Divided and Never to be Reunited?

Out of site out of mind. Swept under the rug. These catch phrases have become an integral part of the English language. They are used regularly to absolve trivial things such as stuffing unused household knickknacks into a ‘junk closet’ and ‘forgetting’ to pick up Snoopy’s (or whatever you call your dog’s) doings in the park. These minor incidents cannot stop you from living, in fact you might say that attending too much attention to unsightly worldly concerns will leave you a suicidal anal retentive moron. But what do we make of those issues in the world that when swept under the rug, or left unnoticed, lead to mass poverty and starvation? When people and their basic human rights have been surrendered to a lunatic dictator then what, if any responsibility should one assume? What about the issue of proximity? Should there be a greater responsibility to assist those in need of help if they live only a short distance away. Finally, is accountability to assist in making one’s plight better increased if that person or group of people shares a collective past? I have thought about these questions quite frequently since I arrived in Korea. Why? Well here’s my point, one of the most brutal regimes of the twentieth century has been able to persist and flourish into the twenty-first century and their border resides a mere 30 km North of Seoul. For this post I will uncover some of the reasons why two nations within a nation have been maintained, as well as why South Korea, a democratic country enjoying a high standard of living, continues to sit idle and allow a nation of people with a shared past to suffer under a ruthless regime comparable to Hitler and Stalin.

Brothers from a different mother

Let it be said, I believe in social justice. That is I believe that people, regardless of country, race, or religion are entitled to the same fundamental rights. This includes but is not limited to equal opportunity in the workplace, access to basic needs such as clean water and healthy food and a democratically elected government that serves the needs of its people. I cannot accept any argument that suggests a group of people should be stymied from these things on the basis of anything ‘culturally accepted.’ Any cultural norm that disenfranchises a particular sect was created and maintained throughout history so that a dominate class could be preserved. Therefore any accepted norms that undermine basic rights on the basis of birthright is whole heatedly wrong. That is what I believe.

Let it also be said that North Korea is a place where its citizens have been removed from basic human rights. Food shortages have plagued NK. Decades of poor weather compounded with exhausted crop lands have left a country of over 23,000,000 hungry and on the brink of starvation. Add to the fact that Kim Jong-il (their leader) has maintained a closed door policy on the rest of the world and thereby shutting out aid relief, and their situation becomes more bleak. Military, not its citizens receive what money there is to be had in North Korea. This has always and continues to be the case.

North Korean children dealing with starvation.

Equal opportunity is a foreign concept in this country. A glass ceiling could not even be understood by its citizens because they are ignorant to what possibilities exist in this world. It’s not a result from their own malice or not taking the time to become educated, the opportunity to achieve this understanding is just not possible. It is in effect a classic case of being brainwashed, only it’s not just a chosen few who have haphazardly joined a cult, it is an entire nation of people who through the unfortunate conception of birth were born there.

So often do we take our right to freely travel and migrate to other countries for granted. Consider that thousands of English teachers decide to, many on a whim, settle distant lands including South Korea for work. In effect many of us leave a country behind which is full of opportunity. Now consider North Korea. Outside of government held positions, a ‘fair wage’ generally translates to you being able to just barely put food on your table. And forget leaving the country, those who do and are unsuccessful are either killed, or and perhaps more tragically, sent to intense labour camps where the likelihood of starving or being worked to death is prevalent.

I am not  slandering North Korea, these fore mentioned statements are well known and well documented. Their leader is whole heatedly an evil man who has stripped the rights of his countrymen to self-serve his own interests. He is corrupt, those serving him are corrupt and the country is in effect as bad or worse than any other least developed country in the world. But all the while, a neighboring country, one who from a historical context could not be more alike, turns a blind eye towards the tragedy that is NK. While the North and South share a closely linked past, presently they could not be more different. And so the question remains, why does the South not do more to assist in making better the lives of North Koreans?

A symbolic representation of a unified Korea

Resentment may be a factor. Let’s not forget that it was the North who invaded the South to initiate the Korean War. As the belligerent, the North must be held mostly responsible for the deaths, injuries and the displacement of millions of people during the war.

Another issue that surely motivates the South not to assist NK is the economic burden that would have to be assumed if the two countries were to unify. On one hand it could be argued that the North would provide a great deal of man power as well as much needed resources such as coal, zinc and copper. On the other hand, the North Korean economy is a mess, most live below the poverty line and they have very few trading partners.

One is also left to wonder if the international community, especially the United States would want the two countries to unify. Currently the U.S. holds major influence over South Korea because of the amount of military support that is lent to the country. A unified and peaceful Korea would surely not need that kind of support and therefore American influence in terms of trading and military stronghold would be compromised.

Undoubtedly the cards are stacked against the hope for reunification, and at this juncture, one must be exceptionally idealistic to think that it is possible anytime soon. Much longer, it seems, will people with a shared past of nearly 10,000 years have to wait until once again they can be part of a single Korea. But what about the moral responsibility of the South? Should they, regardless of any immediate obstacles, feel collectively responsible in assisting those living to the North? If my country of Canada were split into two, would those living in the affluent half not take efforts to lend a hand to the other? Perhaps a better question would be how much would the affluent Canadians be willing to give up? Is it this reason that more is not done by the South to help the North, or instead, has the 59 years since the beginning of the Korean War sufficed in allowing this entire situation to be swept neatly under the rug? That my friends is a good question.

Until next time.

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