Germany and Korea

The dynamic between eastern Germans and western Germans after the reunification of Germany, as described in Bach’s essay, is similar to that of the interaction between South Koreans and the few North Koreans who escaped the oppressive country. The two Koreas undoubtedly have analyzed the German reunification as Korean reunification always remains a distant but potential hope.

One would assume that North Korean refugees would be welcomed by the South. When the initial defectors after the Korean division in the 1950s arrived in the South, a defection “intoxication,” similar to the German reunification “rausch, ”was experienced by the South Koreans. But as defections became more common, aside from a governmental stipend, North Koreans are now mostly looked upon as second-class citizens, much like the eastern Germans to western Germans. They often have difficulty finding employment or adjusting to life in the South. Since the situations of the two Koreas closely resemble that of the former two Germanys—one a technologically and economically advanced nation while the other a stagnant Communist nation— the dynamic within a reunified Korea would resemble the post-unification Germany.

In addition to the relationship to the two peoples, Modernist nostalgia and nostalgia of style are sure to exist, as forms of it are occurring already. Visitors to North Korea often horde the various products for sale that display North Korean symbols—alcohol, stamps, jars of food, and other items. And in a reunified Korea, northern Koreans will likely long for their former Communist nation, as their dreams for a harmonious and utopian, reunified Korea are dashed by their relegation to the second class and the accompanying hardship.