An Interview with Professor Kiho Han of Ajou University, who emphasizes "Coexistence"

Dr. Kiho Han, Director (Associate Professor) of the Research Laboratory at the Ajou University Institute for Unification Studies and Affiliated Research Fellow at CUKPE

“The ‘power of division’ extends beyond the South and the North to encompass neighboring countries.” On the 28th of last month, I met Professor Han Ki-ho of Ajou University (Ajou Institute of Unification Nations), author of The Power of Division (2nd Edition, Seonin Publishing), in his office. Professor Han observed, “The situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula is fluctuating rapidly,” adding that “as the U.S.-China strategic competition intensifies and Sino-Japanese conflicts rise to the surface, the demands of neighboring countries toward South Korea have become significantly more explicit.”

The ‘strategic ambiguity’ that South Korea has maintained during past conflicts between major powers is no longer welcomed. The United States is highly likely to demand action from South Korea regarding changes in the role of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). Similarly, China will likely seek to confirm South Korea's stance on sensitive issues such as the Taiwan Strait.

Professor Han defined this trend, sharpened by recent Sino-Japanese disputes, as the “Return of Northeast Asian Geopolitics.” Inter-Korean agendas are increasingly trapped by the variables of neighboring countries, and South Korea is being forced to make difficult choices amidst geopolitical tensions. Consequently, inter-Korean issues are fading from international priority, and their solutions are becoming more complex. As Sino-Japanese conflicts materialized, North Korea declared its support for China and chose a path divergent from the West regarding sanctions against Russia. Han’s diagnosis is that “because North Korea’s alignment is now fixed, the range of adjustable options between the South and North is narrowing.” Particularly under the alignment of North Korea, China, and Russia, Japan’s approach to North Korea has also become difficult, making it hard to expect cooperation from Tokyo.

Professor Han has long argued that inter-Korean relations constitute an “Enduring Rivalry.” He interprets this relationship as having become more defined after North Korea declared South Korea a “hostile belligerent state.” Unlike existing discourses on division that focus on trauma or tragedy, the concept of enduring rivalry views the relationship as one between two states where “both sides regularly use military threats and force, and shape their foreign policies through a military lens.” In the case of South Korea, the strategic structure of division created by domestic politics combines with the international political landscape to function powerfully, making the easing of tensions and the end of division seem even more remote.

In The Power of Division, Professor Han explains that “the origins of the political, economic, security, and diplomatic problems caused by division lie in the 38th parallel, which was hastily drawn in 1945.” He argues that the primary task for the Korean Peninsula is to alleviate the “mental boundaries” that have deepened due to this geographical border. Geographical boundaries solidify geopolitical thinking and serve as the starting point for various contradictions between the two Koreas. The incident on the 3rd, where the UN Command denied entry to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for Kim Hyun-jong, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, illustrates the paradox where sovereignty does not fully reach the borders of our own territory. Furthermore, the exchange of anti-North Korean leaflets and trash balloons across the border serves as a prime example of how the boundary operates as a tool to deepen "divisive hostility."

To dissipate the accumulated tensions, what is required is a shift in how boundaries are managed. In a situation where North Korea is attempting to scale back unification-related language in the Workers' Party bylaws following constitutional changes, Professor Han Ki-ho of Ajou University (Ajou Institute of Unification Nations) emphasized, “The short-term goal must be substantive peaceful ‘coexistence’ between the two Koreas,” and “We must protect the peace of daily life.” Recent preemptive measures taken in border areas are paving the way for this. Examples such as the management of anti-North Korean leaflet distributions and the easing of the prior-authorization system for contacting North Korean residents in third countries into a reporting system represent a process of solidifying the effective foundation of necessary systems without unnecessarily provoking North Korea.

A shift in momentum is also being sensed on the diplomatic stage. Professor Han noted, “South Korea is currently in a period where it must build a track record of national interest-based diplomacy,” adding that “consultations between South Korea and the U.S. regarding nuclear-powered submarines and the finalization of the designations for the three Northeast Asian countries are attempts to strategically utilize various 'cards' in the return of great power politics.” He projected that at upcoming stages, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be hosted by China next year and the Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships in Pyongyang, “utilizing countries that maintain diplomatic relations with both Koreas will gradually open up diplomatic space for the Korean Peninsula.”

