AUSTRIAN NEUTRALITY TO SERVE AN EXAMPLE FOR THE NEUTRALISATION OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA

Abstract

After the Japanese occupation of Korea in 1945 the Korean peninsula has operated as two different countries. Since then, there have been numerous efforts to reunite the two states. Different interests from external powers such as the US, China, and modern day Russia, propelled by the politics of the Cold War, have proven a major hinderance to the unity of the two Korean states. Despite the prospect of success in uniting the two nations, a divided mistrust exists among them. Intrinsically, the two differ in the unification formula that should be used. In this pursuit, it is believed that the neutralisation approach offers the best hope for the unification process. The study proposes for the nations to become the first nuclear armed neutral state; which, along with unification, can be extremely beneficial for the region as well as the international system, which may ostensibly be balanced with time. The optimum end result for the two nations would be unification, however the issue lies within the nations, their corresponding influential nations and their heightened sensitivity to conflict. For a country to achieve neutralisation there are certain conditions that are required to be in order, one of them includes unilaterally declaring neutralisation. This being the largest obstacle to achieve for both nations as the majority of the peoples are not centrists. Hence, for unification to become perceivable, declaring neutrality and removing all external factors comes before the centralisation of the political attitudes of the people. Aspects covered are internal, using data varying from polls, to religion, to ethnicities, as well as geography; which evidently, are enough to bring the peninsula to neutralisation, excluding the external aspects, which will be limited and abolished once neutrality is achieved. Once having achieved neutrality via unilateral declaration through having met the appropriate result of the formula assembled in the study, the Korean Peninsula can successfully become an armed neutral state. The study shows that the only limitation and constraint the peninsula has, is the ability to unilaterally declare neutralisation accordingly, which is limited to either one of the heads of state, heads of government and the minister of foreign affairs. The approach of neutrality has a history of success in countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, and Austria. Inferring from Austria’s data and applying it to the formula, the study seeks to propose the ability of the neutralisation process for the end goal of the unification of both North Korea (DPRK) and South Korea (ROK).