The Social Implications of Korean Reunification: Population Migration, Social Integration, and Discrimination
Abstract
Existing literature on the topic of a potential Korean reunification focuses primarily on three major areas of concern: the impact to regional and international security, fiscal costs analysis, and anticipation of various reunification scenarios. Assuming a unification under Seouls guidance, this thesis will seek to bridge a gap that exists in the field by examining the likely social implications of reunification on the Korean peninsula. It will argue that despite the similarities in culture, language, historical legacies, and ethnic roots, two particular sets of social issuespopulation migration and social discriminationwill prove to be more divisive and socially costly than those similar issues experienced in the aftermath of the German reunification. This thesis will conclude that seven decades of separation has created two vastly contradictory and incompatible Korean societies that will make the social integration of the two Koreas as sensitive, challenging, and complex as the more often debated security and economic repercussions. As such, the potential social implications should be discussed on an equal footing with security and economic consequences of the Korean reunification.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1080366
Entities
People
- Hang S. Pheiffer
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School