The Yolo Peace Agreement of North and South Korea
The Yolo Peace Agreement of North and South Korea is the final part of a three-part plan to bring peace to the conflict that concerns North and South Korea. We will outline the three parts here.
Part 1 – An Offer They Can’t Refuse
Part 2 – Peace Keepers and Peace Talks
Part 3 – The Yolo Peace Agreement
Part 1
One of North Korea’s biggest problems is that they are constantly short on food. Many citizens in this country die of hunger and poor living conditions. China and Russia, North Korea’s biggest allies, have recently stopped providing the amount of food and supplies that they used to give to North Korea. Eventually, if this trend continues, the North Korean government will have almost no food to give to its people. If there is a shortage of healthy people in the country then that means that their military will have to reduce dramatically in size. North Korea has put so much into creating one of the largest armies in the world, and therefore, they cannot afford to have it diminish. It is even been reported that the government in North Korea already spends about one-fourth of its GNP on its military.
This lack of food and able-bodied people will certainly be an issue for the North Korean government. This is where the United Nations, on behalf of South Korea, comes in. We propose that when North Korea is on the verge of being desperate, meaning that even their government realizes that they have a serious crisis on their hands, the U.N. holds a summit in Yolo County, California. The United States and South Korea would be the ones to spearhead this summit. During the summit, the main topic would be on how much food and care packages should be supplied to the troubled North Korea. In the past five years, the United States has made an independent effort to supply North Korea aid if they halted their nuclear weapons testing. The United States was ready to give 240,000 tons of food to North Korea. In the end, North Korea didn’t comply with the terms given to them.
Our proposition is in some ways similar to that endeavor, yet also very different. Since this would be a joint-nation relief effort, much more food and care could be offered. In order to make the relief effort sanctioned by the U.N. an offer North Korea can’t refuse, the U.N. should be willing to initially provide 550,000 tons of food and water to the ailing country. In turn for providing this much aid, North Korea will only have to agree to develop a more open-door policy towards South Korea and the U.N.
The U.N. would also have to “sell” the idea to Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of North Korea, that a stronger body of people means a stronger nation, and therefore, a more powerful leader. One idea to keep in mind is that a government’s power ultimately derives from those governed, not from the governor. The main point that the U.N and South Korea would have to “drive home” however is that Kim Jong-un’s late father, Kim Jong-il, was a great ruler, but his son could do the greatest honor in his memory and turn North Korea into the nation his forefathers envisioned it could become. Kim Jong-un must realize though, that this vision cannot be realized with his population practically starving to death.
Now, some may ask: “If this is the case, then why is a more open-door policy the only term that would be asked of North Korea?” As reported at various times in history, the North Korean government is prideful; many highly doubt that it would accept help from others, especially their historical enemies. The reason for only asking for a more open-door policy towards the U.N. and South Korea is because of the way North Korea will be getting their aid. Peace keepers commissioned by the U.N and South Korea shall serve this purpose. This leads into the second part of our proposal.
Part 2
The second part of our three-part proposal involves the transport of aid to North Korea. The transportation means would be overseen by a joint U.S. and South Korean peace keeping team. This is why North Korea would have to slowly adapt a more open-door policy towards South Korea and the U.N. They would have to be willing to cooperate with them, in order to receive the much needed aid. The means of transport can be a combination of air, land, and sea.
The goal is to have a consistent stream of care going to North Korea. In order to make this happen, after the initial 550,000 ton shipment, 175,000 pounds of aid in the form of food/water will be given to North Korea at 6 month intervals. Each time new care is sent, the U.N., on behalf of South Korea, will ask for more terms to be complied to. In the first and second year, the most North Korea should be asked to do is have a better attitude towards outside nations. For example, this means not sending any threats to South Korea, holding unauthorized tests of missiles, and publicly criticizing other country’s governments.
