The Military and National Reconciliation: German Lessons for Koreas Reunification
Abstract
This paper examines the role of the Republic of Korea military in national reconciliation following Korean reunification. It is important to build a sound basis for unification before the need to unify Korea eventually presents itself. When considering the military as a crucial driving factor of national power in the DPRK, the success in integrating the militaries of the two Koreas will weigh heavily on the success or failure of Korea's reunification. Since the collapse of the Cold War in 1991, the Korean peninsula remains the only divided nation in the world, and the Korean peninsula has been facing a new Cold War frontier. A number of recent studies examining possible preparations for Korean reunification through political, diplomatic and economic approaches have been based on the German unification model. It is true that successful political, diplomatic and economic integration has contributed to the German national unification. However, most importantly, this was possible because the national unification was backed by successful military integration. Based on lessons from the German military's contribution to their national unification, this paper suggests ways in which the Korean military can contribute to the eventual reunification of the Korean peninsula that take lessons from the German experience and fit these within Korea's unique circumstances.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 25, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1039142
Entities
People
- Youngjae Kim
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College