Independence Movement, Artificial Division, and Long Journey to Unification
SEOUL, February 10, 2015 – The Asia Society Korea Center held the first lecture of its 2015 Monthly Luncheon Series on February 10th. The speaker was the Center’s Honorary Chairman Dr. Hong-Koo Lee, former Prime Minister of Korea, Unification Minister, and also Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the United States of America. With extensive experience in both in politics and academia, Dr. Lee shared his knowledge regarding the state of South and North Korean relations in his lecture titled “Independence Movement, Artificial Division, and Long Journey to Unification”.
The first part of Dr. Lee’s lecture focused on the Korean Independence Movement which had its roots as far back as 1910 when Korea was colonized by Japan and the age of imperialism reached the Asian region. The aim of Korean independence was not to return to the past, but to build a new republic - although at that point there was no clear idea of what they wanted that republic to be. As such, a model was required and two political ideas were addressed to the Korean people.
The first was the type of democracy that had been seen in the United States of America and Europe; this group was led by Syngman Rhee, who had lived and received education in the United States of America from several prestigious universities. The second group was largely influenced by the success of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. The idea that a small group of people could overthrow the government and take power left a strong impression on many Korean people, and Kim Il Sung would join this group after the end of World War II in 1945.
Dr. Lee then turned to the topic of artificial division. Although both groups had begun with the same goals - independence from Japanese rule, their political ideas divided them, and this division became even greater when American and Soviet Union troops entered the country in late 1945. In 1948, the first election in Korea was held only in the South. This signaled the formation of the Republic of Korea. Not long after, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was formed in the North, splitting the country in two. Soon after the formation of these two governments, in 1950 the North invaded the South and thus began the Korean War. With the help of the United Nations forces, South Korea was able to hold off invading forces and retained their government in the South. However, as a result there were many casualties, both directly from the war and also from this political division.
Moving on to the topic of Unification, Dr. Lee strongly focused on both the possible unification of the Korean peninsula, and the unification of the global community, as well as the need to support the United Nations. He expressed the need for Korea to be thankful to the United Nations and also support the work that they and Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon are undertaking. Rather than just focusing on local issues, South Korea has thrived due to its open nature towards the global community, while the North has closed its doors and become isolated in the world.
Dr. Hong-Koo Lee closed his speech by reiterating the two main points of his talk and appealing to the audience and wider public. The first was how our interpretation of history is dependant on the collective memory of the people and what is considered the right interpretation is determined by this. Therefore it is time to let go of lingering feelings towards the North or the South; something that is required in order for the next generation to move towards unification. His second wish is that South Korea should support the United Nations as much as possible and people should take an interest in the initiatives they are working on, as these are issues that will affect as all on a global scale. This unification between global communities is also necessary in order for us to move forward in the right direction.