ABSTRACT
On January 1, 2015, the First Secretary of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, said: “Let the entire nation join efforts to open up a broad avenue toward independent reunification in this year of the 70th anniversary of national liberation.” He criticized the South Korean authorities for their joint military exercises with U.S. forces and suggested that “the North and the South should achieve a great national unity true to the principle of ‘By Our Nation Itself’ to resolve the reunification issue.” In particular, experts point to the North Korean leader’s suggestion that “there is no reason why we should not hold a summit meeting if the atmosphere and environment for it are created.”1 While some observers see the proposal by Kim Jong-un as a new opportunity to improve inter-Korean relations, others reject such a viewpoint as North Korean propaganda.
