Barriers to Korean Unification
Abstract
This paper discusses several challenges and opportunities for Korean unification in the 21st century. These barriers require corresponding action by South Korea and other countries to create greater momentum for change. The United States, China, and other international powers must forestall a new Cold War by seeking further focused cooperation and acceptance of spheres of influence. South Korean nationalism among younger Koreans faces a loss of interest in the North. Limited development of South Korean civil society also limits the impetus for change with respect to women, refugees, and the elderly democracy. Absent more egalitarian development in South Korea’s Confucian culture also makes unification more of a long-term prospect at this time.