After 50 years of separation, South Korea and North Korea should remain two sovereign states. The gap in culture, economy and way of life has widened beyond reunification, and all attempts to reunify are futile, despite them once being the same country and stemming from the same values.
From 1910 till the closing days of World War 2, Korea was a colony of Japan. In 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and occupied the Northern part of Korea on the 38th Parallel. In 1948, two separate governments had been set up (North and South), and in 1950, when conflict escalated, the Korean War began. The UN force led by the US, fought for the South and China assisted by the Soviet Union, supported the North. In 1953, after stalemate and attrition warfare, the armistice between North and South was signed, and a demilitarized zone was created between them.
50 years down the road, South and North Korea, which started as a united country, remains separated, and it seems are not as similar as they used to be. North Korea has completely different political views, economy, and cultural way of life. North Korea has an extremely repressive dictatorial regime, where as South Korea works on a democratic government. It is highly unlikely that either country would want to accept and function through the political values of the other, especially after 50 long years living the way that they have.
The North Korean economy is also mediocre compared to the vastness of the South Korean trading system alone. More is traded in South Korea in two days, than North Korea trades in a whole year! This too contributes to another factor of why they shouldn’t reunite; North and South Koreans over the years have also grown apart in physical features. North Koreans are 4.5 inches shorter than South Koreans, due to their lack of resources and trade, leading to food shortages throughout long periods during the year.
Also, as fellow Korean classmates have pointed out, it is not in the interests of Koreans to reunite anymore. Most of the older generations were in favour of the reunification of the two countries because families were split during the separation, and a united Korea was all that they knew. As this generation (put in the most respectful of ways) is dying out, the demand to reunite is slowly dying with them. For the younger generations, the South and North Koreas as separate states is all that they have ever experienced, and find no problem in the way things are. Thinking about what Korea would look like if they did reunite, it would be hard to distinguish where their alliances lie (the UN and US etc.. vs China), which political system to follow, and which economy to uphold.
Although many argue that North Korea is a failing state, and through war or other means, Korea will reunite, I strongly disagree, and truly believe that they are better off as separate states
