Korea’s Divide Article Comparison
Ayanna Ramzah
History 104
Jason Boan
February 6, 2022
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The reconciliation of the two Koreas, the north and the south, still seems to be the elephant
in the room. By now we’ve come to accept it, but how long can we continue to tiptoe around the
issue that a major country is divided? While some deem peace between the two to be a lost
cause, others still hold out hope that one day Korea will be whole again. Charlie Jung, author and
Korean native, believes that the United States (US) has a major part in why peace has not
commenced. In his article titled, "Why Korea Needs Peace: A Korean American Perspective," he
states that, " Many foreign policy experts in the US fail to recognize that the US is losing the
hearts and minds of Koreans, especially the younger generations. They question why the US is
so hesitant to support peace in the Korean Peninsula’’ (Jung). Although Jung eludes to the fact
that he understands why the United States is on the fence with North Korea due to many other
political differences, he does believe that in the end, there will be peace. On the other hand,
author Andrew S. Millard concluded in his article titled, "Reunification on the Korean Peninsula:
Is Social-reunification Feasible?’’ that, "The result is, the two Koreas are on two different paths
of social integration; one path is leading to a liberal, multi-cultural world with equality and
freedom, the other is leading to a world of isolationism and suppression. We are reaching a point
where the two paths may not be able to re-converge" (Millard). Whilst Jung’s faith seems to
stem from his life of growing up a multi-cultural American Korean, Millard’s verdict takes a
much more political and economical approach. Both authors are justified in their beliefs and do
share the underlying perspective that the US aids in bridging the gap that many hope will one
day close. And whilst Millard doesn’t see the country becoming one again the near future, he
does seem to understand that through extensive work and trust, there may be a light at the end of
the tunnel.
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Bibliography
Jung, Charlie. “Why Korea Needs Peace: A Korean American Perspective - 38 North:
Informed Analysis of North Korea.” 38 North, 16 Nov. 2018, www.38north.org/2018/11/
cjung111618/.
Millard, Andrew S. “Reunification on the Korean Peninsula: Is Social-Reunification
Feasible? *.” Korea Observer, vol. 49, no. 2, 2018, pp. 191–217. ELibrary; ProQuest
Central, https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.29152/KOIKS.2018.49.2.191. Accessed 7
Feb. 2022.
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