Reading today as shaped by a 70-year history of national division…!
This book surveys the history of inter-Korean relations from the Korean War Armistice (1953) to North Korea’s nuclear program with active wisdom instead of passive wisdom, from a broad perspective instead of a narrow perspective, as continuity in history instead of discontinuity in history. Repeating confrontations and aggravation, contacts and cooperation according to the international political order and domestic political circumstances, inter-Korean relations have yet to reach the termination of hostilities, whereby war is ended and peace is established, after the cessation of hostilities, whereby war is temporarily ceased. Kim Yeon-cheol (professor, Department of Unification Studies, Inje University), the author, is currently an advisor to the Office of National Security (ONS) directly under the President. Turning his attention from the traditional emphasis on Pyongyang’s Southern policies when examining inter-Korean relations, he stresses that Seoul’s leading role and Northern policies are crucial above all in the processes of ending the war and establishing peace.
The “A New History of Relations” series
reflects the learning and insights of experts on international relations among the Koreas, Unites States, China, and Japan
In today’s dramatically changing international environment, the domestic and overseas politics of South Korea is faced with a great transition. In order to point out accurately the path that the country must take, broad perspectives transcending the narrow scope of national borders and long-term observations are necessary. The “A New History of Relations” series surveys, at a glance, international relations surrounding the Korean Peninsula that have been important variables shaping South Korea’s present. Through inter-Korean, South Korean-US, South Korean-Chinese, South Korean-Japanese, and North Korean-Chinese relations, which have repeatedly undergone conflicts and deadlocks, confrontations and compromises in East Asia, it will be possible to obtain the clues to peace on and reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Following Kim’s A New History of North-South Korean Relations, A New History of North Korean-Chinese Relations by Lee Jong-seok (former Minister of Unification) is scheduled to be published within the year.
Table of Contents
Prologue: Perspectives on Inter-Korean Relations
Chapter 1. The Postwar Period: The 1950s and the Geneva Conference
Chapter 2. An Age of Confrontations: Limited War in the 1960s and the Pueblo Incident
Chapter 3. An Age of Confrontations with Dialogues: The 1970s and the July 4 Inter-Korean Joint Statement
Chapter 4. An Age of Agreements: The Nordpolitik and the Inter-Korean Basic Agreement
Chapter 5. Five Years of Hiatus: Inter-Korean Relations under the Kim Young-sam Government
Chapter 6. An Age of Contacts: Two Inter-Korean Summits
Chapter 7. An Age of Sanctions: Inter-Korean Relations under the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye Governments
Epilogue: Both Peace and Reunification Are Processes