North korea becomes a sane nation?!

[chadachada123]

I don't think so. Kim constantly said they need to reunite the "country," even though Korea obviously two nations, nor did actually say any specific economic, social, or other reforms. Nor did he suggest the simplest solution, step down and formally surrender to the much freer, much more advanced, much richer, and better fed South.

This screams more of a desperate "send us food," message more than anything else. North Korea requires foreign aid to remain anything close to functioning.

I find it somewhat amusing that so many nations have a trade-sanction against them that they can't properly feed themselves (because yes, if they were able to fully trade, this would probably not be an issue, even though their production-methods in general are probably sub-par) but we continue to send them aid.
Maybe we should just trade with them instead?

http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/202/42450.html - According to this article, North Korea doesn't have much of a market to trade with anyway (though it's from 99).

Still, having a total trade-sanction but dumping 500 tons of food a year? Still find it a tad amusing.

Except... trade for what?

They have a small amount of coal I guess. Maybe we can buy their bundles of rocks?

We can't get money from them. The nation also counterfeits huge amounts of dollar bills, so no one is going to trust a cent from the nation, and currency of communist nations has as much worth for foreigners anyway.

They have NOTHING.

But at least they, assuming Best Leader is being honest, actually WANT to contribute and trade with the rest of the world. You can't really say that about many other countries that require massive amounts of aid (where the leadership both is corrupt and uses trading to fund their human rights violations, see: Diamonds, etc in Africa).

If Kim Jong Un is serious, this is a lot like the end of the Soviet Union, an admission that they fucked up and want to be a part of the rest of the world. Even if they have little to offer, it shows a fuck of a lot of character.

 

[knight steel]

0_0 This one of the most interesting news I have heard in a while,if this is followed through with (not necessarily work or have good results just as long as it's not totally drooped). This could make history and be revolutionary can't wait to see what happens!

 

[Level 7 Dragon]

Knowing politics, we have no real base of knowing this might be true or simply another trick.

Whatever is true, I'm bringing popcorn.

 

[knight steel]

Is this really the only reply's we have this topic deserves much more discussion,come on people lets start talking!

 

[Quaxar]

Is this really the only reply's we have this topic deserves much more discussion,come on people lets start talking!

So, let's talk about problems of a unified Korea!

With the fall of the Berlin Wall the BRD saw a huge wave of immigrants hoping for a better life outside the decade long communist wreckage that was planned economy and central committee administration. Also, let's not forget the damper it put on the new united economy due to the underdeveloped East with still a persisting West-East decline.

If North Korea seriously wants to unify I seriously doubt the South will do it under favourable conditions to them since they would be more or less agreeing to millions of poor and uneducated immigrants and a decade-long economical and political struggle to get the North from a constantly famine-stricken nation that can only support itself just so with mafia methods to a self-supporting part of a unified Korea.
And don't forget that you have millions of people that are second or third generation indoctrinated communists, you're only asking for trouble with those groups if the leader suddenly decides to abandon all the ideals of a "righteous Korea that stands proud against Capitalism".

 

[bullet_sandw1ch]

Hopefully this will improve their current situation, and not just fuel a warmachine.

Then again, with the solar flares inc in 2013, North Korea will be a super power due to not having electric stuff everywhere.

please tell me more of these solar flares , or if you'd rather, you could link me to where i could read about them. i didnt know that there were impending solar flares.

 

[Alcamonic]

Hopefully this will improve their current situation, and not just fuel a warmachine.

Then again, with the solar flares inc in 2013, North Korea will be a super power due to not having electric stuff everywhere.

please tell me more of these solar flares , or if you'd rather, you could link me to where i could read about them. i didnt know that there were impending solar flares.

http://www.examiner.com/article/solar-flares-predicted-to-raise-havoc-2013-scientist-have-new-warning-tool

Or any other site with information. Scary stuff indeed!

 

[Andre Rapp]

I don't think so. Kim constantly said they need to reunite the "country," even though Korea obviously two nations, nor did actually say any specific economic, social, or other reforms. Nor did he suggest the simplest solution, step down and formally surrender to the much freer, much more advanced, much richer, and better fed South.

This screams more of a desperate "send us food," message more than anything else. North Korea requires foreign aid to remain anything close to functioning.

I find it somewhat amusing that so many nations have a trade-sanction against them that they can't properly feed themselves (because yes, if they were able to fully trade, this would probably not be an issue, even though their production-methods in general are probably sub-par) but we continue to send them aid.
Maybe we should just trade with them instead?

http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/202/42450.html - According to this article, North Korea doesn't have much of a market to trade with anyway (though it's from 99).

Still, having a total trade-sanction but dumping 500 tons of food a year? Still find it a tad amusing.

Except... trade for what?

They have a small amount of coal I guess. Maybe we can buy their bundles of rocks?

We can't get money from them. The nation also counterfeits huge amounts of dollar bills, so no one is going to trust a cent from the nation, and currency of communist nations has as much worth for foreigners anyway.

