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Koreas: Progress towards Reunification?

Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury
***The Korean scenario is full of hopes despite the fact that all may not be ’bed of roses’ since nitty-gritties need to be resolved and the process is both sensitive and complex. Differences and even the chances of’going back to a kind of square one’ cannot be totally ruled out. But, the picture is encouraging and this has to be maintained for peace and stability.***
NEARLY a month after the first ever summit between the two Koreas, the event continues to remain a major issue of discussions all over the world. All eyes are on the progress towards reconciliation and reunification of two Koreas in the postsummit atmosphere. The euphoria in both sides of the Korean peninsula has not faded much since the summit between the two rivals early last month. The summit pledged for relaxation of tensions and for working towards rapprochement, and finally, the reunification.
The United States and the Japan, two main allies of South Korea, having big stakes in the Korean situation, have endorsed the Joint declaration that was issued after the summit tn North Korean capital. Junior ministers of South Korea. US and Japan met in Honolulu over a week ago and expressed great satisfaction over the outcome of the summit and called for early implementation of the five points contained in declaration. Earlier. US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited Seoul after the summit and was briefed by the South Korean side about the Joint declaration. Albright had arrived here from China where she discussed the summit outcome and the current position In the peninsula. Beijing is re-
garded as the close ally ot the communist North and Albright said that the Chinese leaders were broadly happy over the results of the summit.
The main issue that has now come to the fore after the summit is progress towards the direction of peace and harmony in the region. Is the progress in this direction satisfactory and what the two Koreas are expected to do toward reconciliation? What are broadly the problems that still stand on the way and what are the prospects to remove these obstacles? Obviously. these are questions that are being asked with varying Interpretation but the general impression is that nothing so far has vitiated the positive omens generated by the summit and things may move in the right direction even though the road to reunification Is full of complexities.
Two Koreas, known as Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Republic of Korea (ROK). have been a source of tensions and intense enmity since the second world war. and little progress could be made for a thaw in their ties until re-
cently. South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-il met in Pyongyang belying all scepticism. Indeed, tills has been the most remarkable change in attitude in the international relations of contemporary times. However, no one should be under any illusion that one summit will solve everything overnight. It may be a long way to finally find a real peaceful environment in that region. After all. it took East and West Germany 20 years to reunite after the first summit between their leaders in 1970. The mistrust and hatred in the Korean peninsula are deeper than that of Germany in many ways and no one should expect these to disappear soon. But a qualitative change has taken place. No one should expect that the 37.000 American troops sta-
tioned in the South will leave shortly or the belligerent postures will also totally be un-heared of. Nonetheless, the first summit between the DPRK and the ROK was a historic and great occasion.
There has already been some positive impact in the bilateral ties following the summit as two sides have substantially stopped propaganda which characterised their relationship for last five decades coupled with the spectres of war and constant tensions along the border. Two sides scaled down rival events as they observed 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean war on June 25. The propaganda and bitterness that normally come from both sides centring the occasion were largely a positive trend.
Unification fever is sweep-
ing Korean region following the summit and the mood is upbeat everywhere. South Korean president said that Koreans have reached a new stage which needs to be followed up with all seriousness. Same sentiments arc being echoed in the North. In effect, the summit has accomplished more than what was expected since the tone and contours of the two Koreas have changed. Evidently, the nationalistic fervour has come to fore replacing the trend of accusing each other for the division of Korea and the 1950-53 w.u Ordinary Koreans have begun to feel what they, and the nation, have achieved because ol division of the peninsula! "Is it not only deep animosity and severe destruction?" - a Korean asks regardless of which side of the region he belongs to. However, there are also hardliners who seek to thrive too much on ideological line rather than nationalistic fervour. But their number seems scant in the present circumstances.
These positive conditions notwithstanding, the euphoria may decline, as it may be difficult to retain the current spirit too long unless concrete measures follow. There may be complexities that may retard the pace ol progress. There can also be differences in the approaches towards reconciliation ami unification moves. For instance, the North wants an immediate federation of the two Koreas as a step In the right direction while the South prefers a more gradual confederation. Many things may come up when the two sides take up the brass tacks of the entire gamut of the relationship. South-backers led by the United States have supported the current reconciliation moves and so were the reactions from the allies of the North, like the communist China. But they have their own stakes and interests in the whole Korean tangle since they have been involved here militarily and otherwise for a long period of time. Japan and several other countries are in-
volved in different ways in the Korean scene. As such, the clash of interests is not unlikely and one cannot rule out the possibility of influencing the two Koreas by their allies should they feel that it is necessary for their policies and interests.
Certainly, the American approach is very important in the whole exercise. The US-Japan-South Korea talks on the Korean summit produced convergence of views on a positive line. This has also had a good impact on the Washington-Pyongyang ties which generally remain tense on a variety of reasons. The three-nation talks welcomed the recent US-North Korean agreement on plans for operations to help discover what happened to American servicemen still missing from the Korean war They also welcomed the resumption of the missile negotiation between the two countries which are set for July 10-12 in the Malaysian capital.
All these bear positive indications as far as the American policies are concerned and this may encourage the optimists in continuing the trend of reconciliation. True, the presence of the 37.000 American troops in South Korean soil could be a point that may queer the pitch of the healthy environment at one stage since the North would continue to insist on the withdrawal of these troops from the peninsula. US Secretary’ of Defence William Cohen has said that the presence of the troops is necessary’ to contain terrorism although he does not seem to lx? concerned about war in the region. However, the leaders of the South have said that they’ have convinced their counterparts in the North that American troops are required to stay because decision of their withdrawal will not help gradual improvement in the situation.
The Korean scenario Is full of hopes despite the fact that all may not be the bed of roses since many nitty-gritty matters need to be resolved and the process is both sensitive and complex. Differences and even the chances of going back to a kind of square one' cannot be totally’ ruled out. Nonetheless, the picture is encouraging and this has to be maintained for peace and stability.