Jeju Peace Institute

This paper considers the ‘Two Plus Four Agreement’ and draws several implications for the Korean reunification. German reunification was formally completed first by the Unification Treaty of 31 August 1990, and then by the ‘Two Plus Four Agreement.’ While the former treaty bears legal significance in that it integrated two different legal systems, the latter is politically meaningful as it finally resolved the ‘German Question’, a legacy of World War II, and consequently ushered in a new era for the European international order. The meaning of the Two Plus Four Agreement can be summarized as follows: first, it served as a means by which the reunification of Germany was internationally approved second, it signified a complete end of the World War II third, it symbolized the total victory of the US over the Soviet fourth, it provided a model for peaceful settlement of conflict where the losing party retired with neither warfare nor surrender and fifth, it provided the basis for the integration of Eastern Europe into Western Europe. This negotiation process has direct implications for Korea and offers hints about what kinds of efforts and external conditions Korean reunification would require.