The Korean Odyssey

  * South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks at the ‘Youth Peace and Future Dialogue’ held on August 12. ⓒ Ministry of Unification Il Young Jeong Senior Research Fellow_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University “A New Era of Peaceful Coexistence and Shared Growth on the Korean Peninsula” This was the vision for the peninsula’s future laid out by President Lee Jae-myung in his Liberation Day address on August 15, marking the 80th anniversary of Korea’s independence. For many, it may feel distant and unrealistic, given how completely inter-Korean relations remain stuck. Yet, when we recall the damage done under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, it’s true that this new vision stirs fresh hope. Inter-Korean relations haven’t even gotten off the ground, but there is no doubt that a different kind of opportunity is opening up. The Lee administration — elected by a people who stood strong against the December 3, 2024 martial law — now speaks of a “people-centered” No...

  * In August 1945, despite the joy of liberation, the Korean Peninsula was divided by the great powers into North and South along the 38th parallel. ,  @IL Young Jeong Il Young Jeong Senior Research Fellow_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University On August 15, President Lee Jae-myung, in his address marking the 80th anniversary of Korea’s Liberation, stated that “the South and the North are in a special relationship in which both sides should respect and recognize each other’s systems, while pursuing peaceful unification.” He further emphasized that “the South respects the current system in the North, will not seek any form of unification by absorption, and has no intention of engaging in hostile acts.” In relation to this, on August 13, the National Policy Planning Committee, which finalized the state agenda of the Lee administration, proposed the task of “redefining inter-Korean relations on the basis of reconciliation and cooperation and institutionalizing peaceful co...