Re-Unification of Korea

[Ashurdan]

I was talking with a colleague who is family is from North Korea about life after Kim Jong-Il and he had some interesting things to say about South Korea's reluctance on re-unification. I'd love to read more about this (not wikipedia articles books please) or discuss it with knowledgeable people. Does anyone have any books they would like to recommend or information they would like to share? What are your thoughts on such claims as South Korea will not seek re-unification with North Korea until its economy is on par with South Korea or some other similar economic (not political) benchmarks are met(which is my colleagues claim)? Do you feel thats unfair and how do you think the situation will develope and will be handled? Better yet, how do you think it should be handled and what should happen ideally?

Ash

 

[Cutlass]

I'm no expert on the subject. But I would think that it would be good in they could be reunified eventually. However I can see where there would be some serious concerns on some issues. They may be looking at the German Reunification which was not pretty, even though it's working out in the long run.

 

[Arwon]

The German runification was a lot simpler than Korean would be.

 

[Tee Kay]

Well South Korea had seen how Germany's problem after reunification. Now, North Korea's economic situation is a lot worse that East Germany's then.

Ideally, North Korea should become democratic first, and modernise and modernise its economy, and gradually building closer ties with the South, and finally reunification.

 

[REDY]

It would be extremely difficult. My country was under 40 years of communism and after nearly 20 years of relative freedom still face problems of past. North Korea doesnt work even todays, with transformation problems they would need help from whole world. The regime is even harder than in my country in normalisation after 1968. The waste of free mind is probably extremous and would not allow re-unification in 20 years after eventual fall of NK regime.

 

[Cutlass]

The north will never modernize on it's own. It has no way to do so. Which means that if they unify, the cost to the south will be immense.

 

[The Yankee]

It's not completely on anything to do with unification (though it's always touched upon as something to be had by conquest or political maneuvering), but I would suggest Rogue Regime: Kim Jong Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea by Jasper Becker as a look inside the Hermit Kingdom. It's definitely anti-North Korean in its outlook, so if you want something more pro-North Korean, I can't tell you where to look.

Aside from the enormous economic problems faced in stitching together the two Koreas, this may give insight into how the Kims would want to retain their own rule, even if a unified Korea is the price for having it.

There is also the Juche ideology, which may make it extremely difficult for North Koreans to even accept a unified rule, much less one that had the South Koreans in the lead (at least at first). Since it revolves around the Kim family, it would be extremely hard to accept anything less for many.

 

[EnlightenmentHK]

I honestly don't see re-unification in the foreseeable future. The economies are literally orders of magnitude further apart than East and West Germany were. I don't know the region intimately, but it doesn't appear that there's too much present day animosity between the parties, which helps. But South Korea is THE most wired nation in the world (seriously, I'm reading some of the stuff they got, I'm envious), almost cracking the top 10 for biggest economies in the world, trillion dollar economy, Asian tiger, small country success story, the whole bit.

Having watched a few documentaries and seen a ton of pictures from a few different travelers (you can actually play tourist and go to NK...not that you'd want to), North Korea can most generously be described as City 17. Eerie, desolate, and just a bit off, even when you're looking at what's supposed to be their 'showpieces'. Economically it'd be like trying to integrate Great Britain with Rwanda. South Korea would literally have to forfeit their next dozen budgets to bring NK anywhere close.

Just look at the numbers:

1.2 trillion GDP
22 Billion GDP

25,000 per capita GDP
1,000 per capita GDP

I don't see that gap bridging anytime soon. And until it does, you won't see unification.

 

[Plotinus]

you can actually play tourist and go to NK...not that you'd want to

I had a friend who visited North Korea (she was showing a film at the Pyongyang International Film Festival) and she had a thoroughly good time.

 

[Enkidu Warrior]

While I wouldn't underestimate the economic barriers to reunification, I don't think the South would be capable of saying no if a good enough opportunity presented itself.

 

[Tee Kay]

I honestly don't see re-unification in the foreseeable future. The economies are literally orders of magnitude further apart than East and West Germany were. I don't know the region intimately, but it doesn't appear that there's too much present day animosity between the parties, which helps. But South Korea is THE most wired nation in the world (seriously, I'm reading some of the stuff they got, I'm envious), almost cracking the top 10 for biggest economies in the world, trillion dollar economy, Asian tiger, small country success story, the whole bit.

