Seoul, Korea—The main speaker at an online program explained the obstacles to reunifying the two Koreas.
The webinar on November 13, 2020, one of a series of webinars marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War, was titled “Why Do the Two Koreas Remain Divided and What Can Be Done about It?”
The online conference was organized jointly by the Europe and Middle East (EUME) branches of UPF and the International Association of Academicians for Peace (IAAP), one of the UPF primary associations.
Michael Breen, an author and commentator on Korean issues based in South Korea, gave a presentation and responded to questions from the audience.
A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Mr. Breen is a former correspondent for The Washington Times and The Guardian and a past president of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club. He is currently the CEO of Insight Communications Consultants, a business consultancy in Seoul. He also writes for the Chosun Ilbo and The Korea Times newspapers. He is the author of four books on Korea, the most recent of which is The New Koreans. He was made an honorary citizen of Seoul in 2001.
The moderator was Yoshihiro Yamazaki, coordinator of IAAP for Europe and the Middle East. Mr. Breen was introduced by Peter Zoehrer, coordinator of the EUME branch of the International Media Association for Peace (IMAP), another UPF primary association.
Mr. Breen addressed the question of what has prevented the two separated countries from unifying during the past 70 years, even though the Koreans have remained committed to doing so, and what is stopping them now? Could reunification be around the corner, and, if so, what can the international community do to support it?
Following his presentation, Mr. Breen answered questions from the audience which were fielded by Dr. Juraj Lajda, the president of UPF in the Czech Republic.