Identical twins they’re not. The two halves of Korea - a rabbit-shaped, mountainous peninsula jutting into the Yellow Sea - are wildly dissimilar. The North is an impoverished, tyrannized, height-and-economy stunted state, bizarrely cloistered with secret tunnels, rogue nuclear missiles and a recent “boy-king.” The South is a workaholic, studious, sleep-deprived builder of huge ships, skyscrapers, Samsung, Hyundai, globe-leading innovations, and direct democracy.
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Complete entry
Posted by
dominoconsultant on 01/30 at 06:20 PM
A very interesting treatment exploring reunification but also a revelation on the likely emergence of South Korea as a global economic and cultural force.
This causes me to rethink global dominance of the USA and consider how our wired societies will develop.
I’m curious about the prevalence of file sharing in SK and the way this is treated by media and government particularly with the current furore on the ACTA.
Posted to reddit.com /r/worldpolitics ===> http://www.reddit.com/r/worldpolitics/comments/p3nzf/south_korea_as_a_global_economic_and_cultural/
Posted by
VictorS on 01/31 at 09:44 PM
I’m intrigued by this piece and reassured by the author’s arguments that a re-unification with the North would not harm the South. Historically, such affairs are not without stresses. I’ve heard it said that the only reason East and West Germany were able to reintegrate so easily was that the FDR was fabulously wealthy at the time. In effect, reunification was the biggest LBO in history.
Yet, I do wonder how near union between the Koreas really is. The Germanies could join with some ease if only because the GDR’s population had largely rejected the legitimacy of their own government. Can the same be said for the North Koreans?
vs
victor-storiguard.blogspot.com
victor-storiguard.blogspot.com
Posted by
hankpellissier on 02/01 at 07:18 AM
Thanks for your comments - lately, I have read that many government officials in the USA do not support reunification because they believe South Korea getting nuclear status would be troublesome - it would make Japan also seek nuclear weaponry…
VictorS - you’re right, one poll shows that less than 50% of South Koreans under the age of 30 want reunification…
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