Having watched a few documentaries and seen a ton of pictures from a few different travelers (you can actually play tourist and go to NK...not that you'd want to), North Korea can most generously be described as City 17. Eerie, desolate, and just a bit off, even when you're looking at what's supposed to be their 'showpieces'. Economically it'd be like trying to integrate Great Britain with Rwanda. South Korea would literally have to forfeit their next dozen budgets to bring NK anywhere close.

Just look at the numbers:

1.2 trillion GDP
22 Billion GDP

25,000 per capita GDP
1,000 per capita GDP

I don't see that gap bridging anytime soon. And until it does, you won't see unification.

No it's not like unifying Great Britain and Rwanda. The Koreans have a common culture, language and Koreans in the north and south still see Koreans as one people.

The one other main difference between the Two Koreas apart from economic strength is religion. The North follows the Cult of Kim and Juche, while the South is mostly Christian/Confucian.

 

[Newbunkle]

The south won't accept reunification any time soon, because it would cause an economic disaster. Even when reunification does occur, I imagine travel between both halves of the county will be difficult. I also think reunification should not go ahead until the north cleans up its human rights record.

 

[Enkidu Warrior]

The south won't accept reunification any time soon, because it would cause an economic disaster.

Perhaps this should matter, but it won't.

Even when reunification does occur, I imagine travel between both halves of the county will be difficult.

The division has cut families off from each other. What do you think the whole point of reunification will be?

I also think reunification should not go ahead until the north cleans up its human rights record.

I don't think that will really be relevant at all in any realistic reunification scenario.

Everyone seems to be discounting the emotional backing that reunification will get. Some things are more important than economics.

 

[Cutlass]

It wouldn't cause an economic disaster. What would happen is that people from the north would go south to look for work and employers from the south would locate facilities in the north. As long as there was no attempt to equalize things in just a couple of years you would see a gradual improvement in the north pretty quickly.

 

[chad187]

I would like to take a trip to south Korea and then go to the north to see the difference.

 

[Enkidu Warrior]

I would like to take a trip to south Korea and then go to the north to see the difference.

You can do that from the comfort of your home.

 

[EnlightenmentHK]

No it's not like unifying Great Britain and Rwanda. The Koreans have a common culture, language and Koreans in the north and south still see Koreans as one people.

Obviously. I was speaking solely about the relative economic disparity.

It wouldn't cause an economic disaster. What would happen is that people from the north would go south to look for work and employers from the south would locate facilities in the north. As long as there was no attempt to equalize things in just a couple of years you would see a gradual improvement in the north pretty quickly.

Business moving north, labor moving south would, to some extent, be how it would work. But there are also a number of other factors to consider. Moving businesses aren't going to seriously modernize North Korea's infrastructure, there would be a desperate need to modernize it to facilitate growth, and the only place that investment would come from would be South Korean tax dollars. South Koreans generally won't take kindly to the massive waves of new laborers competing for their jobs and depressing wages. Nor will the ones who got outsourced into unemployment be terribly happy either.

East and West Germany were much closer economically, they didn't fight a pseudo-civil war to create the split, and there's still some resentment over how much of their tax dollars go from West to East. Long term...and I'm talking VERY long term, it could work out. But the only people to benefit initially in South Korea will be corporate interests.

 

[Ambidexter]

One major difference between the Germanies and the Koreas is that both East and West Germany were industrialized. True, West Germany was making Mercedes and East Germany was making Trabants, but both parts of Germany had been industrialized for generations. South Korea is quite heavily industrialized. North Korea is not, and what industry that does exist produces mainly military hardware.

Many Koreans want unification. Most Koreans recognize that there will be major problems achieving unification.

 

[vb1]

I see China annexing NK before they would reunite with South Korea.

Remember that NK is now a nuclear capable country.
Reunification with South korea would mean that South Korea automatically acquires nuclear weapons.
I dont think China would be particularly happy about a pro-American nuclear capable country right on their doorstep.

 

[Tee Kay]

I see China annexing NK before they would reunite with South Korea.

Remember that NK is now a nuclear capable country.
Reunification with South korea would mean that South Korea automatically acquires nuclear weapons.
I dont think China would be particularly happy about a pro-American nuclear capable country right on their doorstep.

NK would have to destroy their nukes before unification takes place. Before that can occur, there would probably need to be a change in government, and also a change in foreign relations.

Also, China annexing North Korea is just absurd.