Korean Unification and Her neighbors

[Of Liberion]

North Korea is probably the poorest nation in the world but in a humanitarian view point the world bank might ignore the debt problems North Korea has so it would be easier to rebuild the northern half of the nation

The amount of money would be LARGE but we can't under estimate the power of the world bank either sure even they are limited as well and the amount maybe to large but it would hold some position on a north Korean rebuilding and lesson the amount even if it is small in world views to the poor every Dollor/Euro helps

[Duvniask]

North Korea is probably the poorest nation in the world but in a humanitarian view point the world bank might ignore the debt problems North Korea has so it would be easier to rebuild the northern half of the nation

North Korea is not the poorest nation in the world.

[Of Liberion]

North Korea is probably the poorest nation in the world but in a humanitarian view point the world bank might ignore the debt problems North Korea has so it would be easier to rebuild the northern half of the nation

North Korea is not the poorest nation in the world.

It's deffenitly in the top 5

[Roisylvania]

North Korea is not the poorest nation in the world.

It's deffenitly in the top 5

Probably not even that poor, when you take into account Somalia, Afghanistan, DRoC, and a multitude of other mostly Sub-Saharan nations.

[Of Liberion]

It's deffenitly in the top 5

Probably not even that poor, when you take into account Somalia, Afghanistan, DRoC, and a multitude of other mostly Sub-Saharan nations.

Hemm good point but those other nations don't have NEARLY as much sanctions aginst them as North Korea does

[Roisylvania]

Probably not even that poor, when you take into account Somalia, Afghanistan, DRoC, and a multitude of other mostly Sub-Saharan nations.

Hemm good point but those other nations don't have NEARLY as much sanctions aginst them as North Korea does

True, and they also receive a good amount of foreign aid, and yet they are still far poorer than DPRK.

[Valkalan]

I wouldn't say that NK is the absolute poorest nation in the world. I would place it in the bottom 50 of nations.

[Of Liberion]

Hemm good point but those other nations don't have NEARLY as much sanctions aginst them as North Korea does

True, and they also receive a good amount of foreign aid, and yet they are still far poorer than DPRK.

All that forign aid goes to guns and drug's

[Memell]

I honestly don't care.

What is sure is that should the DPRK regime collapse, the South's economy would be crippled by the sheer amount of illiterate and half-starved people(add to that the fact that they can't live in the modern world, having used perhaps just a telephone and a radio,perhaps)

[Of Liberion]

According to the ALL POWERFUL and NEVER WRONG WIKIPEDIA

North Koreas PPP purchasing power parity it's 40 billon dollors
But it's GDP in 2011 is around 12.4 billion dollars and the average income for the people was
506$ per capita. And the per capita for the GDP PPP was 1,800$

[Of Liberion]

I honestly don't care.

What is sure is that should the DPRK regime collapse, the South's economy would be crippled by the sheer amount of illiterate and half-starved people(add to that the fact that they can't live in the modern world, having used perhaps just a telephone and a radio,perhaps)

I read on a new York Times section about North korean tech
They DO HAVE tablets not as powerful as we know them but they do have angry birds and NO they DON'T look like there god leaders

[Roisylvania]

According to the ALL POWERFUL and NEVER WRONG WIKIPEDIA

North Koreas PPP purchasing power parity it's 40 billon dollors
But it's GDP in 2011 is around 12.4 billion dollars and the average income for the people was
506$ per capita. And the per capita for the GDP PPP was 1,800$

Check the citation numbers. Those statistics come from the UNSD. Just because it is on Wikipedia does not mean it is false, especially if it is properly cited.

[Rio Cana]

Somebody mention illiterate NKoreans. The literacy rate in rate in NK. is around 99%. Just like SK., NK. believes in formal education for its citizens.

Read this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_North_Korea

[Arcturus Novus]

While I'd like to see a unified, democratic Korea with Seoul as its capital, I doubt any of us will see it in our lifetimes.

