How to bring peace to Korean Peninsula

The United Nations Security Council adopted a statement condemning the recent rocket launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). This in turn has provoked the DPRK to declare that it would restart its nuclear program. This is likely to bring sanctions against Poyongyang, which in turn could make it more aggressive.

If that were to happen, the cycle of confrontation between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the DPRK will continue to be reinforced. But this is a false track based on mutual suspicion and fear. The right one is exactly the opposite.

When Korea was divided in 1948, there were three important factors or variables, which have now changed. First, many economies were on the rise. Second, there were no noticeable environment problems. Third, the communist ideology was still spreading. Today, that global picture has changed completely. We now face a global economic crisis that is seriously hurting many countries. There is a grave poverty problem all over the world. Every second, people are dying because of malnutrition. We are confronted with dire environmental challenges such as pollution, shortage of water and global warming. There is a growing understanding that our natural resources are limited and that the environment pays a high price for development. Finally, we agree on most things than disagree.