North Korea's Korean Central Television on the 6th released footage of Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, holding hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a banquet hosted by the latter, following a summit meeting between North Korea and China held from the 2nd to the 4th. [Photo=KCTV screen, Yonhap News]

In January 2026, a "Freedom Unification Departure Ceremony" was held at Imjingak, a symbol of division and a place steeped in the sorrow of longing for home. This was not merely an event organized by a single group, but a historic declaration to end a national tragedy that has spanned nearly 80 years and to spread the universal value of liberal democracy across the entire Korean Peninsula. The Citizens' Coalition for Freedom Unification, as stipulated in Article 4 of its articles of incorporation, is active with the purpose of achieving free unification of the Korean Peninsula based on the constitutional values of the Republic of Korea.

In the past decade, two books co-authored by members of the Citizens' Coalition for Freedom Unification, "Please Hasten Unification" (2016, Far East Broadcasting Company Planning) and "Free Gospel Unification Will Be Achieved" (2023, Source of Blessings), emphasize that the future we will face is not simply an arithmetic sum, but a "unification of freedom and gospel" where faith and the values of freedom triumph.

Now, we must critically examine the necessity and possibility of free unification of the Korean Peninsula amidst turbulent international affairs, by consolidating the discussions from numerous seminars held so far, such as the "North Korean Human Rights Improvement and Free Unification Seminar" (2023), the "Korean Peninsula Free Unification and Northern Economic Zone Seminar" (2023), the "Momentum for Korean Peninsula Free Unification International Seminar" (2024), and the "Domestic and International Affairs in Turmoil and Korean Peninsula Free Unification Seminar" (2025).

Shaking Totalitarianism... The Fall of the 'Axis of Evil' and International Relations

The world today is witnessing a grand clash of civilizations between the liberal democratic camp and totalitarian dictatorial states. The so-called 'axis of evil' extending from China, Russia, and Iran to North Korea threatens global peace. However, the pendulum of history is already pointing towards the internal collapse of dictatorial regimes.

Venezuela is a prime example. Venezuela, once a wealthy nation in South America, has seen its annual inflation rate reach millions of percent due to populism and the corruption of its dictatorial regime. Amidst this hyperinflation, over 8 million citizens have fled the country.

Venezuela has clearly demonstrated the devastating consequences of a dictatorial system by exporting its fraudulent election system and undermining global liberal democratic values. The tragic reality of having to carry bags of money to buy a loaf of bread in the market illustrates how dictatorial regimes destroy the lives of their people.

Furthermore, in Iran, public discontent has accelerated following the 'hijab protests.' The theocratic regime, which has suppressed women's freedom and human rights in the name of religion, is now facing strong resistance from the entire nation. The regime's focus on supporting terrorist organizations and developing nuclear weapons while its people starve is strikingly similar to the reality in North Korea.

The alliances formed by such states can never be robust. North Korea's participation in the Russia-Ukraine war through arms support and troop deployment demonstrates that their alliance is a 'gamble for survival' rather than one based on justice. North Korea's provocations, such as transferring tunnel technology to Hamas and cooperating with Iran on nuclear missiles, are pushing the international community's patience to its limit, paradoxically increasing the possibility of the simultaneous collapse of these regimes.

The Reality of North Korea and the Bankruptcy of Existing Unification Paradigms

The peace-building theory centered on 'inter-Korean exchange and cooperation' that has persisted for decades has now proven to be unachievable. The North Korean regime has used international aid as a means to buy time for its nuclear development, with the price being the blood and tears of its people.

According to the testimony of a recent defector, the reality of political prison camps is beyond human imagination. Testimonies such as "suffering forced labor for over 14 hours a day with treatment worse than that of animals, and witnessing my entire family disappear simply for secretly possessing a Bible" prove that North Korea is a 'giant prison' unlike any other in human history.

The starvation problem is also severe. The pleas of defectors stating, "Hungry 'kkotjebi' (beggars) wander the streets, and in provincial cities where rations have long been cut off, surviving on grass roots is commonplace," confirm that the 'crimes against humanity' identified by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea (COI) in 2014 are ongoing.

The North Korean regime's recent abandonment of the slogan 'unification by force' and its adoption of a 'two-state theory opposing unification' is merely another expression to conceal these internal contradictions. Even if the North Korean regime refuses unification, its citizens remain our people according to our constitution and national values. The defectors, who represent 'unification that arrived first,' are crying out to us: the essence of unification should be the liberation of the 25 million suffering North Korean citizens, not a compromise with the perpetrator regime.

The Possibility of North Korea's Sudden Change and Scenarios for Free Unification

Unification arrives suddenly for those who are prepared. As seen in the case of Germany in 1990, the door of history opens without notice. China's current economic weakening, declining population, and regime instability are factors that would make military intervention by China difficult in the event of a sudden change in North Korea. This presents us with a golden opportunity.

Our strategy should be a 'carrot and stick' approach based on the strong ROK-US alliance. The stick of international isolation and economic sanctions will lead to cracks within the regime, and in this process, we must encourage the voluntary cooperation of internal forces capable of rational judgment. The resisting core power elite must be suppressed with advanced military technology to minimize damage.

Most importantly, the decisive driving force will be an 'internal uprising of the North Korean people.' External information that has seeped in, particularly among the jangmadang (traditional market) generation, is awakening the consciousness of the citizens. When citizens yearning for freedom rise up on their own, the ROK-US Combined Forces can join hands with them and plant the flag of liberal democracy across the entire Korean Peninsula.

This is the tangible scenario for 'free unification' that history demands. The principle of 'cut-and-peck' (줄탁동기, Jutakdonggi) seen in the German unification case, meaning that both the inside and outside must work together for the chick to hatch from the egg, signifies the change in consciousness and resistance of the North Korean people from the 'inside (pecking)' and the ROK-US alliance and international pressure from the 'outside (pecking)' on the Korean Peninsula.

The Justification for Free Unification from a Biblical Perspective

The unification we pursue is a process of spiritual restoration that goes beyond mere territorial integration. The Bible teaches us the spirit of 'Jubilee.' The Jubilee, as stipulated in Leviticus 25, signifies a time when the oppressed are liberated, lost inheritances are reclaimed, and all servants gain freedom. For our North Korean brethren who have lived oppressed under communist totalitarianism for nearly 80 years, a true Jubilee must now be proclaimed to bring freedom and prosperity to the land of North Korea.

Internally, free unification of the Korean Peninsula will bring harmony and integration, overcoming divisions and conflicts between ideologies, generations, and regions. Upon unification, the Korean people will regain their homogeneity and reconnect with their 5,000-year history and traditions. This will contribute to peace and stability not only in Northeast Asia but also to global peace.

With a unified Korean Peninsula, a new logistics supply chain connecting Asia and Europe will be established, realizing immense economic benefits. The combination of North Korea's human and underground resources with South Korea's capital and technology will create a new engine for the South Korean economy, which is currently mired in low growth.

We pray for the realization of God's justice on this land, and at the same time, we must not cease our practical preparations. The turbulent international situation may be the last opportunity God has given us. The departure ceremony at Imjingak marked the beginning of this sacred march. The Korean Peninsula will surely become one through free unification, and a restored Korean Peninsula will, in the last era, carry freedom and the gospel to the world, standing tall among nations as a model country of justice and human integration. This is the historical imperative and divine providence in which we believe.