True peace requires moral clarity and a renewal of national vision

As world leaders gather for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and speculation grows over a potential meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, global attention has turned once again to the Korean Peninsula.

Many headlines focus on whether a new U.S.-North Korea summit will materialize, or whether Washington and Seoul might reach a trade agreement on the sidelines of the APEC event.

But behind those headlines lies a deeper question, one that cuts to the heart of the peninsula's identity and destiny. For Koreans, this is not merely about diplomacy or trade. It is about whether a divided people can reclaim their unity and moral purpose, or whether the scars of the 20th century -- colonization, partition and ideological war -- will be allowed to harden into permanence.

Recent surveys show how public sentiment can fluctuate -- and how easily it can be misread as national direction. According to a Korea Institute for National Unification poll conducted in mid-2025, only 49 percent of South Koreans said unification with the North is "necessary," while 63 percent said the two Koreas could "peacefully coexist without unification." Yet a separate Peaceful Unification Advisory Council survey released in September found that about 68.6 percent of respondents viewed unification as "very necessary" or "quite necessary."

Such contrasts reveal how question wording and framing can shape results. But they also underscore a deeper truth: Polls may reflect moods, but they cannot determine a nation's destiny. As retired U.S. Army Col. David Maxwell wrote in UPI on Oct. 24, "The only acceptable end state is a free and unified Korea -- regardless of polls." To confuse transient opinion with enduring purpose is to mistake the noise of the moment for the voice of history.

The current Korean government under President Lee Jae Myung faces a defining test of conscience. Its tone and policy have shown sympathy toward what many interpret as a "two-state" framework -- one that risks aligning with Pyongyang's push for international recognition as a permanent, independent state.

If such a stance becomes entrenched, it will be not merely a policy misjudgment but an indelible stain on history. Accepting division as permanent is to betray those who endured war and dictatorship, and to abandon future generations to a fractured national identity.

Instead, Korea must reclaim its founding ideal -- Hongik Ingan, which means "to live for the benefit of all humanity." This ancient moral philosophy underpins the modern Korean Dream, a vision of unification grounded in freedom, human rights and shared prosperity. Reunification is not an act of conquest or absorption; it is an act of restoration -- of healing a divided people and realizing the moral purpose of a nation.

From Washington's perspective, another summit with Pyongyang would likely focus on denuclearization and regional stability. Yet trust in Seoul has become increasingly fragile. The Lee administration's sympathetic posture toward Pyongyang, and its ambiguous stance on China and Russia, have raised doubts in Washington about whether Korea remains a fully reliable ally.

In such an environment, calls for Washington to not bypass Seoul ring hollow. The burden of restoring trust lies first with Seoul. If Korea wishes to be treated as a genuine partner rather than a bystander, it must demonstrate through action -- not rhetoric -- that it stands firmly for freedom, deterrence and alliance unity, rather than accommodation for adversaries who threaten those very principles.

A deal that trades away the principle of one Korean people for temporary political convenience would be a hollow victory -- peace built on denial. As Maxwell cautioned in UPI, "Unification must come first, then denuclearization. The path to unification is through information and human rights."

True peace requires truth, and truth begins with moral clarity. The Korean question cannot be resolved while Seoul blurs the line between democracy and dictatorship, between alliance and appeasement. The future of the peninsula must again be authored in Seoul -- by a Korea grounded in freedom, dignity and the courage to lead, not follow.

Reunification is not a sentimental relic of the past. It is a moral, historical and spiritual imperative -- the fulfillment of a people's unfinished journey toward freedom and justice. If the Lee government seeks to stand on the right side of history, it must actively champion unification as not merely rhetoric but a national policy, and anchor it in the Korean Dream built on Hongik Ingan. Only by aligning state policy with this unifying vision can Korea transcend division and fulfill its founding purpose: to serve humanity by achieving a free and unified nation.

If Trump seeks another handshake with the North's Kim, the cameras will capture the spectacle of diplomacy. But history will judge the substance: Will this moment bring Korea closer to freedom and unity, or will it cement division as the permanent order?

The answer depends not on foreign capital but on the conscience of the Korean people. At home and across the diaspora, Koreans must raise a single, unwavering voice:

True peace means one Korea -- free, independent and whole.

The time to speak that truth is now.

A call for true peace -- not a deal that forsakes reunification - The Korea Times