Amid the current inter-Korean “crisis”, a common theme in Western reporting has been the surprising lack of an actual “crisis mentality” among ordinary South Koreans. As serious as the threats emanating from the North may appear, the reality is that even the so-called “experts” know very little at all about how the crisis might develop and what really lies behind the rhetoric. South Koreans know this all too well as they have been here before to varying degrees, and are perhaps wiser in dispensing  certainty or even speculation on anything that might happen. It is also likely that many just don’t want to think about the “other” Korea, as it is a sensitive and difficult topic. In particular, any change in the North which might lead to unification, peaceful or otherwise, is not something many South Koreans want to consider seriously.

Recent events have brought a surge in activity within South Korea’s Ministry of Unification (MOU), as it has sought to continue promoting its core message of “unification as destiny,” preferably through peaceful means. The fact that the message of unification is not a popular topic at the public level is not due to lack of concerted effort on the part of the Ministry.