I think it will set SK back 10 to 20 yrs. It has to pitch in alot of money to help out NK and therefore less money to invest on its own R&D and programs, giving chances for other countries to surpass SK for good.

Some say NK can give SK a low cost base for manufacturing. But the world is already suffer from way too much overcapacity and not enough demand. It won't get better in the future. Demand definitely is coming down. national economy, and protectionism will be more prominent. Even US is crying out for buy "made in US only clause in its rescue package now.

I see nothing can be gained by SK when united /w NK. Most likely it will set SK back further and lose its current competitive edge.

So because they are poor, therefore you dont reunit with them? Even thought they are...well...your brothers...literally...

Reunification will enhance both SK and NK in the long-term. NK, for one, will become an industrial powerhouse, unlike the destitute state it is in today.










http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/index.php?...t&p=3937978

I agree with Santa. Reunification will definitely make Korea more powerful. Sure you might have some bumps in the beginning. Nothing Koreans can't overcome. There's a lot to gain from unification.

1. Korea would be very powerful militarily.
2. More natural resources
3. Will be nuclear declared country where nobody can't fu-k with us if we play our cards right.

dude, it's a prefectly normal topic, you have to resorted to low tactics and falseness shows your screwedup-ness of the mind. lighten up.

I agree that NK will become better industrialwise but at same time SK's competitiveness will get dragged down and losing its edge.

NK will gain something and SK will lose something. It's evened- out. There you have it.

What if North Korea want to unify with China?


Are you okay with that?

What if NK decided to merge with other countries, say japan, or Tw, or Russia?

Since SK wont take NK, someone else might come and take it.

How about Taiwan and North Korea merge because they have similar population?

No, I am just saying, NK is open to be munipulated, since they dont have the means to feed itself or arm itself, or produce energy for itself.

If SK keep this "I dont want to reunit with a poor country" attitude...well... I think other country might be able to turn NK into a province.

I think it is best for North Korea and Taiwan to unify due to similar population of around 25 million people each. South Korea has around 50 million people. South Korea can overwhelm North Korea with 50 million people.

I think North Korea should merge with South Africa. Nobody would see it coming.

Wasn't NK regime already said that they wanted to unification with SK ever since their separation? by having their regime as government?

People often misunderstood about NK, they are more nationalistic than anyone.
I've heard NK guards killed NKorean woman who was pregnant with Chinese even she returned back to NK.
IMO, NKoreans are least mixed people in entire world.

The only suspected country of invading and annexing NK is China, which is something South Korea should prepare for.



Which Korean here said SK won't take NK?

Many many many koreans. It was in K chart that someone post a new survey in which 60+% of SK does not approve reuniting with a poor NK. But the irony is that they dont want anyone take them either.

Oh really? All the surveys I've seen had about 10~20% wanting immediate reunification, 50~60% wanting gradual reunification, and about 3~7% not wanting reunification.

why dont you post the website link here for us.

視其所以, 觀其所由, 察其所安. 人焉叟哉 ?人焉叟哉 ?

That is an understatement. Just look at how East Germany brought down the German economy after unification. Many West Germans now wish the unification never happened.


South Korea could have Nukes now if they wanted! You don't need NK for Nukes.

Yeah, that is about right. Most South Koreans realize now is not the right time. Let us see what happens after Kim kicks the bucket.

It depends on how they unite.

Ideally, they would unite when North Korea's standards of living are roughly equivalent to South Korea's, or at least enough that North Koreans wouldn't migrate en masse to South Korea in search of economic opportunities and better welfare. Thus, if I were the grand master of South and North Korean fates, even if the North became willing to reunite on South Korea's terms, I would still wait at least 2 or 3 decades before I actually united the two countries together. The North is way behind in all aspects (economic, technological, social, etc...) than the South. In this case, this will enhance both South and North Korea.

But if they were to reunite rashly (i.e. immediately, without consideration of the consequences), then I can see South Korea weakening greatly. It may or may not benefit the North.

Ideally yes, but with case like Korea, it's totally different from East/West German unification.
Yes, over all SK economy will be weaken due to huge debt as it will need huge development in NK.

