Abstract

This edited volume examines Korean unification as a contested and evolving set of narratives shaped by politics, diplomacy, history, and culture. Moving beyond security- and strategy-focused approaches, it places narratives at the centre of analysis, conceptualising the Korean Peninsula not simply as a policy challenge but as an ongoing struggle over ideas, identities, and legitimacy. By analysing how unification narratives are formed, contested, and circulated domestically and internationally, the volume addresses a significant gap in the literature and offers new perspectives on the peninsula’s past, present, and possible futures.