[KS] Re: Still Invaded Economically and Culturally

[Dr. John Caruso Jr.]

As Toffler wrote we live in a time of change and most important  "change in
the rate of change."  The DDR and BRD were at odds for 40+ years and after
the collapse of the USSR the Berlin Wall came down in a few months.

The odds are pretty good that the NK govt is watching reruns of what
happened to Ceaucescu and his wife and wondering just how much collective
wrath will fall on their heads when the masses gain access to the outside
world.

The DDR citizens lived the best life in the Ostblock albeit poor when
compared to the West.  The NK masses experienced starvation and many years
of material deprivation. Given the Korean love of family there are going to
be some very angry people who saw their children die or suffer thanks to the
Machtpolitik of the politburo - that put guns over rice.  Reheated slogans
about Chuche are not going to excuse the excesses.

The PRC gave Dear Leader some advice about how to co-opt the tide of change.
Now, we learn he is a computer maven - can't wait to see his homepage!

John

----- Original Message -----
From: "michael Robinson" <mrobinso at indiana.edu>
To: <korean-studies at mailbase.ac.uk>
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2000 1:06 PM
Subject: Re: Still Invaded Economically and Culturally


> Dear List:
>
> this discussion of a "unified" North and South armed forces seems a bit
> premature.  Certainly one to think about if there ever is a collapse of
the
> North.  But the assumption of a "unified" anything at this moment awaits a
> tourturous number of years of negotiations.  It took 55 years to re-open
the
> train line after all.
>
> MRobinson
> -----------------------------------------------------
> Click here for Free Video!!
> http://www.gohip.com/free_video/
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: kushibo <jdh95 at hitel.net>
> To: <korean-studies at mailbase.ac.uk>
> Sent: Monday, July 31, 2000 11:20 AM
> Subject: Re: Still Invaded Economically and Culturally
>
>
> > Robert Armstrong wrote:
> > > My question is; when Korea does unify, where do all the troops go?
> Right
> > > now there is somewhere around a million men facing each other in the
DMZ
> > > area and the rear areas included would obviously bring that force
number
> up.
> > >   The large submarine navy of the North's along with their gun boats
and
> > > missile boats, South Korea and her small navy of submarines and
surface
> > > vessels, the large airforces of both countries, not to mention the
> rocketry
> > > of North Korea's.  Will China be happy with a shift of the troops to
the
> > > Chinese border?  Will the Russians be happy when their weakly guarded
> border
> > > with the North Koreans is suddenly facing not the small backward rear
> units
> > > but a large force of men.  Don't forget Putian had made the comment
that
> > > unless Russia is careful, the maritime provinces will become Korean,
> Chinese
> > > or Japanese, (I am pretty sure he meant that ethnically but who
knows).
> > > Will Japan be relieved to have the combined navies of the North and
> South
> > > now as a potential to their own valued sea lanes, let alone a nice bit
> of
> > > open land to test their missiles, and with South Korean technology?
> Will
> > > the generals in the North and the South be willing to be relieved of
> their
> > > power when a restructuring of the military would come about?  I am
tend
> to
> > > doubt that.  Any suggestions what they will do with the military?
> >
> >
> > As my cousin Bob likes to put his own spin on the oft-quoted Korean
adage
> of
> > the pacific nature of the Choson people: "The Koreans are a peaceful
> people;
> > they only invade themselves."
> >
> > My point being, China doesn't have much, historically speaking, to fear
> from
> > Korean invasion forces, so they probably aren't too worried. Korea and
> China
> > have virtually no border disputes, not disputed islands, as they do with
> > some of their southern neighbors. The same is true with Russia.
> >
> > Russia (and China, near Taiwan?) has island disputes with Japan (and so
> does
> > Korea). The US vacating Okinawa, the Japanese main islands, and Korea
> would
> > mean a likely build-up of Japanese defense forces, which would be a
threat
> > to Russia in the Kurile Islands, and a threat to anyone who was invaded
by
> > Japan in the middle of the last century, during the lifetime of many
> people
> > on this list. Korea poses no such threat. And Japan poses little such
> threat
> > as long as the US is the proxy for their defense.
> >
> > As for the newfound might of a unified Korean military, wouldn't the
South
> > be inheriting (I'm assuming a Southern absorption of the North) a fleet
of
> > rust buckets and underfed draftees armed with what amounts to muskets?
My
> > guess is that the gov't of the day will mobilize many of the troops from
> > both sides in FDR-esque New Deal-type publics work projects. And they
may
> > just decide to end the draft system, letting millions of young men stay
in
> > school.
> >
> > Japan's worries would make them more likely to encourage a continued US
> > presence. The US is acting quite a bit like a dorm mom.
> >
> > K U S H I B O
> >
>
>



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%