The Negotiator of the Joint Security Area–Memoirs of Jeong Se-hyun / 40 Years of Contact with North Korea

With the mind of an academic, the eyes of an administrator, and the heart of a citizen
The record of a life spent looking at North Korea
“There are many experts on North Korea, but when it comes to experts who are also great leaders, there is only one.” This is the sort of praise that has followed Jeong Se-hyun during his illustrious forty-year career at the forefront of North and South relations. This book is Jeong Se-hyun’s memoirs. It tells an episodic story of Jeong Se-hyun’s life, from his time as a rebellious youth who was born in Manchuria during the Japanese occupation and went through hardship after liberation returning to his father’s hometown, and who showed promise as an international political scientists—all the way to the process of establishing himself as a negotiator, offering clear solutions to problems at the center of inter-Korean relations. In particular, this book highlights Jeong’s role during the nuclear crisis of the 90s as the Blue House’s Secretary of Unification and his role as Minister of Unification at the six-party talks during the 2000s. Through this book, Jeong, who is still active in inter-Korean affairs, offers strong yet flexible guidelines for how to live under the current system of division. Though titled as a memoir, this book does not linger on the past; instead, it explains what we can learn from previous experiences and looks at the situation in which we find ourselves currently, making readers think about the future. At a time when the need to open a new era of North-South relations is imminent, the wisdom of a man who has spent a lifetime in contact with North Korea is more important than ever.