Since its founding, North Korea has had one main goal and that is reunification with South Korea. After many decades of propaganda geared towards the goal of reunification, 2024 was the year it was suddenly and radically abandoned by its leader Kim Jong-Un.
North Korea had (rightly) regarded the separation of the two nations as a historical mistake of world powers, and an unacceptable situation for a people with a shared history, ethnicity, and language. It felt that Koreans belonged together. Not under a capitalist government such as that of South Korea, which was regarded a mere puppet of America, but under the communist leadership of the Kims.
The Korean war was an attempt to accomplish that. After war failed to bring about reunification, the idea was not abandoned. North Korea continued its resistance against the Western powers (mostly America), which they felt held the South hostage. The ultimate dream was a strong, proud, independent, unified, communist Korea. As the decades went by, and the two nations formed their own very separate identities, it became less likely that reunification would ever happen. Especially on North Korea’s terms, as they fell behind economically and became a failed state while the South thrived.
Perhaps this is the reason the North Korea leader has now finally abandoned the dream of reunification and has radically shifted to a policy of antagonism towards the South. It is no longer the long-lost cousin which must be freed from the ‘puppet regime’ and the evil influence of America, but an enemy in its own right, which must be fought. Instead of saying ‘we belong together’ Kim Jong-Un has stated that he considers the separation of the two Koreas as permanent and has no wish to unify the nation.
It is hard to overstate how big of a shift this is. His grandfather Kim Jong-Il as well as his father Kim Il-Sung, had reunification at the heart of their policies. All throughout the country there were monuments symbolizing Korean unity, most notably the Reunification Arch in Pyongyang, which was promptly demolished days after the shift was announced. School books were hastily edited. Railways and roads crossing the DMZ into the South were demolished as well, with new border fortifications put in place. Communication with the South was cut. And even the constitution was rewritten to purge it from all references to reunification and to define South Korea as a hostile state.
The change has reportedly confused people in North Korea, who have been raised their whole lives with the idea that reunification is the ultimate goal. It has also depressed people, who had set their hopes for a better future on the prospect of reunification. With a lot of the propaganda being very hostile and negative, the ideal or reunification has been one of the few positive things people could focus on. It was an ideal worth striving and even fighting for. What is there left to hope for in the future?
South Koreans too, have long hoped for reunification, be it not under the Kims or communism, but under a democratic government. But in the past few decades, the ideal of reunification has become less popular. After the initial separation, everyone wanted reunification, if only to bring back together the countless relatives which had ended up on opposite sides of the border. However, the generation with direct relatives in the North is fast dying out. Younger people in the South mainly see the draw backs of reunification. It would cost untold billions to help their impoverished neighbours get a decent standard of living. And why would they invest so much in a nation that has continuously threatened and even attacked them?
Although there are active groups of Christians who pray fervently for reunification and are sure it will happen sooner rather than later, some believers see another way forward. They may still hope and pray that one day there will be one Korea, but they prioritize spiritual unity over political unity. They believe unity will come by people from both nations turning to Christ and finding each other as brothers and sisters in faith. They focus on building communities where Christian refugees from North Korea can worship together with South Korean believers, so mutual understanding can grow. And they actively support the underground church in North Korea, believing it is through them North Korea will be reached for the gospel and not by a big mission push from South Korea once borders open.
In the current political climate, reunification seems further away than ever. Although nothing is impossible to God, I think it is wise to be prepared keep supporting the underground church in North Korea for the foreseeable future, while doing what we can to reach North Koreans with the hope of the gospel. The current regime cannot fill their stomachs or their souls. As their hope for a peaceful, proud and prosperous united Korea is slipping away, they will need the hope of the kingdom of God more than ever.
