Facilitating Inter-Korean Reconciliation and Korean Reunification through Constitutional Law: An Irish model for the two Koreas

Abstract

This thesis looks at the Korean Problem from a fresh perspective. Instead of advocating a quick yet costly reunification of Korea along German lines, a new approach to both Inter-Korean reconciliation and possible Korean reunification based on negotiated constitutional change, the symbolic power of constitutions, and the Habermasian concept of constitutional patriotism is proposed. Specifically, the example of the Northern Ireland peace process is presented as an alternative legal model that can be creatively applied to conditions on the Korean Peninsula.