| bibo:abstract |
The German Unification as a Model for Korea
저 자 명 : Seo Byung-chul
날 짜 : 1998.12
Ⅴ. Conclusion
German unification, a tremendously important event which restored the geographical
configuration to its original state, entailed enormous changes in every field. Germany,
once a defeated country, now began to be regarded as a great power at the threshold of
becoming a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Politically, the inevitable
yoke of "Economic Giant and Political Dwarf" before unification was finally hauled off.
Economically, despite some transitional difficulties, it began to recover and a GNP
growth rate of 2.9% was recorded in 1997. In addition, Germany now plays the role of a
tug boat for European integration. The European Federal Bank, issuing the Euro from
2002., will be established in Frankfurt. As the proverb, "the one who produces coins
controls political power" indicates, the effect of German unification is on the right track.
Regaining calmness after the enthusiastic joy of unification, the people of the previous two Germanies have discovered some things that they did not like about each other. It
was because life styles, behavioral patterns, and political cultures had been formed in
different ways in different situations. East Germans criticize the West Germans as
arrogant people and call them the Wessies who always want self-improvement through
weird ideas. On the other hand, West Germans say that East Germans cannot live well
because those Ossis are lazy and do not have a liberal mind. The most negative aspect
of German unification is that the internal union among people will take some time before
its full realization.
The fact that there exist some differences even among the Germans who were allowed
to make phone calls, exchange letters, monitor T.V.'s and listen to radios while
separated, makes us feel that confidence-building between the two Koreas is essential.
North Korea will have to open up and reform, so that exchange and cooperation can be
implemented. South Korea should also do its best to help the North to overcome its
isolation.
Germany spends an enormous amount of money to manage unification. Over the last 7
years, 1 trillion marks have been spent. The annual unification expense amounts to 4-
5% of GDP, and this is collected from unification tax which is approximately 5.5% of
people's income tax. This fund is mostly used for the expansion of social overhead
capital in the poor areas of East Germany and social welfare in general. In the longterm
perspective, it will be a strategic investment for the development of East German
areas in terms of infrastructure. Several years later, the fruit of this investment will be
visible.
Various amounts, ranging from 200 billion dollars to 1 trillion dollars, are being
suggested as the cost to unify by Korean experts. Here, we should not hold a view that
unification should be postponed until economic capability is recovered in light of the
expected financial burden. We saw that the chance of unification could come without
any prior notification as was the case with Germany, and thus we need careful
preparation and strengthening of national power.
South Korea would not be able to imitate exactly the German process of unification
because of the differences of geopolitical position, history, and national emotion. But we
have to learn some lessons from the methods and policies of the West German case
because unification is a goal that needs to be achieved soon.
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