Divided Korea: Understanding Unification Narratives examines how different visions of Korean unification have been formed and contested across history, politics, and culture. From Cold War propaganda to digital diplomacy, or from South Korea’s democratic reforms to North Korea’s Juche ideology, the volume illustrates how unification is regarded as both hope and threat, promise and peril. By comparing Korea with other divided societies such as Germany and Cyprus, the book shows how narratives shape diplomacy, identity, and the prospects for reconciliation.

Timely and distinctive, this volume offers new insights into persistent geopolitical divides and is helpful for scholars, students, policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of the Korean peninsula.

Dr Sojin Lim is Reader (Professor) in Asia Pacific Studies and Co-Director of the International Institute of Korean Studies at the University of Lancashire. She holds a PhD in Development Policy and Management from the University of Manchester.

Professor Virginie Grzelczyk is a Professor in International Relations at Aston University. She holds an MA and PhD in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, an MA in Diplomacy and Security from Ewha Womans University and an Executive MBA from Aston University.

Daniel Mitchum is a PhD candidate in Korean Studies at the University of Lancashire and former resident James Kelly Korea fellow at Pacific Forum International. His doctoral research examines trust-building between North and South Korea during the Kim Dae-jung administration.