Politics

South Korea’s Yoon calls for unification, on holiday marking 1919 uprising against colonial Japan

South Korea’s president lambasted North Korea on Friday over what he referred to as its repressive rule and vowed to attain a free, unified Korean Peninsula, weeks after North Korean chief Kim Jong Un rejected the concept of peaceable unification and threatened to occupy the South within the occasion of battle.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke on March 1 Independence Movement Day, a holiday marking a 1919 Korean uprising against Japanese colonial rule.

“Now, we must move toward a free, unified Korean Peninsula,” Yoon mentioned in a televised speech. “The North Korean regime relies solely on nuclear weapons and missiles while trapping its 26 million citizens in a quagmire of misery and despair.”

“Unification is precisely what is needed to expand the universal values of freedom and human rights,” Yoon mentioned. “Our unification efforts must become a source of hope and a beacon of light for the people of North Korea.”

Yoon and Kim’s conflicting feedback on unification come after Korean animosities have run excessive for greater than two years, with North Korea ramping up missile exams and South Korea increasing army drills with the U.S. in a tit-for-tat cycle.

For many of the 70 years because the finish of the 1950-53 Korean War, unification was a prized objective of leaders in each Koreas, that are divided by the world’s most closely fortified border. But the prospects for unifying the the wealthy, democratic South and the nominally socialist, authoritarian and poor North any time quickly are extraordinarily dim, observers say.

Despite in depth U.S.-led sanctions and its personal financial mismanagement, North Korea has appeared politically secure. Exchange applications between the Koreas have been dormant since Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with then-President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019.

In a speech in January, Kim vowed to rewrite the structure to take away the long-running state objective of a peaceable Korean unification and cement South Korea as an “invariable principal enemy.” He mentioned the brand new structure should specify North Korea would annex and subjugate the South if one other battle breaks out. The sudden abandonment of unification took observers abruptly.

Many consultants say Kim seemingly aimed to take the initiative in dealings with the South whereas attempting to decrease South Korean cultural affect and bolster his household’s rule at dwelling.

During Friday’s speech, Yoon referred to as Kim’s vow of enmity “truly deplorable.” He earlier mentioned Kim’s speech confirmed the “anti-national and anti-historical” nature of the North Korean authorities.

Yoon’s speech did not contact on the abuses of the Japanese colonial rulers in Korea, which left painful reminiscences and have lengthy been a supply of pressure between the 2 international locations.

“On a holiday commemorating Korea’s resistance against Japanese colonialism a century ago, Yoon touted his administration’s improved relations with Tokyo,” mentioned Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of worldwide research at Ewha University in Seoul. “He emphasized that the independence movement will only be complete once the northern and southern halves of the Korean Peninsula are finally unified and free.”

Since taking workplace in 2022, Yoon has labored to beef up South Korea’s army alliance with the U.S. and resolve historic disputes with Japan, aiming to forge a stronger Seoul-Washington-Tokyo partnership against North Korea’s nuclear threats.

“Now, Korea and Japan are working together to overcome the painful past,” Yoon mentioned. “Sharing the values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law, our two countries have become partners in the pursuit of common interests for global peace and prosperity.”

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