Most people are aware that the issue of unifying Korea is extremely complex. After all, the two Koreas have been separated for decades and the ideological, economic, and political differences are vast.  Thus, it only makes sense that this subject has to be approached from various angles. But exactly in which ways should this matter be dealt with? After interning at North Korea Strategy Center (NKSC) and embarking on a tour to the border area of China and North Korea, I learned that there are four main ways to approach theissue of North Korea and unification: backdoor approach, front door approach, side door approach, and top door approach.

(Looking at a North Korean village across the Tumen River from China)

A backdoor approach refers to the idea of diffusing media into North Korea and trying to reduce the ideological and culturalgap between the Koreas or perhaps, between North Korea and the rest of the world. NKSC is at the forefront of such efforts. As mentioned in “North Korea and Unification Part 1,”NKSC smuggles large quantities of USBs into North Koreato disseminate information.

Such an exercise is bringing desired results. “여자는 최지우 썩 꽨찮습니다. 송혜교도 인기 쎄게있고... 예쁘잖아요. 근데 우리 말로 몸매가 안돼요” – this is a quote from “Conversion of socialist system and the role of media: Implications of North Korean Rights.” In English the quote means, “Among women, Choi Jiwoo is not bad. Song Hyu-gyo also has some popularity…she’s pretty after all. But in our words, her body isn’t that nice.” Of course, mere interest towards celebrities isn’t going to somehow lead to unification. However, it appears that the way North Koreans think and what they enjoy my not be all that different from us after all. In other words, although it’s easy to think North Koreans simply have a different mindset due to their contrasting environment, North Koreans aren’t much disparate from us. They watch soap operas just like us; they evaluate people’s appearance like we do. It’s fair to say, this backdoor approach can continue to reduce the cultural gap between North Koreans and us.

The front door approach refers to the official transactions taking place at the government level. A good example is the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which is unfortunately currently closed right now. Yes, private ventures run – or ran – the facility. However, they can only do so when the governments of opposite parties agree on the issue. When dealing witha complexsubject like unification, there’s a limit to what individuals and NGOs can do, which makes government efforts essential.

The side door approach takes place when people or groups physically enter North Korea and actually see and help North Koreans with various needs. One organization that takes the side door approach is Sunyang Hana. The group currently is constructing spine research institute in North Korea to help children diagnosed with cerebral palsy, running several Kindergartens throughout the country, and donating snow boots produced from a shoe factory it owns in North Korea to children. Through these practices, people can directly help North Koreans and create a bond with them, although they inevitably face limitations. Obviously, South Koreans citizens like me fail to use of this method, which makes cooperation with other people very important. This idea will be further addressed in Part 3.

(Standing in front of a Chinese custom house that connects to North Korea)

The top door approach takes placeoutside of North Korea.This approach exposes the flaws of the North Korean government through means such as books, articles, interviews, and social media. By doing so, the method aims to put pressure on the North Korean government to treat its citizens in a better way. Naturally, peopletypically use this mechanism when addressing human rights issues present in North Korea. The more the North Korean government changes in a preferable direction, the easier unification will become.

As much as unification is a complicated issue, there are fortunately several ways to approach it as well. When individuals, groups, NGOs, governments, and the international community make a balanced use of the methods introduced in this article, I surely believe that North Korea will change and that unification will be brought about. The solutions are out there, and it is now a matter of getting more people to cooperate and utilize them.

Byoung Joon (Daniel) Bae
Grade 12
Asia Pacific International School