The Korean Odyssey

  * North Korean Defectors Face Another Struggle for Survival Beyond Division.   @iStock   As of the end of June 2024, there are 34,183 North Korean defectors settled in South Korean society. The South Korean government refers to these defectors as the "forerunners of unification" or the "advance guard of unification." This is because how well defectors adapt serves as a measure of how prepared our society is for unification. Despite facing social prejudice and economic hardships, many North Korean defectors express that they are happy in South Korea. However, the challenges they face as "marginalized" or "outsiders" in our society are significant. Even so, they rise again each day to face life anew.     The Aspiration of North Korean Defectors to Belong to the 'Average' For North Korean defectors, fully integrating into South Korean society is far from easy. Many have not received proper education in North Korea, and even if they h

  * Ribbons symbolizing hopes for Korean reunification are tied to the barbed wire along the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) fence .   @iStock With the arrival of autumn, the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea is in the process of reviewing the new year’s budget proposal. While our Constitution grants the government the authority to prepare and submit the national budget, it entrusts the National Assembly with the power to review and finalize it, ensuring that the budget can only be confirmed through the Assembly’s deliberation and resolution(Article 54 of the Constitution). This article aims to critically examine the 2025 budget proposal of the Ministry of Unification and to suggest new, necessary initiatives.   The Ministry of Unification’s Distorted Budget, Losing Its Primary Role The Ministry of Unification’s budget is, quite literally, distorted. The 2025 budget proposal amounts to a total of 1.054 trillion KRW, with 229.3 billion KRW allocated from the general budget and 826.1

  *Ribbons of hope for reunification tied to the barbed wire along the armistice line.  @iStock   Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University August 15th marked the 79th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese imperialism in 1945. On this day, President Yoon Suk-yeol unveiled the "Unification Doctrine" that had been in preparation for two years, presenting the South Korean government's vision for unification. What exactly does Yoon's unification vision entail, and what are its limitations? What Does Yoon's Unification Doctrine Contain? In his speech commemorating the 79th anniversary of National Liberation Day, President Yoon Suk-yeol declared, "For us, complete liberation is still an unfinished task. Only on the day when the entire Korean Peninsula becomes a unified country, where the people are the sovereign in a free and democratic state, will complete liberation be realized," and thus announced the Uni