[Kranstentistan]

Somebody mention illiterate NKoreans. The literacy rate in rate in NK. is around 99%. Just like SK., NK. believes in formal education for its citizens.

Read this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_North_Korea

From what I've read, literacy in North Korea is counted under just being able to write the dear leader's name. It could be significantly lower when international standards are used.

[Geilinor]

Somebody mention illiterate NKoreans. The literacy rate in rate in NK. is around 99%. Just like SK., NK. believes in formal education for its citizens.

Read this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_North_Korea

There's a required class on the "Great Kim il-Sung". The schools seem like propaganda dissemination centers.

[Greed and Death]

In order to keep the north from dragging down the South unification would have to be gradual over the course of decades focusing on trade reforms.

Think about how much richer West Germany was than South Korea, and how much richer East Germany was than North Korea and yet there was quite a bit of turbulence when German reunified.

[Rio Cana]

While I'd like to see a unified, democratic Korea with Seoul as its capital, I doubt any of us will see it in our lifetimes.

That is the problem Seoul. Even the SK. government is building a new Capital in order to spread economic development in the rest of SK. since it seems most of the development, power and money stays in Seoul and does not spread around to the other regions of SK.

Read this on the new Capital City which is being built. In reality, it will be kind of like a second capital city. Half the government will be moved there. Who knows, maybe in time they will all be moved there. They only are planning to move half since people started complaining

Story - http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asi ... story.html

More information - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongju

[Vamtrl]

Unification is an economic death sentence to South Korea.

[Archeuland and Baughistan]

The only unification should be in the destruction of North Korea, and military annexation of North Korea into South Korea, creating a unified state.

North Korea's leaders should be tried.

[Geilinor]

The only 'unification' that could take place would be the destruction of the north and south Koreans moving into the new land

That's like saying German reunification wasn't a "unification", since that's exactly what happened.

[Greed and Death]

While I'd like to see a unified, democratic Korea with Seoul as its capital, I doubt any of us will see it in our lifetimes.

That is the problem Seoul. Even the SK. government is building a new Capital in order to spread economic development in the rest of SK. since it seems most of the development, power and money stays in Seoul and does not spread around to the other regions of SK.

Read this on the new Capital City which is being built. In reality, it will be kind of like a second capital city. Half the government will be moved there. Who knows, maybe in time they will all be moved there. They only are planning to move half since people started complaining

Story - http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asi ... story.html

More information - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongju

Seoul is sort of like having New York City and Washington DC in the same place. Politicians do not like being outbid for the luxury condos by the investment bankers.

[Of Liberion]

Well with all that's said on this forum the only practical way for reunification of both Koreas is
For a north Korean revolt/revalutuon and only if it succeed's then can we focus on rebuilding. But Korea would still need to be divided for years until north Korea can rebuild it's inferstructer and economy, but with the western nations investing into North Korea and the world bank helping in the debt and economy would be instramental in the rebuilding, but until the north can stabalise and modernize Korea would still need to be divided

[Constantinopolis]

At what point do we just say that the two Koreas have really become separate countries with different cultures and national identities, and should continue to remain independent from each other in the future? If we haven't reached that point yet, we certainly will soon. The generations born before the Korean War are already very old, and dying out. In another 20 years or so there will be almost no one left alive who remembers a united Korea. The two countries use different words for "Korea" - Chosŏn in the north, Hanguk in the south - and they have different demonyms for their people. There has been very little communication and basically zero cultural interchange between the citizens of the two countries in over 60 years. Their infrastructure and technology is completely different. There are no electrical power lines connecting them, no water or gas pipes, there are negligible railway and road connections, and there is very little trade.

Let's face it: There is no such thing as Korea. There is Chosŏn and there is Hanguk. Two countries. Two peoples.

[Gigaverse]

There are many reasons to conclude that a hasty unification for the peninsula shouldn't be in place anytime soon.