One beginning

The history of North Korea begins in 1945 when Korea was divided at the 38th parallel in accordance with a United Nations arrangement, to be administered by the Soviet Union in the north and the United States in the south. Before 1945 there was one Korea, which extended back to Lower Paleolithic. After the Japanese Invasion of Korea was ended with Japan's defeat in World War II in 1945 the Soviets and Americans were unable to agree on the implementation of Joint Trusteeship over Korea. This led in 1948 to the establishment of separate governments, each claiming to be the legitimate government of all of Korea.

I mention this to draw our attention to the obvious. North Korea did not cause this problem. The division of Korea into North and South Korea was not a Korean idea. It happened because the Americans and the Soviets could not agree on how to how to run Korea jointly. There was a time when there was one Korea and Koreans did not view each other as enemies. There was also a time when humans lived as brothers and did not view each other as enemies. The fact that we keep trying to find ways to overcome this enemy consciousness seems to indicate that we do not believe that enemy consciousness is an natural aspect of human development.

In the next few blogs we will try to understand the root of enemy consciousness with a view to find a permanent solution for it.

We cannot be satisfied with a solution that must be maintained at great expense. The resources we expend to maintain a forced peace can be more profitably used elsewhere. Global military expenditure stands at over $1.2 trillion in annual expenditure and has been rising in recent years. The benefits of eradicating the scourge of enemy consciousness are obvious. If we had access to an additional $1.2 trillion annually we could eradicate poverty and illiteracy. More could become available because enemy consciousness also manifests itself in national crime statistics.

Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes … known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.

James Madison, Political Observations, 1795