Building Relationships Across the Boundaries: The Peacebuilding Role of Civil Society in the Korean Peninsula

ABSTRACT

The expectations for the role of civil society are growing due to an abysmal record of high-level political leadership in reaching an agreement and a sustainable peace process. How much impact can civil society have and what roles can it take in the peace process? This case study of South Korean civil society shows how the civil society was able to bridge the horizontal and vertical boundaries of the Korean conflict with the support of a global civil society, and created a hospitable public atmosphere for the peace process in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the space for the civil society to make a contribution in the Korean peace process required the interdependency of the roles of high-level and civil-society leadership in the interplay between the international and domestic political environments. The peacebuilding role of South Korean civil society demonstrates that the horizontal capacity of civil society alone cannot guarantee a breakthrough and sustainability in a peace process, but if it is coordinated with the vertical capacity, civil-society peacebuilding can be a useful platform for sustainable peacebuilding.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

About the author

Dong Jin Kim (PhD) is an adjunct assistant professor at Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin and Director of the Peace Culture Institute in Korea. His research focuses on peacebuilding, reconciliation, humanitarian and development cooperation on the Korean peninsula, in East Asia, and beyond. His most recent articles is ‘Aid to the enemy: linking development and peacebuilding on the Korean peninsula’, The Pacific Review, Vol. 29, No. 4, 2016. E-mail: [email protected]

ORCID

Dong Jin Kim http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8157-2769

Notes

1 Lederach, The Moral Imagination, 60.

2 Galtung, “Three Approaches to Peace,” 297–303.

3 Barnes, “Weaving the Web,” 21–2; and Carey, “Conclusion,” 177.

4 Lederach, “Justpeace,” 29–30.

5 Lederach, “Civil Society and Reconciliation,” 842.

6 Lederach, Building Peace, 41–2.

7 Ramesh, The United Nations, Peace and Security, 33–4; and “N Korea Wants US out of South,” Los Angeles Times.

8 Lederach, “Civil Society and Reconciliation,” 854.

9 Cumings, “The Korean War,” 265.

10 Breen, The Koreans, 196.

11 McCormack, Target North Korea, 54.

12 Kim, Unification Policies of South and North Korea, 1945–1991, 214.

13 Jonsson, Towards Korean Reconciliation, 50.

14 Ministry of Unification, A Comparison of Unification Policies of South and North Korea, 81.

15 Kim, “Chosŏn Rodongdang Che 5Ch'a Taehoeesŏ Han Chungangwiwŏnhoe Saŏpch'onghwabogo [Comprehensive report on the work of Central Committee at the fifth conference of the Korean Workers Party].”

16 Kim, “Kunjungdaehoeesŏ Hasin Kimilsŏng Susangŭi Yŏnsŏl [A speech of Kim Il-sung at the people’s conference].”

17 Park, “Che 26Chunyŏn Kwangbokchŏl Kyŏngch'uksa [26th National Liberation Day address],” 416.

18 Oberdorfer, The Two Koreas, 25.

19 Yoon, “The Constitution of North Korea,” 1296.

20 Armstrong, Tyranny of the Weak, 168–207.

21 National Archives of Korea, 7.4 Nambuk Kongdong Sŏngmyŏng [7.4 South-North Korea Joint Communique].

22 Armstrong, The Koreas, 146.

23 Buzo, The Making of Modern Korea, 124.

24 Armstrong, Tyranny of the Weak.

25 Cho, “1980–1990 Kidokt'ongirundongŭi Iron'gwa Chaengjŏm [1980–1990 Christian Unification Movement, the theoretical basis and issues],” 180–211.

26 Lee, “Han'guk Kidokkyowa T'ongil Undong [Korean Christianity and Unification Movement],” 17.

27 Galtung, “Three Approaches to Peace.”

28 Weingartner, “The Tozanso Process,” 91.

29 Weingartner, “Twentieth Anniversary Reminiscences on the Tozanso Process,” 376.

30 Ibid., 378.

31 Park, Reconciliation Reunification, 63.

32 NCCK, 1980–2000 Han'guk Kyohoe P'yŏnghwa T'ongil Undong Charyojip [Documents of Korean Church’s Peace and Unification Movement 1980–2000], 102–10.

33 Lee, “88 Sŏnŏn Chŏnhu Sigi NCCKŭi T'ongirundonggwa Han'guk Kidokkyo [Before and After 88 Declaration: NCCK Unification Movement and Civil Unification Movement],” 30–8.

