Korean reunification has been a goal for both South Korea and North Korea since the 1953 armistice agreement. Before World War I and Japan’s annexation of Korea, both South Korea and North Korea were parts of just one single country. For centuries, it was known as the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. Therefore, these two countries are neighbors that share the same language and similar cultures. But at present, they have completely different political systems and lifestyles.
When it comes to modern unification concepts, proposed strategies vary between the two Koreas. Both countries want unification under one system while abandoning the other. The north wants to rule the south, and the south wants to rule the north. The fact they both have completely opposite systems makes a compromise difficult. In a recent edition of the Winter Olympics, both countries’ athletes competed together under the same banner, and negotiations between the two continued to happen, but it’s unlikely that a real unification will happen in the short-term future.
“Unification flag of Korea (pre 2009)” By Pk0001 - derived from Unification flag of Korea (pre 2009).png (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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