북한 헌법에 대한 이해와 새로운 통일교육

A new unification education based on an understanding of the North Korean Constitution is part of the core contents of future education. The purpose of this study is to broaden the breadth of objective understanding of North Korea as a specific way to find a new direction for unification education, and to help re-establish each South-Korean people’s view of North Korea through critical discussion. The need for a new unification education is emerging. On April 27, 2018, the two Korean top leaders of each country declared that they would end hostile relations and move on to a new path of national co-prosperity through the Panmunjom Declaration. Considering that unification education is the realization of the unification policy, it is natural to demand a new unification education in the face of a new era. After the division of the Korean peninsula, the two Koreas have focused on promoting the superiority of each political and economic system to the residents amid fierce competition. Past regimes of the South and North Korea conducted unification education mainly on government-led security education, focused on closed system competition, but failed to encourage public discussions or suggest practical alternatives for overcoming the division. Education for superiority of the system and education in the face of hostility have continued for decades, and at the same time, disclosure of information to each other has been very limited. As a result, the degree of understanding of each other among the residents of South and North Korea is remarkably low. In addition to the problem that the people of the Republic of Korea lack objective knowledge of North Korea, there is also a preconceived notion that considers the North Koreans, a member of the national community and the other party of unification, as inferior. With the 1970s as an inflection point, the Republic of Korea made great progress compared to North Korea in terms of both politics and economy, and the competitive structure based on the ideology and economic system of the two Koreas turned out to be the victory of the South. Now our country, the Republic of Korea is starting a bold challenge to take the “absolute advantage” in the world by taking a new leap beyond the “comparative advantage” in competition on the Korean Peninsula. It is a situation in which we must overcome the economic stagnation and seek opportunities for a new leap forward. North Korea is also highly interested in the Chinese or Vietnamese model, which is driving economic growth by partially accepting capitalist elements through “reform and opening” while maintaining the socialist system. If the regime's stability is assured, it shows a strong will to overcome the economic difficulties by stopping nuclear programs and attracting foreign technology and capital. Now, we must end the “era of consumable competition” between the two Koreas and begin the “era of productive exchange and cooperation.” It is necessary to open a new horizon of unification education in the direction of looking at the other with an open attitude, raising interest in North Korea, and understanding each other in depth. The study of the North Korean constitution is a way to understand the basics of the North Korean regime. After North Korea's 1948 Constitution (Constitutional Constitution), President Kim Il-sung reinforced socialism based on the Juche idea in the 1972 Constitution (Socialist Constitution) and the 1992 Constitution (North-Korean Socialist Constitution), and Chairman Kim Jong-il inherited power based on the 1998 Constitution. Kim Jong-il solidified and broke through internal and external adversity. Chairman Kim Jong-un, who was in power due to the revision of the Constitution in 2012, is striving to solidify the 3rd succession and become the highest head of “ordinary state” with the revision of the Constitution in 2016 and the Constitution in 2019. In this essay seeking 'a new unification education based on an understanding of the North Korean Constitution', I would like to conclude with three conclusions in connection with the main text. First, it is necessary to overcome the unification education based on the hostile view of North Korea and start the unification education on the view of North Korea as the party of unification. Second, unification education that critically accepts objective facts should be implemented. It is necessary to break away from the delivery education in which limited information is injected unilaterally. By analyzing and discussing objective data about the other party, we must understand the other party and discuss in depth what rational choices are at the present time. Third, at the present time, our policy toward North Korea should be reflected in the new unification education to create a stable foundation for unification based on wide public consensus. The basic direction of the new unification education should start anew in a way that the two Koreas broaden their understanding of objective facts apart from the propaganda of the system's superiority and security education.