Former President Park Chung-hee has always tried to negotiate with North Korea, even if South Korea's national power does not surpass North Korea. If North Korea made provocations, South Korea continued to try to negotiate while preventing them. Former President Park Chung-hee could not give in to the idea that the division of the Korean Peninsula was unusual and that the unified Korean Peninsula was its original appearance. In other words, as described at the end of the Charter of National Education, it was important to encourage a cheerful and warm spirit of cooperation for the future of the glorious unified country that will forever be handed down to future generations.
On the other hand, the Park Chung-hee administration had a strong sense of independence that we should solve our problems. As a result, there was occasional friction with the Carter administration in the U.S.
Since the U.S. is simply a liberal country, it is better to describe it as the policy of the ooo administration of the U.S. rather than as "U.S. policy." On the one hand, it also meant that if South Korea believes in the policy line of any administration in the United States as it is, it may have something to regret later. In the next administration of the United States, foreign policy may go a completely different way than Korea expected.
In particular, Vietnam's experiences have strengthened the idea that Korea should never rely solely on the United States. Former President Park Chung-hee must have experienced the evils of ideology (communism) and ways to awaken the spirit of the people through the Japanese military and the South Korean Labor Party. Indeed, South Korea became a turning point for overwhelming North Korea because former President Park Chung-hee's mental strength overwhelmed that of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung. Kim Il-sung missed a period of development that could naturally come after the war, focusing on strange symbolic policies, iconography, and parts rather than the whole. Later, I also saw former President Park Chung-hee's sense of mission and spirit to former President Roh Moo Hyun. At the same time, I learned that pragmatic politics requires a strong mentality toward goals.
Over time, Korea became democratized with the efforts of many people. On the other hand, political power, which pursues individual interests without a sense of mission, often aimed at niche markets. When their profit-seeking activities were blocked by barriers, they talked about anti-communism and engaged in ideological activities. There was no better issue than that to draw the emotional sympathy of the old generation who experienced the Korean War. However, if ideology is used as the main issue or agenda of the regime, the economy and diplomacy are damaged. This is because it goes to conflict and confrontation, not persuasion and negotiation. In the end, even if they pull out ideological azenda, a situation with a bad end will be created as realistic economy or diplomacy collapses.
In particular, my thoughts on North Korea were expected to lead to the stability of the Korean Peninsula and lead to the path of cooperation, creating an environment in which North Korea and South Korea benefit each other. In the long run, North Korean President Kim Jong-un was considered to be able to carry out Deng Xiaoping or Zhou Enlai-style reforms. As I said a lot in the previous article, North Korea does not seem to have the capacity and environment to hastily change its system.
I watched with interest because I heard that there was a bold plan for North Korea when the current government of South Korea took office. However, I was shocked to see the current government leading the situation to a bold and mature ideological debate.
Political leaders should have a sense of duty. That way, political leaders can be cautious and focused. In particular, not only South Korea's political leaders but also North Korea's political leaders. It must be acknowledged that the divided Korean Peninsula is abnormal. Of course, the armed conflict between South Korea and North Korea is a very strange phenomenon. After 20 years of research, I realized that I could not interpret it rationally but only psychoanalytically.