By the third and fourth year however, South Korea and the U.N. should be asking North Korea to comply with terms that they may not be comfortable with. This includes showing more outside media to its people, temporarily halting their nuclear program, and lessening the amount they spend on their military. By this time, North Korea will have become dependent on these care packages. If they do not receive the shipment of food, then the nation will plunge back into the crisis they were in before aid was given to them. Therefore, if North Korea doesn’t comply with the terms given to them, becomes hostile towards South Korea and the U.N., or even kills peace keepers, at any time aid to North Korea can be halted. This suffering nation cannot afford to have this happen, at the risk of losing their stature as one of the most powerful nations on Earth.
Also, by this time, the original peace keeping team which would have initially been a 500- thousand members strong, should have doubled in size and taken on a new responsibility: having peace and cooperation talks with the North Korean government. The leaders of the mainly South Korean and U.S. peace keeping team would hold and lead inter-Korea summits at desired locations. Since aid is being provided and assuming that by the fourth or fifth year North Korea is more open to foreigners, talks of peace between the two Koreas can be held.
The giving of aid and compliance of terms by both nations would undoubtedly create a symbiotic relationship. This means that both nations would depend on each other to some extent. Having the peace team lead these peace meetings is crucial, since they do not, or ever will have, power over any country’s military. They are merely peaceful representatives, much like the Red Cross, which should lessen the tension North Korea might be having over this matter. Over the period of a couple years, with bi-monthly summits, both nations should come to the point where they can talk about a document to replace the Korean Armistice. This would effectively, and legally, end the war between the two nations. This is where the third part of our proposal comes in.
The second part of our three-part proposal involves the transport of aid to North Korea. The transportation means would be overseen by a joint U.S. and South Korean peace keeping team. This is why North Korea would have to slowly adapt a more open-door policy towards South Korea and the U.N. They would have to be willing to cooperate with them, in order to receive the much needed aid. The means of transport can be a combination of air, land, and sea.
The goal is to have a consistent stream of care going to North Korea. In order to make this happen, after the initial 550,000 ton shipment, 175,000 pounds of aid in the form of food/water will be given to North Korea at 6 month intervals. Each time new care is sent, the U.N., on behalf of South Korea, will ask for more terms to be complied to. In the first and second year, the most North Korea should be asked to do is have a better attitude towards outside nations. For example, this means not sending any threats to South Korea, holding unauthorized tests of missiles, and publicly criticizing other country’s governments.
By the third and fourth year however, South Korea and the U.N. should be asking North Korea to comply with terms that they may not be comfortable with. This includes showing more outside media to its people, temporarily halting their nuclear program, and lessening the amount they spend on their military. By this time, North Korea will have become dependent on these care packages. If they do not receive the shipment of food, then the nation will plunge back into the crisis they were in before aid was given to them. Therefore, if North Korea doesn’t comply with the terms given to them, becomes hostile towards South Korea and the U.N., or even kills peace keepers, at any time aid to North Korea can be halted. This suffering nation cannot afford to have this happen, at the risk of losing their stature as one of the most powerful nations on Earth.
Also, by this time, the original peace keeping team which would have initially been a 500- thousand members strong, should have doubled in size and taken on a new responsibility: having peace and cooperation talks with the North Korean government. The leaders of the mainly South Korean and U.S. peace keeping team would hold and lead inter-Korea summits at desired locations. Since aid is being provided and assuming that by the fourth or fifth year North Korea is more open to foreigners, talks of peace between the two Koreas can be held.
The giving of aid and compliance of terms by both nations would undoubtedly create a symbiotic relationship. This means that both nations would depend on each other to some extent. Having the peace team lead these peace meetings is crucial, since they do not, or ever will have, power over any country’s military. They are merely peaceful representatives, much like the Red Cross, which should lessen the tension North Korea might be having over this matter. Over the period of a couple years, with bi-monthly summits, both nations should come to the point where they can talk about a document to replace the Korean Armistice. This would effectively, and legally, end the war between the two nations. This is where the third part of our proposal comes in.
Part 3
So far, a period of about 5 years has passed since the original shipment of food to North Korea. This is an estimate at the most time that it would take to get to “Part 3” of our proposal. With the newly formed symbiotic relationship between North and South Korea, peace talks can be held and both nations should have come to the point where a new document can be created to replace the Korean Armistice. This is where The Yolo Agreement of North and South Korea comes into place.
