• Burmese
Monday, July 14, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Guest Column

Korean Reconciliation: Three Lessons for Myanmar’s Leaders

Joe Kumbun by Joe Kumbun
September 24, 2018
in Guest Column
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is greeted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an official welcome ceremony at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 18, 2018. / Reuters

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is greeted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an official welcome ceremony at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sept. 18, 2018. / Reuters

7.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

South Korean president Moon Jae-in landed on North Korean soil on Sept. 18 for a historical meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Moon is the third president to visit North Korea following Kim Dae Jung in 2000 and Roh Moo Hyun in 2007.

September’s Moon-Kim summit marked the third of its kind and was the fifth inter-Korean summit ever held. Previous meetings between the two current presidents took place earlier this year on April 27 and May 26 at the inter-Korean border.

The concerted efforts of the two leaders are praiseworthy, having met three times in such a short space of time since Moon took office in May 2017.

RelatedPosts

Propped Up by China, Junta Boss Slams Foreign Meddling in Myanmar ‘Peace Process’

Propped Up by China, Junta Boss Slams Foreign Meddling in Myanmar ‘Peace Process’

June 26, 2025
1.3k
The Farce of Mediation: Anwar, ASEAN and Myanmar

The Farce of Mediation: Anwar, ASEAN and Myanmar

May 28, 2025
1k
Ex-Thai PM Thaksin’s Half-Baked Peace Plan for Myanmar Unlikely to Take Off: Expert

Ex-Thai PM Thaksin’s Half-Baked Peace Plan for Myanmar Unlikely to Take Off: Expert

May 14, 2024
1.6k

The most recent meeting, held in Pyongyang, was devoted to discussing denuclearization and the stability of the Korean Peninsula through creating a system of perpetual peace. The summit reached an unprecedented agreement for denuclearization: the permanent dismantling of a missile engine test site at Tongchang-ri.

There are three significant lessons Myanmar’s leaders should learn from the two Korean leaders.

The first lesson is drawn from their willingness and commitment to denuclearization and peace. Both Moon and Kim appear to have realized that no one is responsible for denuclearization and peace in the Korean Peninsula except themselves, thus they endeavored for these meetings to be held.

The second lesson is drawn from their sending of special envoys from each state to the other in an effort to break the ice. Prior to Moon-Kim summit in Pyongyang, both leaders sent special envoys respectively to establish a rapport and smooth relations for their summit.

“The special envoy delegation’s visit turned out really well. The results were much better than I’d expected,” said Moon after sending a special delegation to the North in early September.

The third lesson comes from the face-to-face meeting, which took place on North Korean soil. Moon paid a historic visit to his counterpart’s land as a sign of his commitment to peace. After three rounds of meetings, Kim also spoke about the possibility of a visit to Seoul in the very near future.

Due to concerted efforts on both sides, the North Korean leader, Kim, appears to have intentions for a complete denuclearization within three years—before Trump’s four-year presidency ends in January 2021. As well as denuclearization, the two Korean leaders even agreed to seek the rights to co-host the 2032 Olympics.

Myanmar’s civil war—an internal conflict and having more marginal effects than nuclear weapons—should have been tamed earlier and solved more quickly through efforts by leaders from all parties. Instead, Myanmar’s peace process has become a prolonged affair and has achieved only deadlock rather than peace.

The recent government’s Union Peace Commission (UPC) meeting with members of the Northern Alliance—including the Arakan Army (AA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA)—on Sept. 5 in Kunming, China, was a positive step for furthering efforts in ending the ongoing clashes.

Regrettably, a planned meeting on the same day between the UPC and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) was canceled due to weaknesses in preparations for the event. This followed meetings in February and August between a delegation of the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) led by Lt-Gen Tun Tun Naung and KIO representatives led by Gen. N’Ban La, at which no results were achieved due to the Tatmadaw’s coercion and preconditions for further talks.

In order to expedite the peace process in Myanmar, it is essential for leaders from both sides—both the Tatmadaw and ethnic armed groups—to pursue peace by putting forth a strong commitment to peace, by sending special delegations, by visiting each other’s areas and by meeting each other without preconditions.

As they can either be instrumental in advancing the peace process or detrimental in sabotaging the entire peace effort, Myanmar leaders, especially leaders from the Tatmadaw and ethnic armed groups, should thus learn lessons from the leaders of North and South Korea.

As Kim said during a press conference proceeding the recent Moon-Kim meeting in Pyongyang: “We agreed to make active efforts to turn the Korean peninsula into the land of peace without nuclear weapons or nuclear threats,” Myanmar’s citizens believe that if both the Tatmadaw generals and ethnic leaders have strong commitments to peace, they can surely turn this war zone to a land of peace without any fighting.

Joe Kumbun is the pseudonym of a Kachin State-based analyst.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Peace Process
Joe Kumbun

Joe Kumbun

Contributor

Similar Picks:

Myanmar Civil Society, Burmanization, and the Bars and Coffee Shops of Thailand
Guest Column

Myanmar Civil Society, Burmanization, and the Bars and Coffee Shops of Thailand

by R. J. Aung and Tony Waters
November 18, 2023
10.9k

After the 2021 coup the donors, NGOs and CSOs of ‘Peaceland’ decamped from Yangon to Thailand, but their Western, ‘we-know-best’...

Read moreDetails
Illusion of Myanmar Military’s Indispensability Has Been Shattered
Analysis

Illusion of Myanmar Military’s Indispensability Has Been Shattered

by Wai Min Tun
November 28, 2023
6.1k

The Spring Revolution and Operation 1027 have debunked once and for all the notion that the Myanmar military is the...

Read moreDetails
Rocky Start for New Bloc of Myanmar EAOs Formed to Join Junta Peace Talks
Analysis

Rocky Start for New Bloc of Myanmar EAOs Formed to Join Junta Peace Talks

by The Irrawaddy
April 12, 2024
3.9k

Seven ethnic armies that formed a new alliance last month to continue peace talks with the military regime are already...

Read moreDetails
8 ½ Lessons for Future Peace in Myanmar
Guest Column

8 ½ Lessons for Future Peace in Myanmar

by David Scott Mathieson
October 19, 2023
2.7k

The failure of the National Ceasefire Agreement, now a fig leaf for the junta’s terror campaign against civilians, also contains...

Read moreDetails
Who’s Who in Myanmar’s NCA, Then and Now
Politics

Who’s Who in Myanmar’s NCA, Then and Now

by The Irrawaddy
October 13, 2023
2.6k

As the junta prepares to mark the peace agreement’s eighth anniversary, The Irrawaddy looks at which ethnic armies signed it—and...

Read moreDetails
Junta Watch: The Cleanest Sham Vote Ever; a Highly ‘Mobile’ Army; and More
Junta Watch

Junta Watch: The Cleanest Sham Vote Ever; a Highly ‘Mobile’ Army; and More

by The Irrawaddy
February 10, 2024
2.4k

Also this week, the junta boss praised the ‘precision’ of his artillery units—known for slaughtering civilians—while his depleted military went...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
U Pe Chit and U Tin Aung Tun. / Upper House.

Two NLD Lawmakers Resign from Party

Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye addresses the Rakhine State Parliament on Sept. 21. / Min Aung Khaing / The Irrawaddy

Rohingya’s Return Won’t Affect Security, Union Minister Vows

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

5 days ago
1.2k
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

6 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • ‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Awash With Crime

    ‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Awash With Crime

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • KIA Denies Rumor Chief Under House Arrest in China

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.