since the division of Korea.

Nothing has changed substantially

and neirher is

anything else like1y change in the current political

stalemare. Insread of groping the depth of Nepal's

polirical

process, we have decided to cover rhe Z0 years

since the division of Korea.

Uponinvitation from Journalists

Assoclation of Korea, about a hundred

journaiists from

60 counrries

visited

Korea

to

share

their views

about

the

tragedy ofa divided Korean peninsula.

Despite

high

economic development and

technoiogicai

supremacy, South

Koreansare still haunted by the division of Korea. Although the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

has

remained quiet for the last

seven decades,

it

continues to remind visitors

of the unfinished

agenda

of

Korean

Unification. Adopting liberal

and open economic and

political

system, South Korea has esrablished

itself

as the

llth

largesr economy of the

worid.

Despite huge economic and

technological gaps

with Norrh

Korea, South Korea's

politicians

and

opinion makers

have

nor lost all hopes for unification. As this

year

marked

Z0

years ofthe division of

KoreanPeninsula, and this scribe

took

part

in

the anniversary event, we have decided to cover the economic rise

of South Korea and its quest for unification

as

the

cover

story of

the week. Along

with

this, we also cover

the routine economic and other

concerns at home

in this

issue.

W)*'l'

Keshab Poudel

Editor

$F{ITIIfiH $*rnru"r."

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NEWSPOTLIGHT

Aprit.24.201s 1

KOREAN UNIFICATION

Unflnished Agenda

Rising from the rubbles of civil warof 70 years 2go, South Korea has turned into an economic powerhouse of the

world. ^So uth Koreans are continuing with their

marchforward on the path of progress in a society of high tech industries, high economic progress, and modern cities, yet they are not satisfied. Alongside prosperity, they want peaceful unification of the divided Korean Peninsula. Despite thehuge economic gap with North

Korea, South Koreanswant reunification. As this year

marked the 70th anniversary of the division and independence of Korea, the quest to resolve the'tension

on Korean peninsula for peaceful reunification continues.

Given the determination for unification in South Korea, there are ample reasons to believe unification of Korea and dismantling of DMZ are possible

By KESHAB POUDEL in

Seoul Onthe Southem side,visitors are allowed to take the glimpses of this tenseborder, which

still

follows the srrict code of the ceasefire.

Although

some sporadic

hcidents

have taken place

in

the

DMZ,

pushing

the two nations to the point of war,

maximum resrraints averred it. The usual sight is that the border guards are

warily watching

each

other in thisrelatively

peaceful border of the

world.

Visitors of DMZ

Kim

Sung

Min,

12, does

notknow

abour the tragedy and trauma

following

the division of Korea, yer he has a strong feeling about the need of unification

foi lts country.

Looking

at the DMZ

and beyond the border to Norrh, Kim, a

5th

grader, is keenlyfocusing his binoculars foraviewof theboldertov,nof Nortfi Korea- 'I want to go rhere on my own

without

any hindrance," said Kim,

with

the help of an interpreter. "One day we should be able to rravel to each other's side freely. ^' Jin ^{Sin 14, a} 7rh grader, wants to

visit North

Korea

without

any

difficulry

and

she prays these

mfitary

obstacles should

be removed. In DMZ

with

her parents,Jin wants peace, tranquiJity and open border for peoples of both the countries. "Korean Peninsulais onecounrry, one culture and one language and. I

camot think

of

it

as

anouterworld,

saidJin.

Kim

and

Jin

^are

just two

among hundreds

of children

and

youth from South Korea, who visit the DMZ There are bunkers, electric

fencesand high military

movements

around

the

DMZ,20

kilometers

from

Seoul, to

prevent unpredictable incidents on the border with North

Korea,

which monitors the activities on the South warily. Thealert on the

border

dividingthe two

Koreas

is high.

Though heavily armed the border remains calm and peaceful.

United

Nations

Joint

^{Command has been} observing

the

eye-ba1l

to

^eye-ball

ceasefire of

two

armies of a

million.

COVERSTORY

Korean Children at

DMZ

(Demiiitarized Zone) ^andexpress

similar sentiments about their dir.'ided land.

Some 6,700 people, ^from

famfiesseparatedby the border ^are sti1l

livinginthe

South,longrng ro meet their people in the North. It is heart-breaking because most of them are getting old and do nor have much time left ^to fulfill

their

\

^rish

Unification Modality

Nobodyknows about rhe opinion o{

people

livingin

North Korea, but South koreans stillhave hopes to see unification of Korean peninsula happening.

Mayor

ol

Seoul

Municipaiiry

Park

Won

Soon

reminds the reality.

