File The Possibility of a Qualitative Change in the Perception of
South-North Korea Relationship and Its Implications
Dr. CHO Kyung Hwan
Former Visiting Research Fellow,
The Sejong Institute
English Abstract
Denuclearization negotiation with North Korea is taking a step back, and inter-Korean relations are at a deadlock. There is also the COVID-19 pandemic. The gap between the two Koreas has widened; there is also a wide psycho-social distance between the two people. The Kim Jong Un regime’s view of the South is different from that of the Kim Jong Il regime. The national characteristics stand out under the banner of “our nation first.” Both Koreas’ younger generations view unification differently from the past. President Moon Jae-in announced the end of system competition and declared the two Koreas as “friendly neighbors.” The two Koreas has been deeply buried in nationalism. It has been the cause of repetitive disconnections after certain connections. Now, inter-Korean relations must be considered as conventional relations between two states—not as a special case.