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If we had this news announced in 1946 then I don't think that everyone at the United Nations would think this was in keeping with what had been agreed. North K

If we had this news announced in 1946 then I don't think that everyone at the United Nations would think this was in keeping with what had been agreed. North Korea is not what you think it is or how people in North Korea see things. The goal for both Koreas is the same as it was for 'both Germanies' - unification. However, North Korea sees the war as very much imposed by America. The USA is the country seen as keeping the two Koreas apart. The arrangement sought by North Korea in this united kingdom is very much like how the deal goes for Scotland in the UK - devolution of sorts, albeit 'Juche' flavoured. The leadership gig in North Korea is very much like what the Japanese imposed with a holy emperor type of person having absolute god like authority. This was the model for the Kim dynasty to follow. So what is wrong with a united Korea? In a matter of a generation a united Korea would be a GDP powerhouse with ample natural resources and great people. Korea would be unstoppable to become bigger than everyone except one or two others when it comes to global clout. Really there would be no excuses for not giving Korea a seat at the UN, plus their currency could be up there with the Euro as a currency to trade in. So it serves the interests of everyone else on the UN to have Korea divided. And occupied in the South by good old 'global policeman' Uncle Sam. We live in a Western world of Full Spectrum Dominance, discussion of North Korea is skewed so that we imagine these hordes from the North flattening all those big cities in the south with their cruddy armaments and dirty bombs. However, any understanding of the North Korean position and any appreciation of their goals puts out of mind these silly Western fears. It is just propaganda, a shaping of Western minds, a filter bubble that has been going on for 75 or so years, inescapable. Anyone in the West that attempts to read the words of the North and try to understand their position is to be scapegoated and regarded with suspicion. In the West our views have to be suckled from the teat of the TV news, there is no scope for listening to the other side. We have our news journalists to not do that for us so we don't have to either.

openasocket 9y ago
You think the Kims genuinely want to unify Korea under a single, democratic government? That they would give up power to a unified Korean government elected by the people? I just don't understand how the Kims could keep their god-emperor status and unify Korea, except if they conquered the South. And I don't see the Kims willingly giving up absolute power. I also think you're kind of glossing over the fact that the DPRK is a profoundly brutal totalitarian regime that holds hundreds of thousands of political prisoners in concentration camps, along with numerous other human rights violations. You don't think that might be the reason the country is hated globally? Or at least contribute to it? > We live in a Western world of Full Spectrum Dominance, discussion of North Korea is skewed so that we imagine these hordes from the North flattening all those big cities in the south with their cruddy armaments and dirty bombs. Have you read up on the DPRK military? They have thousands of artillery positions throughout the country, most of which are capable of reaching Seoul, along with key military installations. It's crappy artillery, but there's a lot of it and they can really make it rain down on civilians. Studies have suggested that even if the US devoted the entirety of its air power in the Pacific to destroying those artillery positions, it would take a week to remove all of them. During which time they could fire indiscriminately at population centers. Even an Iron Dome-like defense system wouldn't be able to handle that volume of artillery. North Korea wouldn't win any war with the US, but they could take a lot of South Koreans down with them. > In a matter of a generation a united Korea would be a GDP powerhouse with ample natural resources and great people. Korea would be unstoppable to become bigger than everyone except one or two others when it comes to global clout [citation needed] > Really there would be no excuses for not giving Korea a seat at the UN North Korea has been a full member of the UN since 1991 > In the West our views have to be suckled from the teat of the TV news, there is no scope for listening to the other side. We have our news journalists to not do that for us so we don't have to either. This sort of ad hominem attack on the abstract concept of "the West" really doesn't add anything to your argument.

openasocket 9y ago

You think the Kims genuinely want to unify Korea under a single, democratic government? That they would give up power to a unified Korean government elected by the people? I just don't understand how the Kims could keep their god-emperor status and unify Korea, except if they conquered the South. And I don't see the Kims willingly giving up absolute power. I also think you're kind of glossing over the fact that the DPRK is a profoundly brutal totalitarian regime that holds hundreds of thousands of political prisoners in concentration camps, along with numerous other human rights violations. You don't think that might be the reason the country is hated globally? Or at least contribute to it? > We live in a Western world of Full Spectrum Dominance, discussion of North Korea is skewed so that we imagine these hordes from the North flattening all those big cities in the south with their cruddy armaments and dirty bombs. Have you read up on the DPRK military? They have thousands of artillery positions throughout the country, most of which are capable of reaching Seoul, along with key military installations. It's crappy artillery, but there's a lot of it and they can really make it rain down on civilians. Studies have suggested that even if the US devoted the entirety of its air power in the Pacific to destroying those artillery positions, it would take a week to remove all of them. During which time they could fire indiscriminately at population centers. Even an Iron Dome-like defense system wouldn't be able to handle that volume of artillery. North Korea wouldn't win any war with the US, but they could take a lot of South Koreans down with them. > In a matter of a generation a united Korea would be a GDP powerhouse with ample natural resources and great people. Korea would be unstoppable to become bigger than everyone except one or two others when it comes to global clout [citation needed] > Really there would be no excuses for not giving Korea a seat at the UN North Korea has been a full member of the UN since 1991 > In the West our views have to be suckled from the teat of the TV news, there is no scope for listening to the other side. We have our news journalists to not do that for us so we don't have to either. This sort of ad hominem attack on the abstract concept of "the West" really doesn't add anything to your argument.