본문 바로가기
  • Home

An Analysis of the Role of East and West German Residents in the German Reunification Process : The Implications for the Unification of the two Koreas

  • Korea and Global Affairs
  • Abbr : KGA
  • 2021, 5(3), pp.191-228
  • DOI : 10.22718/kga.2021.5.3.007
  • Publisher : Korea Institute of Politics and Society
  • Research Area : Interdisciplinary Studies > Interdisciplinary Research
  • Received : May 15, 2021
  • Accepted : June 24, 2021
  • Published : June 28, 2021

Joo-Shin Chung 1

1한밭대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to analyze the people of East and West Germany who have played a driving role in the unification process of Germany and to come up with ways to unify the Korean Peninsula that can be taken from them. In other words, as the role of East and West Germans sets a simple precedent for achieving a unified Germany, it is important to consider what the role theory of South and North Koreans is in a unified Korea. The role theory played by East and West Germans in the German reunification process cannot help but be benchmarked for the unification process on the Korean Peninsula by South and North Koreans. To this end, research methods on the popular behavior and socio-cultural aspects of non-political fields are used. In particular, the role analysis of East and West German residents is to be considered separately before/after the fall of the Berlin Wall during the development process. On the other hand, the implication of reunification between the two Koreas is to link the symbolism of the collapse of the Berlin Wall to the DMZ on the Korean Peninsula, which is still in a state of confrontation. In conclusion, the reunification of East and West Germany can be said to have been achieved not by the cost of the summit but by the voluntary and non-political integration of East and West German residents.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.