|
|
|
|
|
GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Impact of Corean Unification
t's been over a decade since the Iron Curtain came crashing down in Europe. The Bamboo Curtain is little more than a quaint phrase. Yet the Cold War remains very much alive on the Corean peninsula.
Across a 186-mile DMZ glare opposing armies collectively totaling 1.7 million. By all reckoning the Pyongyang regime should have become ideological roadkill following the collapse of communism. Instead, it remains an impregnable roadblock to the economic integration of East Asia, the world's fastest-growing region.
How can an economic nonentity be such a roadblock?
Consider its location at what should have been the crossroads of East Asia. With 56% of the peninsula's land mass, North Corea separates on one side the world's greatest market and labor pool (China) and the biggest reserve of natural resources (Sibera) from, on the other, two of the world's leading technological and manufacturing nations (Japan and South Corea).
But for Pyongyang's intransigence Seoul would already be linked by railroads and superhighways to Beijing, Moscow, Berlin, Paris and London. All those cities would also be linked to Tokyo via a bridge across the 126-mile strait dividing Shimonoseki from Pusan. The savings in shipping cost and time alone could amount to tens of billions of dollars a year. Such a trans-Eurasian land link would accelerate the cultural and economic integration of not only East Asia, but the world. In the process, the Corean peninsula would shed the burden of financing the world's most heavily fortified frontier and become the center of the global economy.
That's the vision dancing before the eyes of farsighted statesmen and business leaders pushing for the political leaps of faith needed to keep Pyongyang taking its unsteady baby steps toward opening North Corea.
But skeptics and pessimists abound. Even a loose confederation with the North would only burden and destabilize South Corea's economy and political system, they argue. For decades to come the impact on the global economy would be entirely negative as investors and customers begin shunning the uncertainties, denying capital and trading partners to hundreds of world-class Corean manufacturers. The ultimate result, argue the naysayers, would be to throw a monkey wrench into an alignment that has allowed three decades of strong growth for East Asia.
What is the likely impact of Corean unification?
This interactive article is closed to new input.
Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
CONTACT US
|
ADVERTISING INFO
© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.
|
|
|
|
WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:38:55 AM)
Annapolis-Harvard Law Grad:
What a lowly being/creature you are that you would insult another person's physical attributes.
I am reiterating myself...but instead of discrediting other people's points...your posts are abundantly composed of personal attacks.
Strong words come out of weak causes...so I bet that you are the one that is the paper tiger. In real life you are probably 40yrs old...wrinkled...4'11 and 200 IBs.
You are too old....let's go.
I suggest you go water your plants. Leave the discussion to the next generation who the future really depends on.
Young Hick
Saturday, July 06, 2002 at 19:03:38 (PDT)
ka,
Again you backtrack into a good and evil stance. I've studied the biography of a lot of leaders, for personal knowledge.
You are delusional to believe the whole world thinks of these leaders as evil. Mao is still reverved in China. My trip to China last year, I was surprised of the "hero" status Mao still had among my employees.
To put you in touch with reality it is like Abraham Lincoln, still villified in the south the last I checked.
NK does not do whatever they want. If they did, they would have shot a missles over after the skirmish. They follow their own protocols.
Personally, I think a warning shot was mistaken as a shot towards one side or another. I don't think SK and NK have each other ROE.
I have issues when things aren't investigated properly and people act on them. So far both USA and SK have pulled out from offering any aid to NK this year. Not to mention USA meeting with NK has been cancelled. So I believe that leaves China as the largest aid provider to NK at this time.
So you think NK shot first to get more aid from the West. That makes very little sense? You think they would fire first, frontal assualt, when faced with 2-7 match up? Does it make any sense that Powell gave a blanket support to SK with 12 hours, without any investigation? Shit we still waiting to see what happened with those 100 people in Afghan we bombed. It took 5 months to figure out how we bombed 5 Canadians. But in 12 hours Powell he can say it was NK fault.
Given Bush's 180 degree turn on NK since he came to office. And polarizing conflicts in the Middle East and Central Asia due to our own foriegn policy. I wouldn't be surprised in the 50 years historian discover that this was another blunder in USA foriegn policy during the GW Bush administration.
In next two years, I would not be surprised if SK became the Isreal of Asia, with our current foriegn policy. Making claims to fighting for the survival of democracy in Asia. This incident will probably get a more radical individual elected into the Blue House at this time.
Those act of crimes in NK is like saying Iran-Contra in the USA.
Do you may find it hard to believe that a country who wishes to occupy the moral high ground, would do so in an underhanded fashion? Well just read up on Korean history and how N/S was formed. That is correct, food, aid, and high level meeting between US and NK hinged on this incident. How convenient don't you think.
AC Dropout
Friday, July 05, 2002 at 11:19:10 (PDT)
ROTC-Radcliff Law Grad,
If they write it why must it be reviewed by US, before implementation. Moron, read up on SK military policy.
"The fact still remains that the NKD shot first..."
Based on what. Both sides still claim the other side shot first. You're just a brainless whitewash twinkie of an asian.
Again only a shallow moron like yourself would think physical stature means anything here. But then again I'm sure you're one of those idiots who thinks they can take on a 98 lb fly weight without training properly.
Please spend some of your 9-to-5 lifestyle in a library one day.
AC Dropout
Friday, July 05, 2002 at 10:44:20 (PDT)
NEWEST COMMENTS |
EARLIER COMMENTS
|