Soohyun Kim

French philosopher Blaise Pascal once pronounced, “The multitude which is not brought to act as a unity, is confusion. That unity which has not its origin in the multitude is tyranny.” Our east-Asian neighborhood of China, North and South Korea and Japan has for years been in a state of confusion as a result of failure to unite. The countries do, however, have a strong infrastructure in their political, economical and social multitude, suitable for framing an ideal east-Asian community. It is now in the hands of the countries themselves to communicate and reconcile to form such an affinity. Most importantly, recognition of the significance of the two Koreas’ reunification is a vital component of procuring a concrete relationship among east-Asian countries. Mankind has set foot on the moon and created a global virtual network of information. We can be hopeful that the next great breakthrough of mankind be the realization of an east-Asian community.

According to a fundamental law of physics, an object in rotational motion will continue to spin in the same direction in any closed system. The object will spin perpetually unless an outside force acts upon the system to change its course of motion. The course of history is not much different. We often hear that “history repeats itself”. It is from this recurrence of events that we must analyze and extract solutions to evade repetitive fiascos and thus “change its [history] course of motion”.

In retrospect, the failure of the United States’ President Wilson to gain approval of the Treaty of Versailles from the Senate in 1918 resulted in the country’s rejection of participation in the League of Nations, proposed in Article X. The league was proposed as a hope for unification and peace but the Americans, who had just suffered a chaotic loss during World War I, feared that it would actually lead them into another war. The Treaty of Versailles, separately signed by Italy, France and Great Britain, held Germany completely responsible for the war, placing the country in a depression. The economic downfall spread across Europe and the United States in 1929, creating a mass depression in the Western Hemisphere. The establishments after the war also developed a virile foundation for Adolf Hitler to build his army, the event of which led into another world war. The president’s failure to compromise the treaty and activate membership in the League of Nations, ironically contrary to the Americans’ belief, led into World War II.

If we should extract any lessons or solutions from this event, it should be the acknowledgement that compromise and reconciliation, which necessarily requires sacrifices on some part, prevents frictions among nations. East- Asian nations must recognize that we need to tolerate each other’s political, economical and social incongruities and settle long-established hostilities through redress and amnesty, in order to prevent erecting deeper fissures.

The Republic of Korea (South) and Japan should tolerate China’s political difference as a communist nation and realize that despite its governmental status, the enormous nation is progressing rapidly as a participant of global trade and capitalism. China and Japan should also consent to an official endorsement of South Korea as a self-serving and capable nation. Korea, since the beginning of its history, has played host to the invasions and abuse of China and Japan, who disputed over the territory. It is time that the two countries wave their white flags for the last time and agree to never again attempt to conquer Korea as their own for reasons of self-benefit. It is also vital to settle hostilities established in the past between Japan and Korea. Ever since the Japanese colonization of Korea from 1910 to 1945 and the resulting Korean War in 1950 that split Korea into two at the 38th parallel, there has always been animosity and hostility toward Japan in Korea. Recently, Japan has taken a huge step toward peace with South Korea when she apologized for depriving Koreans of their national identity during the colonization and the breach of universal ethics. Though this did not extirpate all antipathy of Koreans toward Japan, we can ascertain that this redress and possibly others in the future will gradually abate international strife in east-Asia.

Lastly, China, South Korea and Japan must acknowledge that a reunification of the two Koreas is prerequisite in actualizing an east-Asian community. The Korean peninsula, since the commencement of east-Asian history, has played host as a buffer zone for security and as a bridge between China and Japan. The political, economical and social significance the geographical placement of Korea played in east-Asia is undeniable. The solidarity of Korea is indelible for the country to play its role to its full potential ability as a bridge connecting the east-Asian countries in multifarious ways. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North) dictated by the Kim Jong-Il regime is determined to reunify the two Koreas as well, under the condition that the unified nation be administered under his communist rule. Nations could concord that such a society of regulated international interaction and socialism would not be beneficial for the east-Asian community. Socialism is collectivism and that homogeny is the very core of the antithesis to French philosopher Pascal’s principle that the presence of multitude in a unity is quintessential. A subversion of the regime and ideology that currently suppresses the independency of the North Korean people is cardinal in the process of Korean reunification.

As Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” The nations of east-Asia must reconcile to construct the sturdy house. China, Korea and Japan must be united through toleration of differences and burying of the hatchet. Finally, a solid east-Asian community cannot be achieved without the ideal reunification of the two Koreas, for it is the bridge that connects the nations.

Soohyun Kim