프롤로그
이책은통일과남북관계에대한필자의글을모은것이다.김정은의‘적대적두국가’주장을계기로기존의남북관계를다시볼필요가생겼다.남북관계의한쪽당사자인북한이통일을추구하는것이아니라적대적두국가라고주장하는상황에서남한은자신의입장을정해야한다.기존의통일논의를유지할것인지,북한의주장처럼두국가관계를인정할것인지,혹은제3의방안을찾아낼것인지고민해야할시간이다.
제1장에서는두국가론을새로운시선으로보았다.법제측면에서남북관계를검토했다.기존의남북관계는두단계의변화가있었다.상대방을무시하고부인하던시기를거쳐교류협력의상대방이자반국가단체라는이중적지위에있다고한시기가있었다.현재의법체계는이중적지위를전제로한특수관계론에따라형성되어있다.그런데북한의두국가주장으로전제사실이변화하는상황이라면기존의법체계도변해야한다.무엇이어떻게변해야할지,왜그런지를생각해보았다.이와관련하여쓴3편의글을담았다.
제2장에서는미래의통일한국이지향할방향을모색해보았다.남북관계의미래는통일이다.그렇다면통일된나라는어떤모습이어야하며,추구할이념은무엇인지,분야별로검토해야할법제는무엇인지를살펴보았다.아직논의가많지않지만꼭다룰필요가있는영역이다.
제3장에서는통일과북한토지제도의변화방향을모색하였다.토지는주민들의삶의기반이라는점에서우선적으로검토해야할분야이고,남북한주민모두의이해가걸려있기때문이다.
제4장에서는남북합의의방향성을모색하였다.철학자존롤스의중첩적합의라는개념을사용하여기존의남북합의서를검토하면서장래의방향을찾았고,기존의남북합의중에중첩적으로합의한내용이있는가를살펴보았다.과거를통해미래를내다보기위함이다.기존의남북합의중이행된것과이행되지않은것을구분하고그이유를살펴보아야한다.또한현시점에서기존의남북합의는완전히사라졌는가,아니면여전히남아있는가를논의해야한다.이를통해장래남북한이합의할사항과방법을모색하였다.
이책에실린글은최근몇년간진행됐던필자의연구중학술지에발표한것,다양한세미나에서발표한것들을새롭게편집한것이다.필자의문제의식은실용적남북관계형성이다.지금우리가할일은분단상황을극복하고미래로가기위한준비를하는것이다.이념대립으로발생했던분단의상처를보듬고,현재의갈등을극복하려노력하는것은남북한주민의공통된의무다.우리와우리자손이번영할통일된나라를만들어야하기때문이다.그런노력중에는법제적측면의연구가필요하다.정치가나라의기본틀을정하고법률이그방향을구체화하는기본틀을지키면서도정치와법률은서로를보완해야한다.법률이정치의발목을잡아서는안된다.현재의남한법률과판례는과거의틀에얽매여통일논의를위축시키는측면이있다.법률이사회변화에맞추어적절히변화하면통일을실현해가는새로운환경에서사회혼란을줄일수있다.법률가들,특히북한과통일문제에관심을가지는사람들이추구해야할방향이라믿는다.
2024년12월3일비상계엄사태를계기로분단상황이정치에이용되는현실을다시한번목격했다.이제는분단을극복하고미래로나아가야한다.김정은이주장한적대적두국가론과남한의비상계엄사태를함께보면기존의남북관계를지속하기어렵다.이제는통일에대한새로운시선이필요하다.상황이바뀌고현실이변화하면법제도역시변해야한다.필자는남북관계변화의방향을모색하고구체적실천방안을찾고자하였다.장래에는분야별로보다구체적인연구를하려고한다.개별사안이나분야별북한법제연구를통해실제로적용될현실문제에집중하고싶다.미래는만들어가는것이라는믿음을가지고노력하는중이다.
사회가변하고과학기술이변하면,또한기후환경도급격히변하면,법제도도바뀌어야한다.새로운환경에맞는새로운법제도는지금우리가만들어야한다.통일도마찬가지다.과거는잊지않되현재의갈등을해결할방안을찾고,바람직한미래를꿈꾸어야한다.이책은그런노력의결과다.현재의남북관계를객관적으로보고,미래로나아가는길에디딤돌이되기를희망한다.우리에게필요한것은더많은논쟁과더많은연습이다.
