역대정부의 통일정책 검토와 이명박정부의 통일정책 변화 방향

Abstract

The relationship between South and North Korea is mainly influenced by international circumstances, internal situation of North Korea, and our unification policy of South Korea. This paper particularly focuses on examining the change of our unification policy among variables of the relationship between South and North Korea. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the previous unification policies of our successive governments and Lee, Myung Bak's government, and to suggest direction of unification policy change of Lee's government. Since the beginning of Lee's government, relationship between South and North Korea has led to the worst after the Korean War. The North Korea's provocation such as the second nuclear test, the third Yellow Sea battle, and Yunpyong-do accident has been deepened. Luckily after Yunpyung-do incident, there has been no provocation by North Korea thanks to the strengthening between United States and South Korea and influence of China to North Korea, but the tension between S. Korea and N. Korea has been highly maintained. Since the minister of unification was changed last September in 2011, the relationship between S. Korea and N. Korea seems to be changing a little bit positively. No one wants aggregation relationship between S. Korea and N. Korea and to carry uneasiness of national security. In addition, most people want to improve relationship between S. Korea and N. Korea for unification. In conclusion, considering international order of detente and our national future, confrontation between the two Koreas is not desirable. In order to make the basis of unification, the policy of current government needs prospective changes.