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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?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:38:55 AM)
[Let's get back on topic. --Ed]
NYholmboy,
If people didn't dwell on past wrongs, then past wrongs would continue to dwell on them. There would be no reason for ending the wrongs if they're were no consequences (angry people) for them, now would there?
So what do you propose? Going from treating people like to treating them, uh, not like , as if it were some goddamn ON/OFF Switch. And speaking of your "51% right/ 49% wrong" comment on the other board... would you say that it's OK to continue to do wrongs along with the rights to maintain this ratio? Not to mention whats right for one group (i.e. whites, japanese) may be more than wrong for another (blacks, coreans, etc.).
I guess what I'm trying to say is... It would be awfully convenient for wrong-doers in the world if nobody dwelled on the past. Is this not true?
I believe a certain "low-pass filter" is in order, along with a "schmitt trigger" with respect to how people deal with rights and/or wrongs directed towards them over time. If ya know what I mean ;-)
kimchi devil
Tuesday, September 10, 2002 at 05:43:06 (PDT)
[205.188.208.5]
yamchi devil
C'mon, are you saying anger is more powerful than love? rocks, more than honey, wind more than sunshine? tell that to Pres. Kim.
I think not, both are great motivators...choose your medicine.
About the past wrongs...we should learn from it, not dwell on it.
nyhomboy
Thursday, September 05, 2002 at 07:33:58 (PDT)
"I hope not, they carry a big enough chip on their shoulder already."
no uber-nationalism?
Why not?
The same anger that can cripple and debilitate people can also drive them to incredible -- dare I say... superhuman -- feats of accomplishment. Take for example blacks and coreans: Basically the same anger and issues among both groups, the difference is that coreans living in corea work for a corean boss and pay their taxes a corean government. The blacks here in the US... well you know. They're kinda in the same predicament as Coreans living in Japan :-) So anger can be a very positive thing when used properly... at the right place and time.
Wisdom is understanding the reasons for wise words, not necessary just saying them, hehe. As long as coreans don't let things get outta control, it'll be fine.
Well, pulling their weight? For a country that, at the end of the korean war, was left with about 5%(?) of its industry and an economy as bad as some of the poorest african nations, and today building half the worlds ships and with close to half its power generated by nuclear reactors... I'd say its been pulling its weight just fine!! What more can one expect from a country about 1/10th the population of the United States? As long as there's no more monkey business directed towards us, and there's been plenty of that already!
Very unfortunate that things happened the way it did in the past, I think it certainly would've been on par with japan, had corea not been divided and decimated in the first place. We're prolly about 15 years behind Japan because of it all. Although Japan was quite a workhorse around that time (16 air craft carriers vs. 9 for america+europe combined at the onset of WW2... that says an awful lot! hehe). Of which I'm sure coreans had a hand in that too! I want my reparations dammit!! LoL.
yamchi devil
Monday, September 02, 2002 at 21:47:15 (PDT)
kimchi
> is that the US will pull out when its services are no longer needed. LoL.
By that time, there will be no difference between them and us.
> great deal of innovation will result
It's about time that K pull their weight and then some. ;-)
> uber-nationalism
I hope not, they carry a big enough chip on their shoulder already.
NYhmeboy
Sunday, September 01, 2002 at 18:13:15 (PDT)
NYhomboy
Damn it, why is the US always tryin' to get its smelly cotton-pickin' fingers into corea? The US is only supposed to be a dumping ground for unemployed coreans! :-o hahahahahaha! I hope what you mean by no truer friend in Asia, is that the US will pull out when its services are no longer needed. LoL.
I wonder how the north coreans will handle such a drastic change such as undergoing reunification... Hopefully a great deal of innovation will result as many will open their eyes to a brand new world with a fresh perspective. And, unfortunately perhaps, the north coreans will likely serve as replacement workers for south corea's ship/car-building industries, allowing more south coreans to migrate towards the high tech sectors. I predict a great deal of uber-nationalism from coreans when that day comes, it'll certainly be enough to overcome any adversity as it sets it sights toward surpassing japan in the long run. Maybe even surpass future-superpower-china too, LoL ;-)
Count on it!
kimchi devil
Thursday, August 29, 2002 at 17:49:53 (PDT)
Korea will rok when united.
If you got any money to put away for a rainy day, put it into the long term SK equity market - that is, if you can find a company with a long term stable management - or wait another few years till they become more accountable and transparent.
The next couple of decades will be a repeat of the Japan play in the 70's and 80's when their equity and real estate market skyrocketed due to their increasing wealth and importance.
The fundamentals are there - beginning with the Korean work ethic and ending with the USA relizing that there is no truer friend in Asia.
NYhmeboy
Wednesday, August 28, 2002 at 18:30:53 (PDT)
kimchi devil
> another wave of potential immigrants to the United States
that's funny, I havent' thought of that. The SK store owners in NYC almost invented 24/7, I wonder waht new levels the NK immigrant store owners will go to catch up.
Regarding unification costs, don't discount the big ability of the humans to produce wealth once physical threats and limits are removed. There will be huge amount of western money ready to invest in NK. They have the benefit of successful roadmap of China and SK industralization. I think it'll be lot easier than the Germanys.
nyhmeboy
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 14:17:47 (PDT)
I certainly don't think they'll be able to pull off what the germans did when they decided to set the value of east/west german marks such that the exchange rate was one to one. This seemed like a pound of flesh taken out of west germany from the very beginning of its reunification. And it seemed like an inefficient approach, all for the sake of the well being of the east germans, which I'll admit has more long term benefits. The two Coreas will need to take a different approach and need not follow the german model. Costly indeed, but I think people underestimate how meaningful a simple "change in management" would be in North Corea alone (with its current path of economic shrinkage due to its growing military and refusal to import anything unless it must... juche? I think its called). The obvious choice would be to maintain two distinct states for awhile. If, in the event of reunification, it's sucess will then depend somewhat Chinese-Corean relations. I don't think maintaining an unusually strong military force accompanied by another DMZ on the Chinese-Corean border will be desirable during the transistion phases following any kind of reunification. Some of the pluses would be that a unified Corea will become an important hub in east asia, with better access natural resources (china/russia/n. corea itself), cheaper housing (for s. coreans), probably no shortage of foreign investments, and a well disciplined(?) pool of extra workers to boot (instead of bringing in foreigners). It will have an awful lot going for it in the long run, not to mention the likelihood of another wave of potential immigrants to the United States, MUH HAHAHAHA! YES!
kimchi devil
Saturday, August 17, 2002 at 17:34:39 (PDT)
Korean unification will definitely strengthen Korea as a whole...in the long run...
But if I was a South Korean...I would not want Korean unification at this point because I would have to be the one paying the price for the future...
Honestly Selfish
Wednesday, August 14, 2002 at 21:55:55 (PDT)
KA in Seoul,
So in the name of self interest. You believe the unification should never occur, because there is probably no way in our lifetime the economic situation will balanced on both sides.
Let's proposed the hypothetical and NK economy at some point surpasses SK.
Would you logic make sense then?
The point is the German did unify and are a pretty strong economic force right now. You believe the Koreans are not as determined or resourceful as the Germans?
AC Dropout
Wednesday, August 14, 2002 at 10:43:34 (PDT)
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