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A reunified Korea would be a global economic powerhouse within a generation, anybody with eyes in their skull can see that. Alternatively, combining a modern,

A reunified Korea would be a global economic powerhouse within a generation, anybody with eyes in their skull can see that. Alternatively, combining a modern, hi-tech, highly educated nation of 50 million with a nation of 25 million badly-educated, borderline-starving people, many of whom would never be able to adjust, would cripple the South Korean economy for two generations. South Korea is an economic powerhouse now. Introducing an extra 50% population of which the vast majority are skilled only in subsistence-level farming with tools other nations abandoned a century ago will not be economically helpful. Maybe if South Korea was at the stage of development in which vast numbers of unskilled labourers underpinned the economy, it would be, but they aren't.

moocowduckquack 13y ago
would cripple the South Korean economy for two generations. Firstly, that is a nonsensical figure. On what basis do you make a prediction that Korea would take two generations to recover from unification? It has been split up for only slightly longer than that and if you look to history, entire empires have come and gone in the timespan of two generations. Also, it just sounds like more of the same that was said by people about the reunification of Germany.
- EliRivers 13y ago
  Very obviously a nonsense figure, would you say? Really, really obviously a nonsense figure with no evidence, wouldn't you say? Really, REALLY obviously? Funny coincidence too, presenting the timescale in terms of generations, just like in the parent post? I wonder if perhaps that's deliberate... I deliberately echoed the post I was responding to, but increased it, to illustrate that the original statement was devoid of evidence; in essence, the point was to emphatically and obviously have no evidence of timescale in order to highlight the absurdity of the original post's timescale. You did get the point, though, so I suppose it worked.
  - moocowduckquack 13y ago
    I got the point that your argument was nonsensical, I wasn't aware you were doing it for effect.

moocowduckquack 13y ago

would cripple the South Korean economy for two generations. Firstly, that is a nonsensical figure. On what basis do you make a prediction that Korea would take two generations to recover from unification? It has been split up for only slightly longer than that and if you look to history, entire empires have come and gone in the timespan of two generations. Also, it just sounds like more of the same that was said by people about the reunification of Germany.

EliRivers 13y ago
Very obviously a nonsense figure, would you say? Really, really obviously a nonsense figure with no evidence, wouldn't you say? Really, REALLY obviously? Funny coincidence too, presenting the timescale in terms of generations, just like in the parent post? I wonder if perhaps that's deliberate... I deliberately echoed the post I was responding to, but increased it, to illustrate that the original statement was devoid of evidence; in essence, the point was to emphatically and obviously have no evidence of timescale in order to highlight the absurdity of the original post's timescale. You did get the point, though, so I suppose it worked.
- moocowduckquack 13y ago
  I got the point that your argument was nonsensical, I wasn't aware you were doing it for effect.