2025년여름
우봉(又峰)권은민
*Toenhanceaccessibilityforinternationalreaders,Englishsummariesofeachchapterarecompiledintheappendix.
PrologueinEnglish
Thisbookisacollectionoftheauthor’swritingsonreunificationandinter-Koreanrelations.WithNorthKorea’sKimJong-Unassertingtheclaimof“twohostilestates,”ithasbecomeessentialtoreassesstheexistinginter-Koreanrelationship.InasituationwhereNorthKorea,withrespecttotheinter-Koreanrelationship,doesnotpursuereunificationbutinsteaddeclarestwoKoreasashostilestates,SouthKoreamustreconsideritsposition.Itisnowtimetoconsiderwhethertocontinuethecurrentdiscourseonreunification,toacknowledgeNorthKorea’sclaimofthetwo-staterelationship,ortoexploreathirdoption.
InChapter1,theauthorexaminesthetheoryoftwostatesfromanewperspectiveandanalyzesinter-Koreanrelationsfromalegalstandpoint.Theexistinginter-Koreanrelationshiphasundergonetwophases:aperiodofeachside’sneglectanddenialoftheotherside,followedbyaphaseinwhicheachsidesawtheothersideunderadualstatusasbothanexchangepartnerandananti-stateorganization.Thecurrentlegalframeworkisbasedonthisdualstatus.However,withNorthKorea’snewassertionofthetwostaterelationship,theunderlyingassumptionsmustchange,promptingtransformationoftheexistinglegalsystem.Theauthorreflectsonwhatchangesarenecessaryandwhysuchchangesareneeded.Thischapterincludesthreerelatedarticlesinthisrespect.
Chapter2exploresthefuturedirectionthataunifiedKoreashouldaimfor.Thefutureofinter-Koreanrelationsisreunification;therefore,itiscrucialtoconsiderwhatarethedesiredcharacteristicsofaunifiednation,whatideologiesshouldbepursued,andwhatlegalframeworksneedtobeexaminedinvariousfields.
Chapter3looksintothedirectionofchangesinlandsystemsinNorthKoreaafterreunification.Giventhatlandisfundamentaltothelivesoftheresidents,itisapriorityissuethatconcernstheinterestsofallKoreans.
Chapter4seekstoidentifythedirectionforinter-Koreanagreements.UtilizingJohnRawls’conceptofoverlappingconsensus,theauthorreviewsexistinginter-Koreanagreementswhileexploringfuturedirections,inordertoascertainwhetherthereisanyoverlappingconsensusamongtheexistinginter-Koreanagreements,toexaminewhathasandhasnotbeenimplementedamongexistinginter-Koreanagreementsandthereasonsbehindthem,andtodiscusswhethertheseagreementshavedisappearedoriftheystillholdrelevancetoday.ThisinquiryseekstofindfuturemattersforwhichthetwoKoreasshouldreachagreementandmethodsforsuchagreement.
Thewritingsincludedinthisbookareacollectionoftheauthor’sresearchoverrecentyears,basedonarticlespublishedinacademicjournalsandpresentedatseminars.Theauthor’scoreobjectiveistheformationofpracticalinter-Koreanrelations.TheurgenttaskforthetwoKoreasistoovercomethecurrentdivisionofKoreaandprepareforthefuture.HealingthewoundsinflictedbytheideologicalconflictsthatcausedthedivisionandworkingtoovercomepresentconflictsarecommondutiesofbothNorthandSouthKoreans,aimedatbuildingaprosperousunitedcountryforourselvesandfuturegenerations.Researchfromalegalperspectiveisnecessarytosupportthiseffort.Whilepoliticsestablishesthefundamentalframeworkofanation,lawsmustelaboratetheframework.Lawsandpoliticsshouldcomplementeachother,andlawsshouldnotimpedepolitics.Unfortunately,currentlawsandcaseprecedentsinSouthKoreaareconstrainedbypastframeworks,thusstiflingdiscussionsaboutreunificat
