11–20 of 49 posts
Having the benefit of hindsight in looking at outside interventions elsewhere (Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan etc ) I think that maybe the best thing would be for all other countries (including China) to stop interfering in North korea. It's not possible of course
I get the feeling that South Koreans are a lot less keen to be unified than West Germans were before the cold war ended, probably justifiably so. There was at least some exchange between West and East, nothing like the complete isolation of North Korea. East Germans could just turn on their TV and watch some West German television when they wanted to compare systems. (Areas the West German TV signals couldn’t reach w…
Most every South Korean wants reunification at some point. But the truth of it is that the current generation doesn't really think about North Korea much. Those that do cite the the German experiment as an example of a very cautionary tale about reunification. This of course despite the fact that many older generation Koreans would feel compelled to have some kind of punishment for the "communists" (in quotes because…
That’s exactly what some people in West Germany and also East Germany proposed after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It ultimately didn’t happen but that was a real debate.
I get the feeling that South Koreans are a lot less keen to be unified than West Germans were before the cold war ended, probably justifiably so. There was at least some exchange between West and East, nothing like the complete isolation of North Korea. East Germans could just turn on their TV and watch some West German television when they wanted to compare systems. (Areas the West German TV signals couldn’t reach w…
I was in South Korea last month and there's a few different attitudes. There's a general sense that there should be one Korea at some point or other, though people disagree on the particulars based on what they focus on when they think about it. Some people think the opportunities for manufacturing and development in North Korea are going to be great and are excited to have more Korean companies do their manufacturin…
This is a quite popular opinion to express publicly, but I think the support for it is rather shallow. When push comes to shove, unifying Korea would have immediate economic impacts to South Koreans more severe than the United States swallowing Mexico.
(South Korea has 48 million people who have essentially Italian living standards. North Korea has 23 million people and is desperately poor. The day the border goes down every man under the age of thirty in North Korea would try to cross to South Korea, looking for any available job. That historically does not endear large immigration populations to their host nations.)
I get the feeling that South Koreans are a lot less keen to be unified than West Germans were before the cold war ended, probably justifiably so. There was at least some exchange between West and East, nothing like the complete isolation of North Korea. East Germans could just turn on their TV and watch some West German television when they wanted to compare systems. (Areas the West German TV signals couldn’t reach w…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree in theory, but I'm reminded of a quote by Trotsky - "You might not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." North Korea is on China's borders, thousands of people each month sneak into China from North Korea, and their crazopathic government is next door to China no matter what. I think China being very mildly pro-NK is a case of "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." North Korea is p…
This is something that always puzzles me. How come it's accepted as a given that countries cannot seal their borders. The Soviet Bloc were pretty good at it EDIT also the border between north and south korea is pretty tight
Having the benefit of hindsight in looking at outside interventions elsewhere (Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan etc ) I think that maybe the best thing would be for all other countries (including China) to stop interfering in North korea. It's not possible of course
I agree in theory, but I'm reminded of a quote by Trotsky - "You might not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." North Korea is on China's borders, thousands of people each month sneak into China from North Korea, and their crazopathic government is next door to China no matter what. I think China being very mildly pro-NK is a case of "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." North Korea is p…
The documentary mentions that North Korea survives thanks to food from the World Food Programme. Cut all imports, and I wonder how long the régime would last when even the army starts starving to death.
Of course, it's possible millions of people would die in the process.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is something that always puzzles me. How come it's accepted as a given that countries cannot seal their borders. The Soviet Bloc were pretty good at it EDIT also the border between north and south korea is pretty tight
The UK is an island but our borders have more holes than a colander. Illegal immigration and people smuggling are a huge issue here, and a political hot potato. The problem must be 10x worse for countries with land borders.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is something that always puzzles me. How come it's accepted as a given that countries cannot seal their borders. The Soviet Bloc were pretty good at it EDIT also the border between north and south korea is pretty tight
The Eastern Block wasn't that good at all at sealing borders. Many millions of people have emigrated to the West from Eastern Europe during the Cold War.