Abstract
C-essey in Political Science by Marcus Stromberg, VT- 11
"North- and South Korea: Incoming reunion or continued conflict? A comparative study of North- and South Korea and the conditions for unification"
Tutor: Sten Berglund
This essay is an analysis of North Korea and South Korea and the task of reunification. Focus lays on the states political systems in a comparative perspective, and the main goal is to lay out the conditions for a potential reunification. A parallel is drawn between possible Korean
unification and the actual unification of Germany in 1989, as an attempt to forecast what could be problematic with such an event. The questions that get answered in the study are: "What are the conditions for unification in Korea" and also "What kind of political system does North and South Korea have?" and "How do they compare?" The essay starts with an
analysis of the political system in North and South Korea respectively, followed by a comparison of the two countries. It then addresses itself to the conditions for reunification,
and the conclusions of the study. I have chosen to use literature on the topic as my main source of information. The comparison between North and South Korea is made according to the most similar as well as the most different research design. The study is limited to one case
of possible unification, and one case of actual unification. The political system of North Korea is described as sultanistic, and that of South Korea as a developing democracy. The states have a long common history, and share a common language and religious traditions, but differ strongly in political direction. Reunification will probably be a very expensive project. North Korea runs the obvious risk of collapsing and South Korea getting stuck with
the bill. The bad economy and other internal structural problems are far more likely than foreign intervention to bring North Korea down, due to the nuclear arsenal in the hands of