The most urgent task is the restoration of severed communication channels. This is because the conduits for follow-up measures in the event of accidental incidents between the North and South are currently limited to the UN Command channels. In The Power of Division, he explains that “for North Korea, a liaison office is not merely a communication network but a means of negotiation to secure substantive interests such as food, financial aid, and diplomacy.” Even if it remains a political tool that can be unilaterally closed at any time, he reaffirmed the necessity of institutionalizing the operation of diplomatic missions as a barometer for the normalization of inter-Korean relations, stating, “the function and role of inter-Korean communication channels are irreplaceable.”

Reflecting on the 2020 demolition of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office during his tenure as a division chief at the Ministry of Unification, Professor Han distanced himself from interpreting the event solely as a ‘failure’ of North Korea policy. He remarked, “The essence of the message was that North Korea could no longer walk the same path as the South,” and suggested that North Korea would have found a way to deliver a message of similar impact even through other means. He shared that analyzing the essence of modern inter-Korean relations, including this incident, served as the driving force behind the publication of The Power of Division.

Professor Han identified “inter-Korean sports exchanges” as a practical tool to alleviate the rigid order of division. Since sports exchanges, being a non-political field, have a clear psychological impact on public perception, he believes they can serve as a starting point for shifting perspectives toward coexistence with North Korea on the peninsula. A representative case is the “Ari Sports Cup,” a youth football exchange. While a tournament in Wonsan was promised following the Chuncheon event, it remains suspended due to the emergence of the “hostile two-state theory” and the pandemic. He noted, “Realizing the Wonsan tournament would be a difficult decision for the North, as it fundamentally contradicts the ‘hostile belligerent’ relationship they have established for their citizens.” He also shared a testimony from an official who accompanied the South Korean national football team to Pyongyang during the 2022 Qatar World Cup second Asian qualifying round, describing the atmosphere at the time as “chilling.”

However, the 2026 Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships are different. This is because the tournament is scheduled based on reciprocal gestures exchanged amidst strained relations. Professor Han explained, “The decision to host the event in Pyongyang was made unanimously at last year's Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) General Assembly, and South Korea supported it. North Korea, in turn, did not oppose the election of Yu Nam-kyu as Vice President of the International Table Tennis Federation.” He further predicted that South Korea’s participation in this tournament could serve as a benchmark for the resumption of the Ari Sports Cup in Wonsan.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that the burden cannot rest on the sports sector alone, calling for a proactive role from the government. He stated that barriers between departments involved in North Korean affairs—such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Unification, and the Ministry of National Defense—must be lowered, and their roles must be coordinated beforehand. Additionally, pointing to the weakening research environment in universities, he remarked, “I hope to see the restoration of an academic ecosystem where discussion and debate remain vibrant.”

Regarding the perception of unification, Professor Han expressed concern over the social distance felt by the third and fourth generations of the division. "In a 2023 Seoul National University survey, the sense of affinity toward North Korean defectors was lower than that toward ethnic Koreans from China (Joseonjok)," he noted, adding that the attitude of viewing defectors as "distinct entities who happen to hold South Korean ID cards" widens the socio-psychological gap. To alleviate this, he suggested that long-term approaches, such as reconciling generational perception gaps and initiating discussions on constitutional revision, are necessary. He emphasized that "because the discourse on unification is like a living organism that changes over time, we must observe it steadily rather than confining it to schematic calculations; only then can we truly face the problem." He reaffirmed that the discourse on peaceful unification remains valid today as one of the ideal models for the nation.

In closing, he stated, "Even if inter-Korean relations seem to be regressing, I believe that we are ultimately moving forward in a zigzag (之-shaped) fashion." He added, "This philosophy and stance serve as a metaphor worth referencing with patience—from a long-term perspective, in terms of establishing a relationship with the North, and within the geopolitical reality where we live side-by-side." The Power of Division is densely packed with the knowledge and experience Professor Han has gathered from both theory and the field, as well as the surrounding geopolitical and psychological structures. He conveys the message that only when we understand division as a "substantive structure of life" rather than a "political slogan" can the solutions for coexistence take concrete shape. As he suggests, one hopes that a new phase for the South and North will open on the day when small connection points aimed at coexistence break down the boundaries between field experience and theory.

(This article was originally published as an interview with the author of The Power of Division: The Korean Peninsula Governed by Borders in kyosu.net in Korean and translated into English with the help of Gemini 3. The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not represent the official stance of the center.)