This document should be an agreement between both Koreas and should first and foremost serve as a replacement to the original Korean Armistice. The U.N. should oversee the treaty, and make sure it complies with their standards as well. This document would also replace the shipments of aid that occur every six months with a trade agreement between both nations, thereby making their relation with each other even stronger. In this trade agreement, the trade of food, water, seeds, oil, and money can be established. Something that should be left out of this trade agreement however, is the trade of goods that can be used to build weapons, nuclear or not. This means that by default, North Korea will reduce its nuclear arsenal. Agreements concerning North Korea and its arsenal can and should be discussed at a later point, but not in this treaty.
Also, this document should have a section that entails North Korea’s behavior towards outside countries, especially South Korea. North Korea will permanently agree to stop open hostilities towards South Korea and outsiders. This means that the government will also have to stop teaching their people to hate outsiders as well. Since this is an agreement, North Korea can still decide what media comes in and out of the country and how many foreigners are allowed to come into the country.
One of the biggest parts of the treaty would be the agreement that North Korea will adopt at least some of the U.N standards on human rights. This means no more large amounts of sex-trafficking and horrible prison conditions, among other rights that the U.N. accepts and protects. North Korea is still free to be Communist, but if horrendous reports of killings and sex slaves still come out of North Korea, then peace keepers and other representations commissioned by the U.N. can step in and assess the situation.
The Yolo Agreement would also make it so that the peace keeping team originally commissioned by the U.N. will now permanently serve as a team that oversees any actions between North and South Korea, be it trade or summits. The leaders of this team would be the ones to lead inter-Korean summits. They would also make sure that the treaty signed by both parties is adhered to, but not at any time shall they do this by forcible means. That is up to individual countries concerning this document and their respective armies to decide whether or not any action shall be taken.
And yet, perhaps the most important and symbolic part of The Yolo Agreement would be the elimination of the 38th Parallel and the DMZ it is today. A permanent border would be created at the 38th Parallel, and all countries would have to take back the forces it stationed there. This would now, a forever be peaceful area, and it would mark an end to the disagreement concerning the border between North and South Korea.
Now, since this is an agreement, North Korea and South Korea can discuss on all the proposals laid out in front of them and make any changes before they sign it. As with any plan, there could be could be little “bumps” along the way. However, the framework of the entire plan allows for a lot of growth and modification. Together, with aid, peace talks, and finally, this agreement, the North and South Korean Conflict can indeed, be solved. This would mark an end to the war that resulted in millions of casualties, and the suffering created by it.
So far, a period of about 5 years has passed since the original shipment of food to North Korea. This is an estimate at the most time that it would take to get to “Part 3” of our proposal. With the newly formed symbiotic relationship between North and South Korea, peace talks can be held and both nations should have come to the point where a new document can be created to replace the Korean Armistice. This is where The Yolo Agreement of North and South Korea comes into place.
This document should be an agreement between both Koreas and should first and foremost serve as a replacement to the original Korean Armistice. The U.N. should oversee the treaty, and make sure it complies with their standards as well. This document would also replace the shipments of aid that occur every six months with a trade agreement between both nations, thereby making their relation with each other even stronger. In this trade agreement, the trade of food, water, seeds, oil, and money can be established. Something that should be left out of this trade agreement however, is the trade of goods that can be used to build weapons, nuclear or not. This means that by default, North Korea will reduce its nuclear arsenal. Agreements concerning North Korea and its arsenal can and should be discussed at a later point, but not in this treaty.
Also, this document should have a section that entails North Korea’s behavior towards outside countries, especially South Korea. North Korea will permanently agree to stop open hostilities towards South Korea and outsiders. This means that the government will also have to stop teaching their people to hate outsiders as well. Since this is an agreement, North Korea can still decide what media comes in and out of the country and how many foreigners are allowed to come into the country.