34 Roh, Special Declaration by the President in the Interest of National Self-esteem, Unification and Prosperity.

35 Jonsson, Towards Korean Reconciliation, 57.

36 Council on Foreign Relations, Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-aggression, and Exchanges and Cooperation Between South and North Korea.

37 Jeong, “The Characteristics of the South-North Agreement,” 4.

38 NCCK, 1980–2000 Han'guk Kyohoe P'yŏnghwa T'ongil Undong Charyojip [Documents of Korean Church’s Peace and Unification Movement 1980–2000], 223–32.

39 Interview by author with Park Jong-wha, former Chairman of the International Committee of NCCK, Seoul, January 7, 2010.

40 Ibid.

41 Interview by author with Park Kyung-seo, former WCC Asia Secretary, Seoul, February 25, 2010.

42 Interview by author with Noh Jung-sun, Vice-Chairman of the Reconciliation and Unification Committee of NCCK, Seoul, January 18, 2010.

43 Interview by author with Lee Sam-ryul, former Chairman of the Korean Committee of UNESCO, Seoul, January 14, 2010.

44 Interview by author with Oh Jae-shik, former WCC Director of the commission of the churches’ participation in development, Seoul, January 15, 2010.

45 Baek Nak-chung, Ŏdiga Chungdomyŏ Ŏtchaesŏ Pyŏnhyŏgin'ga [Where We Can Call Moderate and Why the Change], 186–90.

46 Interview by author with Choi Jang-jip, political scientist, Seoul, February 2, 2010.

47 Interview by author with Lim Dong-won, former South Korean negotiator, Unification minister, Seoul, January 25, 2010.

48 Interview by author with Jeong Se-hyun, former Unification ministry official, Unification minister, Seoul, January 22, 2010.

49 Interview by author with Park Chul-un, former South Korean negotiator, State minister, Seoul, May 13, 2010.

50 Ibid.

51 Lim, Peacemaker, 170–1.

52 Interview by author with Lee Hong-koo, former Unification minister, Prime minister, Seoul, February 4, 2010.

53 Interview by author with Lim Dong-won, former South Korean negotiator, Unification minister, Seoul, January 25, 2010.

54 Im, Pukpangjŏngch'aekkwa Han'gukchŏngch'iŭi Chŏngch'aek Kyŏlchŏng [Nordpolitik and the policy making in the Korean politics], 235–47.

55 Lederach, Building Peace, 41–2.

56 Interview by author with Victor Hsu, former WCC Director of the UN programme, Seoul, November 5, 2015.

57 Interview by author with Erich Weingartner, former WCC Executive secretary of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, Seoul, November 5, 2015.

58 Interview by author with Park Jong-wha, former Chairman of the International Committee of NCCK, Seoul, January 7, 2010.

59 Lederach, “Civil Society and Reconciliation,” 854.

60 “Nambukhan Kaesin'gyo Chŏnggigyoryu Ch'ujin [South-North Korean Protestant Church regular exchange is pursued],” Dong-A Ilbo, November 25, 1988.

61 Lederach, Building Peace, 41–2.

62 Interview by author with Suh Kwang-sun, former President of the World Alliance of YMCAs, Seoul, January 13, 2010.

63 Interview by author with Lee Hong-koo, former Unification minister, Prime minister, Seoul, February 4, 2010.

64 Kang et al., “The Effort of Church for Unification and Peace and the Road to Achieve Jubilee,” 183.

65 NCCK, 1980–2000 Han'guk Kyohoe P'yŏnghwa T'ongil Undong Charyojip [Documents of Korean Church’s Peace and Unification Movement 1980–2000], 148–9.

66 Lederach, Building Peace, 41–2.

67 Interview by author with Kwon Ho-kyung, former General Secretary of NCCK, Seoul, February 12, 2010.

68 Interview by author with Oh Jae-shik, former WCC Director of the commission of the churches’ participation in development, Seoul, January 15, 2010.

69 Interview by author with Kwon Ho-kyung, former General Secretary of NCCK, Seoul, February 12, 2010.

70 Ibid.

71 Interview by author with Chung Won-shik, former Prime minister, Seoul, January 28, 2010.

72 McCormack, Target North Korea, 153.

73 Kim, “Aid to the Enemy,” 473–98.

74 Barnes, “Weaving the Web,” 21–2; and Carey, “Conclusion,” 177.

75 Armstrong, “Beyond the DMZ,” 200.