Will South Korea’s New President Pave Way for Reunification?
Host: Yin Khvat The Korean War began in 1950. Although the fighting ended in 1953, no peace deal was ever signed. More than seventy years later, reunification of the Korean Peninsula remains the stated political goal of South Korea’s two major parties, although they strongly disagree on strategy. Newly elected South Korean President Lee Jae-myung of the Korean Democratic Party is seen as more dovish than his predecessor. North Korea reciprocated an initial peace gesture by Lee to shut off propaganda speakers at the border, but the next steps are less clear. Could Lee successfully defuse tensions, or is Pyongyang too dangerous to trust? And is reunification even still possible? In our third special episode from Seoul, Taiwan talks speaks to two leading Korean experts about what Lee’s election might mean for the future of inter-Korean relations. Our guests: Lee Jeong-ho - Korea University Research Institute of Korean Studies Research Professor Kim Yeong Ik - Seoul National University Institute of International Affairs Visiting Research Fellow
