Why Yoon’s new plan to unify with North Korea is more politics than policy



Columns Why Yoon’s new plan to unify with North Korea is more politics than policy Regime change and unification by absorption are unrealistic, suggesting main goal is to appeal to president’s base Andrei Lankov August 19, 2024 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Yoon Suk-yeol at the National Liberation Day celebration \| Image: ROK Presidential Office (Aug. 15, 2024) Every year on Aug. 15, the president of South Korea delivers a speech commemorating Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. But while presidents typically hold forth on patriotism, national glory and crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists, Yoon Suk-yeol’s speech this year was different. He did not discuss Japanese misdeeds but instead focused on one of the paradoxes of liberation — the peninsula’s division into North and South. Every year on Aug. 15, the president of South Korea delivers a speech commemorating Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. But while presidents typically hold forth on patriotism, national glory and crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists, Yoon Suk-yeol’s speech this year was different. He did not discuss Japanese misdeeds but instead focused on one of the paradoxes of liberation — the peninsula’s division into North and South. Become a member for less than $5.75 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

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Why Yoon’s new plan to unify with North Korea is more politics than policy

Regime change and unification by absorption are unrealistic, suggesting main goal is to appeal to president’s base

Andrei Lankov August 19, 2024

Why Yoon’s new plan to unify with North Korea is more politics than policy

Yoon Suk-yeol at the National Liberation Day celebration | Image: ROK Presidential Office (Aug. 15, 2024)

Every year on Aug. 15, the president of South Korea delivers a speech commemorating Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

But while presidents typically hold forth on patriotism, national glory and crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists, Yoon Suk-yeol’s speech this year was different. He did not discuss Japanese misdeeds but instead focused on one of the paradoxes of liberation — the peninsula’s division into North and South.

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Why Yoon’s new plan to unify with North Korea is more politics than policy

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Andrei Lankov

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