The Korean Reconciliation Treaty and the German Basic Treaty: Comparable Foundations for Unification?

With the end of the Cold War, the North-South Korean relationship has been the focus of increasing attention in the international community. In 1991, after years of tense and hostile relations, the two states adopted the Korean Reconciliation Treaty. To assess the prospects for successful reunification of the two Koreas through the Treaty, this comment compares it with the German Basic Treaty of 1984, which promotes similar goals of reunification of divided states. The comparison shows that the German Treaty has been more successful in facilitating unification, due largely to its relative flexibility in implementation. This comment proposes that the two Koreas might achieve greater cooperation through more flexible implementation of the Reconciliation Treaty, particularly with respect to its provisions on cross-border communication