In Korea, there ls an old saying, 'Ten years can change even

the rivers

and

the

mountains ." Hor,verer, there is ^a dream

thathasnot changedeventhoughT0years havepassed. It is theunification of Korea,' saidMayorPark.

Athough various people har'e offered various rnodalities

for unification for

Korean peninsula,

what most

South Koreans seem

to want is

a peaceful reunification of Korea.

South Korea is

norv

rhe eleventh largest economy of the in

orld.

South Koreans

enjoy

a

much higher livlng

standard than North Koreans, yet many

people prefer ro sacrifice certain

Economic gahs

for

a certain period of rime for rhe ^cause unilication.

'After _the unification. South Korea may hare

to

pay the lrighest economic

cost. Our physical and sentimental

unification, however, ls much higher than the economic value. Unified Korea can

make the progress much faster,' said Honey Park. e tourist guide from Seoul.

.l

ournalist for Unification

One hundred joumalists from si,xty counrries had garhered to shou' solidarlq' with South Koreans at the event orgarrLed byJournalists Associatlon of Korea

to

mark the 70th year of dirision of Korea.

Associarionpresident Park Chong-R1T i1 had an unchal,lengeable commirment ro independent joumalism and unification ofKorea.

'The theme the TOthAmiversary of the division of Korea: Rethixking about unification on the Korean Peninsula is chosen to draw the attention of

World

Joumalists Forum ^2015,' said President Park

like

most Koreans, journalists from aroundtheworldalsoissued aresolution.

N

w

$"

E

*

NEWSPOTLIGHT

Apri1.24.2015 14

"Reconciliation and cooperation

betweenthe two Koreas andpeace onthe

Korean peninsula are undeniable

challenges of the time. Based on

this

understanding and

marking

the 70th Anniversary of Korean Independence and division of Korea, l0Ojoumalistsfrom 60 countries who participatedin the

World

Journalists Conference ^2015, wish for the

new

springs

for

peace on the Korean

peninsula," they declared in ^the

Declaration of Wor1d Journalists

for Peaceful Unification of Korea

and Freedomof Speech.

Showing

solidarity for

a peaceful unificarion, the declaration also said that there is the need ofa continuing dialogue betweenthetwoKoreas consummatedin

the promise to ^seek peaceful

co- existence and prosperity following the

summit talks in

2000 and 2007. The declaration also expressed the concern that the dialogue has come to a standstill againleaving the tension on the Korean peninsulaunresolved.

As the older generation, who fought the

civilwar

and saw the devastation of the country is gradually disappearing, South Korea's newgenerations, who are grown up in high economic prosperiry,

are questioning the essence of

unification.

However, amajorityof South Koreans

still

believe that

North

and South

will unify sooner giving example of unification of East and Western

Germany. Many South Korean scholars and

journalists

see the

unification

is going to be a reality sooner or later.

Speakers attendlng the recendy held

WorldJoumalists

Conference in Seoul held the view that Korean reun i fi cati on is

likelyto

open newoptions in Korean Pen.insula and Easr Asia.

"It is quite evident that the

ultimate

objective o[ our policy vis-d-vis

North

Koreaispeacefulunification of the South and North. However, it is imperative

for

us to expand our horizon beyond

this ultimate

destination, and pursue the

policy

of peacefiil co-existence on the way leading to the peaceful

unification

of Korea,"Na

Klung-Won,

chairperson of

the

Foreign

Affairs of Uniflication

Committee, the National Assembly of Republic of Korea, said.

"What

is

North

Korea for us? The answer is, on the one hand, a serious security threat to us, on the other hand, a

partner

with which

we have

to work together on the way leading to the

unification of Korea,"

said

Na

Kyurg-

Won.

Despite stalling the peace process

following

the detonarion of a nuclear bomb by

North

Korea, South Koreans believe that North Korea

will

come toa peacefrrl reunifi carion process, Sving up its ambition to have more nuclear bombs.

'A bigger challenge to our

diplomacy is North Korea, whichhas yet to giveup its nuclear ambitions andhas been continuing co heighten tension on the Korean peninsuJa refusing to engage

in

diaiogue,"

said Cho Tae-yul,

vice

foreign minister of rhe Republic of

Korea, addressing the WorldJoumalists Conference.

"Germany, a divided nation

unril

25

years ago, has not only achieved

reunification, but is also now raking the lead in rhe European integration process.

Unfomrnately, however, despire 70 years of the pain-frrl history of national division, distrust, conflict, tension still run high

between the two

Koreas," saidvice ministerCho.

History

of Korean

Divide

The division of Korea into North and South was imposed upon the Korean people

by

outside forces, and many

if

not

most Koreans

insist that

the

two

Koreas must one daybe reunited.

