The intersection of national division and unification processes is increasingly shaped by global geopolitics, with profound implications for security, integration, and regional stability. Recent developments in East Asia and Europe demonstrate the growing interconnection between these two theaters. North Korea, under Kim Jong Un, has firmly rejected unification as a national goal, instead designating South Korea as its primary adversary. Meanwhile, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared that unification can only occur through the spread of democracy, effectively signaling regime change in Pyongyang as the path forward.
The tension between these divergent visions for the Korean Peninsula is further complicated by North Korea’s deepening alignment with Russia, including sending ammunition—and potentially troops—to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. This evolving relationship underscores the increasingly inseparable nature of security challenges across East Asia and Europe.
This panel invites scholars to explore the broader implications of these developments. How do the geopolitical dynamics in these two regions influence each other? What are the comparative lessons for national division and unification from Europe and Asia? How do North Korea’s actions and South Korea’s democratic unification vision fit into broader international efforts at conflict resolution and peacebuilding? We seek papers that offer both theoretical insights and empirical analysis of these interconnected challenges, drawing from historical and contemporary case studies.
By fostering dialogue between scholars from different regions, the panel aims to deepen our understanding of the national and international forces driving division and unification processes. We particularly welcome contributions that examine the policy implications of these dynamics and provide comparative perspectives from both Europe and Asia.