But, SK is lack of laborers, factory workers, natural resource, lands for building factories, warehouses and farming etc.. immediate unification might bring political unrest but Koreans can always pull it off pretty fast.

North Korea isn't behind technology, they have something South Korea don't have too. They are expert in bio-chemistry, bomb making.
The worse Eastern European countries did pulled it faster than we expected, NK is better than some of East European countries.

Kick the Capitalist pigs out and we can unite. Money is no object when we can grow much stronger.

I don't think so. NK is a third world country with Nukes.

Unification will be better for Korea in the long run. It'll take a while to improve NK's economy so it should start as soon as possible. The longer the division continues, the more the both sides will spend a lot of money on their military.
But in the short (or could be long) run, there'll be a lot of issues to solve, such as the big economic gap between the Southerners and the Northerners. People from a communist system wouldn't like the big difference in income depending on the job. Currently, there is a lack of open jobs with high income.

although it may be frowned upon, i disagree with the unification.
IF two koreas were to merge, there would be more problems than advantages for more than 30,40years

sk will never recover its firm economic standings and financially annihilated.
not to mention the people! nkoreans would probably live in poverty and create social problems equal or greater scale of US 100 years ago with the whites and blacks.

uniting the two coundtries would be the utmost stupid decision any nation could be doing
a better scenario would be to go through the same economic development process sk had gotten through 50 years ago

before even considering of uniting.

Of course, i doubt that the neighboring countries would let this happen if anything;
We all know that the chinese government is extremely wrapped up with the goguryeo and the josunjok so that they can annex nk.

^ ha ha nice try troll.
How pathetic are you?

you know what this guy up here is correct in a way "IF two koreas were to merge, there would be more problems than advantages" can you imagine how long it would to recreate and rehabilitate the peoples mind in nk and economics system would be horrible not horrible corrupted as well taking advantage of nk people trying to get use to of the way south Korean people live and the government would be corrupted as hell <<<<< can i say hell?? eh w/e

we would love to think it would enhance but it would weaken Korea but in the long of years of work Korea would be a power house to reckon with bear with me my english grammer sucks -__-

No is not, unification won't weaken Korea, it will increase it's influence in the world as one Korea.
Corruption in Korean society goes back to many centuries, it's not that different between two Koreas.

Just because NK was more isolated, it doesn't mean it will have more disadvantage.
NK's economy needs serious shake up and polishing for sure, but NK was richer than SK back in 1960.
Don't try to paint the glimmer picture, try tobe positive.

yea sorry about the positive i alwasy dream that Korea will unite as one country again. i was just thinking about the side effects and how Japan Russia China and Usa would look at this as a threat and as of now Sk and Nk military size are in top 10 somewhere

Well, even united Korea is hardly threat to China, Russia and US, considering they are huge compared to Korea.
But Japan will pushed to 3rd spot for sure, and Japan will be only country worrying about Korean unification.

The sad part it that the window of opportunity to reunite separted familes is quickly closing.

It's almost imposible for SK and NK to be united.
It's not up to them; it's up to Russia, China, and US.
Unfortunately none of them wants Korea to be united.
But of course they would be stronger if they are united

The only country that wants Korea divided is China, and the only country that benefits from the current division is China.

Not only China.
Also Japan US and Russia
Japan don't want two anti-Japanese countries to be united
North is a puppet of China and Russia, and South is a puppet of US
So all the countries around Korea are benefiting, sadly just not Koreans themselves.

Both the US and Russia have nothing to lose from a stronger, united Korea, and in fact they both have something to benefit from the change. Japan's interests wouldn't be so straightforward. Economically, Korean reunification would be against its interests because Korea will become a stronger competitor, but politically Japan will have a stronger potential ally against China.

Then what about China? Not only will China have a much stronger economic competitor, it will also lose one of its resource colonies, North Korea. If Korea is reunified, it's doubtful China can continue to exploit mineral resources in North Korea at below-standard prices. In the end, China is the biggest obstacle to reunification and propserity of the Korean people.

