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I was in West Germany during and after reunification. It definitely turned out to be much more difficult and expensive than most people expected. Considering th

I was in West Germany during and after reunification. It definitely turned out to be much more difficult and expensive than most people expected. Considering that East Germany was much wealthier than North Korea I expect building them up will be even more difficult. Some people will benefit greatly but overall it will probably a massive expense for South Korea without any benefit for most citizens.

root_axis 9y ago
An end to the looming spectre of war seems like a gigantic benefit to the citizenry.
- maxxxxx 9y ago
  Sure. But there is a also a big price to pay by regular citizens. From West Germany it didn't feel like a triumph or something worth celebrating.
ExactoKnight 9y ago
Germany is now an economic powerhouse. The unification paid off big long term.
- maxxxxx 9y ago
  It was a powerhouse before. From my memory the mood in the West got worse. There were tax raises and a lot of uncertainty when it became clear that it wasn't as easy as initially planned to get the East going economically. There was a substantial number of people on both sides who wanted the wall back. I am not saying the reunification wasn't worth it but it was much more difficult than people may think.
  - princekolt 9y ago
    For what it's worth, the West German government did honor East German marks 1-to-1, even though there was a gigantic disparity in value of both currencies. That alone was an enormous cost of the unification.
    - maxxxxx 9y ago
      A lot of people thought that was a huge mistake. After the wall fell there was also a democratic East Germany for 2 years (?). I think a lot of people would have been OK with keeping them separate for a while but chancellor Kohl wanted to put his name on history and forced the reunification.
mann1x 9y ago
NK rare earth minerals are fuel for the tech industry in SK. Probably worth 6-10 trillions USD [0]. Well enough to pay any bill. [0] https://www.google.de/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/ljkelly/2017/07/14/why-north-korea-is-an-untapped-goldmine-for-tech-companies-and-for-china/amp/ https://www.google.de/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/ljkelly/201...
- nojvek 9y ago
  But NKers moving to SK is akin to refugees since the culture shock could be huge. SK may end up having another brexit.

root_axis 9y ago

An end to the looming spectre of war seems like a gigantic benefit to the citizenry.

maxxxxx 9y ago
Sure. But there is a also a big price to pay by regular citizens. From West Germany it didn't feel like a triumph or something worth celebrating.

ExactoKnight 9y ago

Germany is now an economic powerhouse. The unification paid off big long term.

maxxxxx 9y ago
It was a powerhouse before. From my memory the mood in the West got worse. There were tax raises and a lot of uncertainty when it became clear that it wasn't as easy as initially planned to get the East going economically. There was a substantial number of people on both sides who wanted the wall back. I am not saying the reunification wasn't worth it but it was much more difficult than people may think.
- princekolt 9y ago
  For what it's worth, the West German government did honor East German marks 1-to-1, even though there was a gigantic disparity in value of both currencies. That alone was an enormous cost of the unification.
  - maxxxxx 9y ago
    A lot of people thought that was a huge mistake. After the wall fell there was also a democratic East Germany for 2 years (?). I think a lot of people would have been OK with keeping them separate for a while but chancellor Kohl wanted to put his name on history and forced the reunification.

mann1x 9y ago

NK rare earth minerals are fuel for the tech industry in SK. Probably worth 6-10 trillions USD [0]. Well enough to pay any bill. [0] https://www.google.de/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/ljkelly/2017/07/14/why-north-korea-is-an-untapped-goldmine-for-tech-companies-and-for-china/amp/ https://www.google.de/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/ljkelly/201...

nojvek 9y ago
But NKers moving to SK is akin to refugees since the culture shock could be huge. SK may end up having another brexit.