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The separation of North and South Korea and their possible unifi- cation remains at the center of the South Korean political agenda and also influences international relations on a global scale. How- ever, the debate focuses primarily on international relations issues, while the question of how, in practice, the South and the North could actually merge is rarely examined. Economic and, even more so, social questions are usually ignored. This article uses the German case to highlight critically several social and economic aspects of the German reunification and draws inferences in relation to the case of Korea. It shows that the German strategy, focusing on a quick political reunification while implementing policies to achieve social and economic unity later, is not feasible for North and South Korea. It argues that South Korea needs to develop strategies to maintain North Korea's stability and to pursue social and economic harmonization first, before political reunification becomes a possibility.
Key Words: South Korea, North Korea, Reunification, Germany, Economic and Social Convergence, Monetary Union, Migration, Identity
I. Introduction
After weeks of peaceful uprising, in November 1989 the Berlin Wall, the global symbol of the Cold War and Germany's separation, fell. Germans from both sides celebrated the end of the Cold War together, and reunification1 changed within days from an abstract discussion topic into a concrete policy issue. The West German elites, surprised by the speed of events and lacking any concrete ideas on how to handle the situation, applied a strategy that I term "political reunification first, unity later" and decided to pursue political reunification as quickly as possible.2 On October 3, 1990, less than one year later, Germany celebrated its reunification.
The political success of the German reunification is beyond doubt, especially in the area of international relations, as in less than one year Germany was reunited and, for the first time since 1945, a sovereign country. Finally, Germany and its neighbors were able to close an important chapter of history that related to World War II and its outcome. Germany's reunification in the heart of Europe was also a call to the rest of the continent to move closer together. Around 15 years later, ten former communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe joined the European...