China and Russia will agree Korean unification under NK's terms since both will benefit from it.
US and Japan will of course prefer Korean unification under SK's terms since both will benefit from it.
The fundamental geopolitics of Korean peninsula has never changed since the beginning of the cold and will continue to be so for years to come. Korean nationalists who believe that the Russians will ever stand by SK against China should write comedy script instead of commenting on geopolitics. SK has never been a real player in NE Asia politics and it never will be. The bottom line is that your land size, population, military power, and economic power are too tiny comparing to all the neighbors surrounding you. You have to learn to suck it up....

Of course Russia and US would have some losses
If North annex South, US would be a BIG LOSSER
If South annex North, then Russia and China would not be happy (The whole Korea peninsula would become a US military outpost, and threat both Chinese and Russian National security)

So depends on how they are united

And by the way, Korea would not ally with Japan no matter what.
If you are a Korean, you shouldn't forget what the Japanese did to Korean early last centry, which Japan still didn't apologize to all those the asian countries.

Land size has nothing to do with it. Population size never stopped UK from invading other countries nor did Japanese invading China? If Korea united it would be a nuclear state and capable of hitting USA, CHINA, RUSSIA, JAPAN. Combined Korea economically would be under top 10 in the world. Now I'm not saying we aren't surrounded by power houses like China and Russia. Yet we are still here with a middle finger at China and USA and fu-k the world.

It's just kind of unrealistic what you SK's are hoping. You hope by being hostile to China, China will just let NK weaken and fail, so you can move in? why should China be favorable to your views? because you hate and attack us? What did I say about the no. 1 enemy of koreans..?

Reunification lead by South Korea, which is the only realistic outcome, would result in a much more powerful industrial powerhouse with hunger for energy. This means another large market for Russia, and another competitor for China. Also, Russia's national security concerns is quite different in the Russian Far East, where China is a potential threat and there's no need to establish hegemony over oil-producing former Soviet states.

FYI, South Korea and Japan are already allies, though the alliance is not direct. And in the long term, military cooperation between Korea and Japan is likely to happen, unless Japan starts to reassert itself as an imperialistic power that China is today. Otherwise, bilateral cooperation against China, the common enemy, is an inevitable outcome.

In the even of Korean reunification, US would gain both in terms of economy(larger market) and national security(stronger ally). Outcome would be mixed for Russia and Japan. The biggest loser in the event of Korean reunification would be China, which would have nothing to gain. Hence, we see China playing the key role in keeping Korea divided. What can we do about it? It's important to properly recognize China as the threat against the region and our national interest, raising the need for arms procurement and consolidating cooperation with other allies who share mutual goals.

I can't even imagine the suffering of all your neighbors once koreans get to unite and fully devote to hating everyone who's not korean.

Quite a heated debate, but most people are being dense. I will respond to SantaKlaws because he seems to know what he is talking about, albeit a bit biased.



I agree, the Chinese have a lot to lose, though it doesn't have to be this way.



In the cold calculus of geopolitics, it is not as simple as you say. Japan and Korea are not natural allies. Indeed, there is a great deal of resentment between South Korea and Japan still, which reveals itself in public opinion. Yes, you are both allies of the US, and therefore allies by proxy, but neither of you are enemies of China, no more than the US is an enemy of China. In this age, there are few true enemies because few intend to fight a real war. Consequently, the relationship between China, the US, South Korea, and Japan is a complex mixture of competition, cooperation, and rivalry. Within this context, two themes emerge: a dependence on signals from the US, and a military stalemate maintained by the fear of attacking and losing.

As for where the US, Russia, and South Korea stand, that is also not so clear. The US and Russia are both wary of China, but they are also wary of each other, and see the advantage of working with China. The US prefers a stable, free market, and peaceful China, with which it can do business. The Russians prefer a stable, peaceful China, to which it can sell energy. If China plays its cards correctly, there is no reason why the US or Russia would move to upset their relationships with China, even if they do support a unified Korea. If you keep up with North Korean news, then you must know that the Russians have also demonstrated some opposition to UN actions against North Korea. They are not as simple of a player as you assume; remember, the Russians don't want US bases close to their border, either.

