The World On arirang

What viewpoint do countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula -- the U.S., China, Japan, and Russia -- have on the issue of unification? We sit down with experts from each country and listen to what their positions are and what they believe the ideal method of unification would be. By doing so, the documentary lays out what the need for unification is for viewers around the world.

Former North Korea expert for the U.S. government, Sue Mi Terry (Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University's Weatherhead East Asian Institute); Victor Cha (Professor at Georgetown University, former Director for Asian Affairs in the White House's National Security Council); Frank Jannuzi (President and CEO of The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation); and Charles Armstrong (Professor of Korean Studies at Columbia University) offer their viewpoints on Washington's policy towards the Korean Peninsula.
China's Yang Xiyu (Senior Research Fellow at China Institute of International Studies); and Yan Xuetong (Professor of Int'l Studies at Tsinghua University) lay out their candid opinions on Beijing's position on Korea's unification.

"If Korea is unified, it's a win-win situation for all the surrounding countries." - Frank Jannuzi
"If Korea is unified, North Korea's nuclear problem resolves itself." - Tadashi Kimiya

In the year 1945, soon after liberation, Korea faces the onset of its division. The arbitrary military demarcation line that was drawn up as a temporary measure for administrative purposes has been in place for the past seven decades. The Korean Peninsula, after falling victim to the Cold War and conflict between surrounding countries, has experienced massive political and economic losses. Why can the unification of the only standing divided country in the world no longer be delayed?