One of the biggest parts of the treaty would be the agreement that North Korea will adopt at least some of the U.N standards on human rights. This means no more large amounts of sex-trafficking and horrible prison conditions, among other rights that the U.N. accepts and protects. North Korea is still free to be Communist, but if horrendous reports of killings and sex slaves still come out of North Korea, then peace keepers and other representations commissioned by the U.N. can step in and assess the situation.
The Yolo Agreement would also make it so that the peace keeping team originally commissioned by the U.N. will now permanently serve as a team that oversees any actions between North and South Korea, be it trade or summits. The leaders of this team would be the ones to lead inter-Korean summits. They would also make sure that the treaty signed by both parties is adhered to, but not at any time shall they do this by forcible means. That is up to individual countries concerning this document and their respective armies to decide whether or not any action shall be taken.
And yet, perhaps the most important and symbolic part of The Yolo Agreement would be the elimination of the 38th Parallel and the DMZ it is today. A permanent border would be created at the 38th Parallel, and all countries would have to take back the forces it stationed there. This would now, a forever be peaceful area, and it would mark an end to the disagreement concerning the border between North and South Korea.
Now, since this is an agreement, North Korea and South Korea can discuss on all the proposals laid out in front of them and make any changes before they sign it. As with any plan, there could be could be little “bumps” along the way. However, the framework of the entire plan allows for a lot of growth and modification. Together, with aid, peace talks, and finally, this agreement, the North and South Korean Conflict can indeed, be solved. This would mark an end to the war that resulted in millions of casualties, and the suffering created by it.
Why we think our proposal will work
Eric:
In the past, several efforts have been made to have inter-Korean peace. These efforts often ended in failure, even sometimes resulting in the death of people involved. For example, in 1987, after the attempt to peacefully co-host the Olympic Games in both North and South Korea failed, two North Korean agents bombed Korean Airlines Flight 858, killing all 115 people aboard. This was a direct order from Kim Jong-un, and even though this was to be a time of peace between the two Koreas, it ended in disaster.
What makes our proposal different and more effective is that our proposal is designed to happen over a period of time, when North Korea is on the verge of being desperate. This previous attempt, as with most other attempts, revolved around one event and took place in a short amount of time with minimal planning and discussing. The extra amount of time in our proposal allows for a gradual, peaceful relationship to occur. World leaders cannot expect North Korea to change its mindset very quickly with good results. Our proposal also does not ask too much from North Korea at its start. The terms asked for North Korea to comply to gradually get larger and larger. As with anything, you cannot to expect to reach a big goal without first taking small steps.
Solomon:
North Korea desperately needs food. The U.N. wants North Korea to be more transparent. With the Yolo Agreement, both sides get that. With U.N. humanitarians in North Korea, the U.N. and South Korea will have eyes and ears in the country. North Korea gets the food and water they so desperately need. Everyone’s happy, and there’s peace. Mission accomplished. Good work team.
Eric:
In the past, several efforts have been made to have inter-Korean peace. These efforts often ended in failure, even sometimes resulting in the death of people involved. For example, in 1987, after the attempt to peacefully co-host the Olympic Games in both North and South Korea failed, two North Korean agents bombed Korean Airlines Flight 858, killing all 115 people aboard. This was a direct order from Kim Jong-un, and even though this was to be a time of peace between the two Koreas, it ended in disaster.
What makes our proposal different and more effective is that our proposal is designed to happen over a period of time, when North Korea is on the verge of being desperate. This previous attempt, as with most other attempts, revolved around one event and took place in a short amount of time with minimal planning and discussing. The extra amount of time in our proposal allows for a gradual, peaceful relationship to occur. World leaders cannot expect North Korea to change its mindset very quickly with good results. Our proposal also does not ask too much from North Korea at its start. The terms asked for North Korea to comply to gradually get larger and larger. As with anything, you cannot to expect to reach a big goal without first taking small steps.
Solomon:
North Korea desperately needs food. The U.N. wants North Korea to be more transparent. With the Yolo Agreement, both sides get that. With U.N. humanitarians in North Korea, the U.N. and South Korea will have eyes and ears in the country. North Korea gets the food and water they so desperately need. Everyone’s happy, and there’s peace. Mission accomplished. Good work team.