South Korean president Lee Myung-Bak, on a trip to Malaysia to discuss a possible free trade agreement between the two countries, denounced North Korea as “one of the most belligerent nations in the world”. He also made a cryptic comment twice on his trip: “Reunification is drawing near”. Certainly with escalating tensions between the warring states, rampant military exercises and shows of force on both sides, and a proposed Reunification Tax, Myung-Bak’s administration may be readying itself for an inevitable war.
However, if such a war were to be reignited, there would be many years of fallout (figuratively, we hope) on what to do with a 24 million strong population of malnutritioned and ideologically unsound North Koreans. Regime change seems a logical direction for the South, with the rogue state attempting to weaponize it’s nuclear capabilities, an inexperienced son being prepared to succeed his deteriorating father as leader, and a crippled economy still reeling from last year’s currency reform. Would China step in to defend the DPRK? Would Seoul, as has been predicted for decades, become flattened immediately by a barrage from the North? The implications are far reaching, and I’m sure most South Korean citizens would be perfectly content to maintain the “status quo”.
Source: Associated Press