Meanwhile, South Korea, though its people might yearn for reunification, has a large and powerful business community with strong interests in China. This is why the South Korean government has deferred to China in more ways than one, while trying, at the same time, to advance on the reunification front, where it must know that China stands on the opposite side. One might also argue that South Korea realizes that the US is overstretched and does not want a conflict in East Asia, and adjusts its policy accordingly. Such is the nature of modern politics, in which few things are that clear cut.



If you choose to ignore the elephant in the room, sure. But in truth, the country that stands to gain the most is North Korea. To be exact, we must acknowledge that when we speak of countries we are speaking of their governments, and the North Korean government has a lot more to lose than China if the two Koreas ever reunite. In fact, they risk being tried for crimes against humanity. Likewise, the country that is the biggest obstacle to reunification is also North Korea; indeed, if North Korea wanted to reunify, there is nothing China can do to stop it. Yes, the Chinese are manipulating the situation behind the scenes, supporting those who are pro-China over those who might be pushing for reunification, but they are only able to do so because the greater faction within North Korea is willing to be manipulated in order to save its own skin.

I do not doubt that South Korea will eventually reunify with North Korea.

I do doubt, however, anyone who claims to know exactly how it will happen. There are too many variables at work, here. North Korea might last less than a year. Or it might last another twenty years. It really depends on the decisions of its leaders, and the context in which those decisions are placed.

China has a mutual defense treaty with NK. Any threat to the integrity of its territories and constitution is a legal reason to intervene.

I'm not saying China will automatically intervene, but anyone in NK that wants to just surrender their own constitution needs to keep that in mind, and they need to seek at least the acquiescence of China.

Land size and population size are all crucial parameters to determine the overall national power.



Even though Korea had a militant tradition, I would not toss the word "nukes" if I were you and you know why.



Tough talk can only take you so far...

The most likely scenario with Korean peninsula is that the USA will gradually withdraw its direct influence over peninsula affairs. Japan will be pushed to the forefront by the USA as a proxy to protect American interests in East Asia. No matter how SK dislikes the arrangement, SK will have a new supervisor - Japan. America's 21 century geopolitical strategy is base on building of two strong pillars in UK and Japan. These two allies are the regional nerve centers of the American Empire to confront continental powers such as EU, Russia, and China. The Russians know this. The Chinese know this. The Europeans know this. Only mental rejects would claim that China's business present in Russian Far East will be a serious threat that outweights the threat posed by an unified Korean peninsula under Japanese-American direct control as a forward base to attack Russian Far East.

The bottom line is that China and Russia will always stand by NK unless SK can resist American and Japanese control. But that's unrealistic because SK totally depends on Japanese technology and American market. SK can not survive without either. So the most likely scenario and the outcome with Korean Peninsula is that two seperated korean states will become permanent. Don't be fooled by the Western and South Korean propaganda that NK is going to collapse. They have spewed that craps for 50 years. Supporting NK is not a huge burden to major powers such as Russia or China. NK will be like a power bunny. Keep going, going, and going until both NK and SK turing into two completely different countries. (they are quite different already.) Eventually both sides will forget about invading each others and learn to treat each other as equal. We as neighbors will make sure of that too for the sake of the regional stability.

It seems to me that everybody here is talking about reunification just in terms of geopolitics, security, power games, etc. My countryman Santa is a pissed-off man obsessed with the idea that someday and somehow China will swallow NK. Actually, there's a growing concern recently in SK that it might happen. It's a pretty drastic turn of events because it has been thought that China wants to maintain the status quo on the Korean Peninsula, but now the circumstances have been changed, it seems.

One possible reason that China might attempt to do that is NK is known to have huge reserves of natural resources, especially uranium. It is not quite certain but it is said to have uranium as much as what's in all other countries combined, or even several times. If it's true, it's not just about geopolitics or power games b/t super powers but it's likely that it's gonna be an actual benefit for China, and in this case what do you think will happen in balancing or shifting power in East Asia? You got any idea?

