreed Framework between the US and North Korea; or the lifting of international sanctions on North Korea.
Abstract
This paper reviews the prospects for Korean reunification in view of the policies and actions of the governments of the two Koreas. It also looks at the roles played by the major global powers, that is, the US, China, Japan and Russia, as their policies directly affect any long-term political solution and ongoing humanitarian concerns on the Korean peninsula. This paper argues that Korean reunification can best take place through sustained engagement and peaceful means. An important facet is the creation of the right environment for achieving the goal of reunification and denuclearisation, a daunting task, particularly before the implementation of at least one of the international commitments made, such as the 2000 and 2007 South-North Summit Declarations or the 1994 Agreed Framework between the US and North Korea; or the lifting of international sanctions on North Korea.