Proposal to Use DMZ as Site for Reconciliation and Integration
(Published April 25, 2012)

Gyeonggi Research Institute proposes launch of South-North Border Management Committee

◇ View of the lower reaches of the Imjin River ⓒ G-News Plus

A proposal has been made to use the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas as a site for reconciliation and integration. The DMZ remains the most heavily armed border in the world.

Gyeonggi Research Institute researcher Park Eun-jin has proposed a number of ways to develop the border areas between the two Koreas, including the DMZ, based on cases of collaboration in foreign countries, in her report titled Overseas Cases of Border Areas and Their Implications for the DMZ in Korea.

In her report, Park proposes diverse options including the launch of the South-North Border Management Committee to deal with non-political issues first with the participation of local governments.

From hostility and separation to reconciliation and integration

Other proposals have been made regarding the use of the DMZ as a space for peace, but no substantial progress has been made. The DMZ was created as a result of the Armistice Agreement signed in July of 1953 after the cessation of the Korean War. Elsewhere in the world, there are cases in which peaceful relationships have been maintained in border areas similar to the DMZ.

The once closely watched Iron Curtain, which used to separate the two Germanys, has been transformed into an ecological and historically themed tourism area. Even before unification, the two Germanys launched a border committee to discuss the problem of the pollution of streams flowing across the border. In addition to discussing issues concerning water resources, energy, and the prevention of natural disasters, they enacted a law designed to provide support for border areas in preparation for unification and pushed ahead with policies to give tax benefits and start public projects related to border areas.

The two Yemens accomplished unification through exchanges and collaboration based on mutual interests following the discovery of oil fields in border areas. Cyprus, where a DMZ was set up to separate Greek and Turkish ethnic groups following armed clashes, has realized integrated urban development through the launch by local governments of projects that are small in size but nonetheless essential for local residents, such as sewage treatment. Elsewhere, Ecuador and Peru put an end to their territorial dispute by signing an agreement on shipping routes along the Amazon in an effort to realize mutual gain and by establishing a border peace park.

The most successful cooperation models are those in which border areas are designated for mutual collaboration for joint scientific research and environmental protection. For example, Finland and Russia, as well as Poland, the Slovak Republic and Ukraine, agreed to establish ecological parks and wildlife sanctuaries along their border areas. Also, Hong Kong and China jointly developed special economic zones and foothold cities along their border and finally accomplished economic integration.

◇ The DMZ: a place where the local ecology has been preserved. ⓒ G-News Plus

Discussion about non-political issues first in a way that benefits both sides

Park Eun-jin has proposed the launch of the South-North Border Management Committee to discuss issues concerning the development of border areas, including the DMZ, as the two Germanys did.

The Committee proposed by Park Eun-jin would first discuss non-political issues in a way that is beneficial to both sides, including: 1) management of the areas along the rivers shared by the two sides, such as the Han, Imjin and North Han rivers, with the aim of preventing flooding, preserving local ecology, managing historic sites of the Goryeo Dynasty, and collaborating in energy production; and 2) the launch of a body for periodic discussions with the participation of local governments.

In her report, Park said that cases of collaboration in border areas transformed hitherto antagonistic situations into relationships based on coexistence, mutual reliance, and integration. She proposes that the two Koreas start collaborating on environmental and economic matters first, and then expand the scope of their collaboration until they reach an agreement on the establishment of something like a peace park, as in the case of Ecuador and Peru.

Park Eun-jin stresses that a plan for the development of border areas should be one that looks ahead to the post-unification period, such as the formation of a special economic zone that will encompass Seoul and Pyongyang, rather than focusing exclusively on the development of backward areas. She also proposes the formation of a peace ecological belt between the two Koreas, just as Germany, Finland, and Russia did in the development of their border areas into the European Green Belt.

Park Eun-jin added, “We can see that many countries have developed relationships based on mutual trust, putting an end to disputes and antagonism, with the commencement of practical but non-political projects. We Koreans should follow their example and start taking steps towards mutual collaboration by engaging in dialogue on practical issues concerning the border areas first.”

ⓒ G-News Plus / Im Se-jeen / sejeenee@kg21.net

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201204251714239277C048&s_code=C048