You guys are overblowing the amount of natural resoruce NK has. Yes......It's relatively rich in certain natural resource just like Northeast China. The only reason that NK is relatively rich in certain mining because NK has no mean to explore it. so its reserves are still intact. But NK is still a very tiny piece of land with limited natural resource. As for uranium, China itself has huge reserves in Yunnan and Guizhou. And internationally no one can beat Canada, Australia, Russia, and Khazastan in uranium reserves. Sure, uranium is a highly controlled material but it's not that rare either.

As for China buying NK natural resource below the market price, it's pure BS. As a matter of fact, China has been paying a premium price to buy NK resource to support them. If China really wanted to exploit NK, China certainly has the power to buy NK resources in a super deep discount price because China is the only buyer of the NK resource. It's buyer's market! Don't forget it's SK who team up with America and Japan to put an all out sanction on NK. That's why NK has no mean to trade its natural resource in the international market. And you blame China's good will to help and to trade with her little brother under assault?

And where is the evidence for this?



Again, where is the source? As far as I know, the only countries with huge concentrations of uranium are Canada and Australia. North Korea might have some, but I really doubt it has as much as "all other countries combined."

As for how a Chinese takeover of North Korea will shift the balance of power, it won't shift them at all. It will remove a problematic area and replace it with another one - namely the new border between China and South Korea. But this is unlikely to happen. North Korea is a crazy ultra-nationalist state built upon the principle of Juche. Their people will not submit to a foreign occupier, and China lacks the clout to justify an annexation. Consequently, the combination of severe international condemnation and opposition from North Korean denizens will stay China's hand. Rather, an arrangement like the present one is the most realistic form of control China can have over North Korea.

Nuclear State? Korea Peninsula is a nuclear free zone. They wouldn't be nuked but they are also not allowed to possess nuke weapon.
If they have any signal of building nuke weapons, China or Russia or even US would send their troops and distory the nuke reactors, just as US did in Iraq.(Although they finally didn't find any)

And by the way, Korea is no match to GB in 19th centry
You think Korea can become an "The empire on which the sun never sets"?
Have some self-knowledge PLEASE!

Korea and Japan may not be "natural" allies, but the two may very well have a common enemy, China, and a common friend, United States, which are strong attractive factors in the formation of a military alliance. However, there's also a high likeliness that this could get derailed by political changes in either of the two. Nonetheless, as long as the U.S. is here, the two countries will be "proxy" allies as you'd put it.

As for Russia, I think you missed my point entirely. From a Russian point of view, a unified Korea under South Korean leadership means another huge developed market with large demand for energy. With different markets competing for the same commodity, Russian oil, Russia will benefit from this outcome. Russian involvement in the nuclear crisis has so far been superficial. It has no key role in propping up the North Korean regime, and in the UN it usually follows China's lead.

South Korea does have strong business interests in the Chinese market, but China itself is a potential rival for the South Korean business community. The last pro-China administration was very anti-business, and it was largely responsible for the mass exodus of Korean capital to the Chinese market. This administration is very pro-business, so expect to see new iniatives to get back lost capital and discourage new investments in China, as if the current exchange rates haven't done that already. South Korean business community is largely resprented by the "big three" media, and if you haven't noticed, these "big three" media are very anti-China, constantly reminding the Korean people that China is a grave threat to Koreans. Not that the South Korean activist/labor community is any different. China has done so much $hit that media at opposite ends of the political spectrum are both anti-China. It takes only the greatest evil to actually "unite" Korean politics on one issue.

Oh, North Korea? It's just a puppet of the Chinese government. Without Chinese support, the Kim Jong-il regime cannot survive. China has long had strong influence over North Korea's military elements, and this gives China a strong advantage in manipulating politics in North Korea. It's undeniable that North Korea is one of the key players in this crisis, but you also cannot deny that China's role in this is tantamount to that of North Korea.

All in all, you seem to have a very rosy picture for China's future. Will China rise be peaceful? Most likely not. Look at North Korea. Look at the Spratlys. Look at Tibet. Look at the emerging imperialistic nationalism. All this, coupled with its incessating hunger for more resources, will eventually lead China to conflict with the developed world. Which side will Korea be on? The answer is pretty obvious.





Neither China, Russia or even the US can defeat the South Korean army on ground in the event of an invasion, unless they bring lots of friends along.