Explaining North Korea’s Abandonment of Korean Unification: External Pressures and Domestic Political Dynamics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22452/IJEAS.vol15no1.1Abstract
The process of unifying the Korean Peninsula is an effort to reduce the escalation of violence and increase regional stability through increased interaction between North Korea and South Korea. Previously, this framework was also reflected in the Inter-Korea Basic Agreement of 1991 as the normative basis for peaceful unification by the two countries. However, the dynamics of inter-Korea relations underwent significant changes in 2024, especially when North Korea officially declared that it would no longer pursue the unification agenda. Therefore, this study aims to analyze North Korea’s policy change from a neoclassical realism perspective, employing qualitative methods on document and archival analysis. The findings indicate that North Korea’s shift in its attitude towards South Korea was influenced by external and domestic factors. Externally, fluctuations in South Korea’s policy, the involvement of the United States and Russia in regional security issues, played an important role in North Korea’s strategic calculations. Meanwhile, at the domestic level, Kim Jong Un's effort to strengthen his legitimacy and consolidate power also shaped the direction of North Korea’s unification policy.
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