[In&Out] North Korea draws a border… China adheres to unification

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Senior Reporter Kim Jong-woo = Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the Western Front on the 21st of last month. A landmine exploded in front of the search team and engineer corps that were pioneering a search route, injuring three executives, including the battalion commander. As a result of a joint investigation by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United Nations Command, it was revealed that it was a resin and anti-infantry mine planted by the North Korean military south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The Joint Chiefs of Staff determined that North Korea laid landmines in connection with the border fortification work it has been pursuing since its declaration of “two hostile countries” in late 2023. North Korea claimed that the fortification work was a “thorough exercise of sovereignty.” The cease-fire line that divided North and South Korea became a border line in Pyongyang's language.

Kim Il-sung proposed a plan to found the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo in 1980. It was a proposal to form one country while maintaining different systems. Through the June 15, 2000 Inter-Korean Joint Declaration, Kim Jong-il acknowledged the commonality between South Korea's union proposal and North Korea's low-level federation proposal and emphasized 'our people among themselves'. Kim Jong-un abandoned this legacy. In December 2023, he abolished the inter-Korean organization after defining North and South Korea as “two hostile countries.” Even the connecting road between the Gyeongui Line and the Donghae Line was blown up. In a situation where it was far behind South Korea in terms of economic power and cultural influence, North Korea's leadership may have judged that the more ethnic homogeneity is emphasized, the more inevitable comparisons between North and South will become and the weaker the legitimacy of the system.

After losing the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan. Chiang Kai-shek adhered to the principle of ‘China is one’ and dreamed of recovering the continent. The Chinese Communist Party also defined Taiwan as its territory. Mao Zedong advocated the ‘liberation of Taiwan.’ Deng Xiaoping proposed one country, two systems. Jiang Zemin inherited this line and specified a plan for unification, but also applied military pressure. In 2005, during the Hu Jintao era, the Anti-Division National Law was enacted. Xi Jinping linked Taiwan's unification with the 'great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.' Each leader had a different solution. However, the principle that Taiwan is regarded as part of China and that unification must be achieved has not changed.

In this way, the unification paths of North Korea and China diverged. However, they are similar in that they are shaking up the current situation through military action. The Chinese military set blockade of Taiwan's major ports as a task during the 'Justice Mission-2025' exercise in December last year. It was reported that Chinese military aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait in August of this year. Since 2024, North Korea has been carrying out fortification work around the Military Demarcation Line by installing walls and iron fences and planting mines. North Korean troops are said to have crossed the Military Demarcation Line about 30 times in September alone. These movements, combined with the strategic competition between the U.S. and China, close ties with North Korea and Russia, and security cooperation between Korea, the U.S. and Japan, are acting as a factor in increasing tensions in Northeast Asia.

In his remarks commemorating Armed Forces Day, President Lee Jae-myung urged North Korea to restore trust and dialogue. Our military is conducting an operation to remove mines that have been confirmed to have been laid by the North Korean military, and the government has demanded an apology from North Korea on the UN stage. On the 8th, the first test launch of the domestic hypersonic glide vehicle and inspection of Hyunmoo-5, which President Lee observed, were made public. While keeping the door open for dialogue, they also demonstrated their will for military deterrence. Just because North Korea declared the ‘two nation theory’, we cannot change our principles. Article 4 of the Constitution stipulates that “The Republic of Korea pursues unification and establishes and promotes a policy of peaceful unification based on the liberal democratic basic order.”