The

fivision of

Korean peninsula began

in

1948

with the

government formed in both

North

and South

with

suppoft ftom second war ally, dissolved USSR, andAmerica. The civilwar broke outinKorea onJune

5,

1950, whenNorrh Korea, backedby the USSR,invaded the

South and attempted to unify the

peninsula by force.

InJuly 1953, after millions of deaths and enormous physical desrmction, the

war

ended

approximately where it

began,

with North

and South Korea

Korean Journalists Association

president Park

Chong-Ryul

dividedinto roughly equal territories

by

the cease-fire line, a

DemfitarizedZone (DMZ) rhat still

forms the boundary between North and South Korea.

"Before

becoming the mayor of

Seoul,I spent three months rravellingto Germany. I remember the same piece of advice that they gave to me. The Berlin Wall didnot fall in one day.' Their advice was

that

the dream of unification

will come true only when discussions

appropriate forunification become a part of our daily lives," said Park Won-soon, mayor of Seoul. "If the cirizens of Seoul

and

Pyongyang

can set

aside

their

differences and understand each other andbuild the trusq the opporruniry

for

peace

andufficationwill

come to us."

TheTwo

Koreas

Since 1953,

North

and South Korea evolved

from

a corrrmon

culrural

and

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historical base

into two

very

different societies wirh radically dissimilar political

and economic systems. The differences between

North

and South Korea today have

litrle

to do

with

pre- 1945

regional differences between

northern and southern Korea.

As

North

^Korea has been heavily h{luenced by communist culrure

with

one

party

and one

man rule,

South Korea,

on the other

hand, has been

greatly influenced by the United States'and its open economic

and

nolitical

svstem.

'

_{In the 6arly} I970s. mid-1980s, and

early 1990s, the

two

Koreas appeared to be reaching breakthroughs in

inter-

Korean relations,

but

each movement

toward reconciliation ^and

reunification

ended in fru

stration.

South Korean Power

At

^rhe

beginning of the twenty- first century,

South Korea

is

among the major industrialized nations of the

world

^{and is}

^widely

recognized as a success in economic development and

political - South Korea

democratizarion.

has evolved

remarkably

fromthe

poor,

backward

country that emerged from the

shadows of Japanese

colonial

rule

in

1945.

It

is also a country

with

^{a strong}

sense of

national identity

^{and great}

pride in its culture, traditions,

^and accomplishments.

'Weknowhow difficultit

is to face the

wound

of a divided house. For 70 years,

we

have been

waiting lor

^an

appropriate time for peacelul reunifitation of Korea and

^change

inEast Asia," said Chung Ui Hwa,

chairman,

National

Assembly Korea.

Mayor of far southern ciry ^of Busan

".hoei

^a simi lar voice

for unilication

of Korea. "sooner or later, no one can

stop the peaceful reunification of

Korean peninsula," said Suh

B).ng-

soo. mavor of Busan.

Uniiication o[ Korea

Korea remains divided

into North

and South,

with

nearly rwo million men

under

arms

on the peninsula and

^a

high state of miLitary tension. As it

has

for more than

a

century,

Korea occupies a strategic place on the

world

map, and any conflict on the peninsula

would

have the

potential to draw in

neighboring countries.

if

not

larther.

Koiea may

no longer

be

a

^'shrimP.'

but

the waters

it

swims

in

are not

yet entirely

safe.

'We may not immediatelY

see tangible results and the progress may be

rither

slow. But looking far into the furure, we

will

continue to pursue

this

peace-buiiding

initiatives

^across

^the

Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia

with parience and unr,l'avering determinarion.' said vice foreign

minister Cho Tae-yul."Korea's reunification

is not mere a dream

but a future that Korean people

^are committee to

realizing.'

Koreans often use the proverb

"when whales fight, the shrimp ^s back is

broken'

to describe

their country

^s

victimization

at the hands of iarger, more powerful neighbors. China, ^as the

largeit

and most

iechnologically

and

culturaily

^advanced

^society in

East

Asia, exerted the most imPortant outside influence on Korea until

moderntimes.

FinaIIy, bigger

challenge

to our

diplomacy is

North

Korea. wh ich has

yei to

giue up

its nuclear ambirions

and has been

continuing

to

heighten

the tension on the Korean Peninsula, refusing

to

engage

in dialogue,'

said- Cho Tae yul, vice foreign

minister

ol the

Republic

of Korea.

r

W*elp _Jnurp,l*t

LilNFEETNCE 2{

lci'i$

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ell

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Vice foreign

minister

Cho

Tae-lul

NEWSPOTLIGHT,

APril'24'2015' 16