When the Day Comes (그날이 오면, その日が来たら) - Video
PUBLISHED:  Oct 04, 2008
DESCRIPTION:
Yearning for unification (통일염원、統一の念願)

Is the issue of unification (two Koreas) really important to Korean people? This is not simply a rethorical question. Both North and South Koreas have taken it for granted that unification is an absolute national goal. On whose term? That is a major problem. Long ago, unification education was like indoctrination even in South Korea. Some children grew up thinkng that they would like to offer their life to the cause of unification. This may still be ture in the case of North Korea. But having became wealthy, unification has ceased to something urgent for most people in South Korea. Wishing for unification is more like wishing for peace in the world. Nice, but not so urgent. Some are even worried about the cost of unification to South Korea. North, on the other hand, is worried out absorption into South Korea. Unification is not always welcome.

What impressed me about this MV is that so many music stars of younger generation participated in singing this song. Do they think unification is important to them, or to Korean people? Yearning for unificationan seems to be shared by the majority of Koreans though the sense of urgency varies. On the other hand, the major powers, China, Japan and the USA are not comfortable with the prospect of united Korea, each for its own reason. This is in reaction to and concern about the dream of Korean nationalists of a greater and more powerful Korea that unification may bring about.

In my view, peace and cooperation between North and South is far more important than unification itself and a greater unified nation. It is a matter of urgency something should be done about 8 million people who have family members divided in North and South. There are some Japanese kidnapped by NorthKorea. There are also more South Koreans kidnapped by North Korea. But the issue of divided families are so-o-o much bigger in scale. For each family, whether Japanese or Korean, whose member is involved in this division, seeing their loved one and getting together is important. Some Koreans belittle the issue of Japanese kidnapped by Norea. The majority of the Japanese are not aware of the issue of 8 million Koreans and only think about their own problem. An overall solution has to be sought. One cannot be done at the expense of others.
Koreans should think about the families of the Japanese people kidnapped by North Korea.
[CNN ABDUCTION The Megumi Yokota Story
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=2K3sQetYSGM ]
And the Japanese should think about 8 million Koreans who have divided families. I believe what is important to understand is that all of of these happened in the context decolonisation (Korea from the Japanese Imperial rule) and the Cold War.
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