South Korea’s reunification plan based on human rights risks deepening row with the North

In his speech on Liberation Day on August 15 marking the end of Japan’s 1910-1945 rule over Korea, Yoon emphasised the need to expose North Koreans to ideas of freedom by providing them with access to outside information.

“We must be more proactive in expanding the value of freedom to the North and inducing substantive changes. Above all, we will take a multifaceted approach to significantly improve human rights in North Korea,” Yoon said.

Yoon also proposed the creation of an inter-Korean working group to address a range of issues including tension reduction, economic cooperation and climate change.

Kim told the media despite Pyongyang’s efforts to suppress foreign influence, North Koreans have been secretly watching and sharing South Korean dramas. He also referred to a law passed by the North last year prohibiting using South Korean-style language.

In 2020, Pyongyang passed a law banning foreign cultures and ideas, imposing harsh punishments on those caught consuming or distributing them.

However, analysts say Yoon’s doctrine represented a shift from the South’s traditional reunification strategy, which has been based on mutual respect and exchanges.

“Yoon’s reunification formula marks a departure from the existing approach as it seeks changes in the North despite the lack of reconciliation,” Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told This Week in Asia.

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North Korean trash balloons flying into South seen at border

“Regardless of the South’s intentions, the North is likely to perceive this as a hostile move, viewing it as an attempt by the South to instigate regime change by exposing North Koreans to outside information.”

In 1989, Seoul mooted the “Korean National Community