They have NOTHING.

they can trade for pictures of Kim Jong looking at things.

 

[SextusMaximus]

It's a start.

But seriously, there's messed up stuff going on in that place.

 

[Cookiegerard]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9LCotgismA

It's been mostly right so far..

But seriously, I didn't read it, but it sounds good to me.

 

[barbzilla]

It's funny. Just last night I was kept up by thoughts that that things were getting weird. Not just for me, not just were I live, but that I could sense something intangible that everything was just a bit off.

And now I wake up to king crazy actually attempting peace with people.

I call that feeling Thursday. Strangely enough I have always felt something was off about Thursdays, and this was before I read Hitchhiker's Guide.

OT: If this works out the way we all hope, I will be very grateful to whomever was responsible.

 

[knight steel]

Is this really the only reply's we have this topic deserves much more discussion,come on people lets start talking!

So, let's talk about problems of a unified Korea!

With the fall of the Berlin Wall the BRD saw a huge wave of immigrants hoping for a better life outside the decade long communist wreckage that was planned economy and central committee administration. Also, let's not forget the damper it put on the new united economy due to the underdeveloped East with still a persisting West-East decline.

If North Korea seriously wants to unify I seriously doubt the South will do it under favourable conditions to them since they would be more or less agreeing to millions of poor and uneducated immigrants and a decade-long economical and political struggle to get the North from a constantly famine-stricken nation that can only support itself just so with mafia methods to a self-supporting part of a unified Korea.
And don't forget that you have millions of people that are second or third generation indoctrinated communists, you're only asking for trouble with those groups if the leader suddenly decides to abandon all the ideals of a "righteous Korea that stands proud against Capitalism".

OMG OMG I finally get quoted by an escapist celebrity I am so happy ^_^ I'm a fan of your comments but never had the guts to message you! (I'm a lurker).

Now as for your comment while I agree with you I think it would be worth it in the long run and that we have and obligation to help these people for the betterment of mankind. These people are suffering and if we deny them help what does that say about us?

The best way to avoid the problem you mentioned is if all the 1st world countries work together and contribute to aiding north Korea in order to avoid south Korea being swamped, so what do you think?

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

I don't think so. Kim constantly said they need to reunite the "country," even though Korea obviously two nations, nor did actually say any specific economic, social, or other reforms. Nor did he suggest the simplest solution, step down and formally surrender to the much freer, much more advanced, much richer, and better fed South.

This screams more of a desperate "send us food," message more than anything else. North Korea requires foreign aid to remain anything close to functioning.

I find it somewhat amusing that so many nations have a trade-sanction against them that they can't properly feed themselves (because yes, if they were able to fully trade, this would probably not be an issue, even though their production-methods in general are probably sub-par) but we continue to send them aid.
Maybe we should just trade with them instead?

http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/202/42450.html - According to this article, North Korea doesn't have much of a market to trade with anyway (though it's from 99).

Still, having a total trade-sanction but dumping 500 tons of food a year? Still find it a tad amusing.

Except... trade for what?

They have a small amount of coal I guess. Maybe we can buy their bundles of rocks?

We can't get money from them. The nation also counterfeits huge amounts of dollar bills, so no one is going to trust a cent from the nation, and currency of communist nations has as much worth for foreigners anyway.

They have NOTHING.

Wikipedia mentions a large amount of 'natural resources'? I guess that could be worth something.

It has substantial natural resources and is the world's 18th largest producer of iron and zinc, having the 22nd largest coal reserves in the world. It is also the 15th largest fluorite producer and 12th largest producer of copper and salt in Asia. Other major natural resources in production include lead, tungsten, graphite, magnesite, gold, pyrites, fluorspar, and hydropower.[5]

Alright, they have some natrual resources. Still, you have other problems as well. They actually have set up "economic zones" in two regions, doing some trading and "experimenting" with capitalism, much like China and Vietnam. Problem is, it isn't nearly successful as the ones in China and Vietnam because most companies are not willing to do business with North Korea anyway (it's really bad PR). Without infanstructure, most of the mines basically use slave labor, and they don't have anyway to purify the materials before shipping it.

Spoiler: I also highly doubt they have much power to export

I don't think so. Kim constantly said they need to reunite the "country," even though Korea obviously two nations, nor did actually say any specific economic, social, or other reforms. Nor did he suggest the simplest solution, step down and formally surrender to the much freer, much more advanced, much richer, and better fed South.

This screams more of a desperate "send us food," message more than anything else. North Korea requires foreign aid to remain anything close to functioning.

I find it somewhat amusing that so many nations have a trade-sanction against them that they can't properly feed themselves (because yes, if they were able to fully trade, this would probably not be an issue, even though their production-methods in general are probably sub-par) but we continue to send them aid.
Maybe we should just trade with them instead?

http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/202/42450.html - According to this article, North Korea doesn't have much of a market to trade with anyway (though it's from 99).

Still, having a total trade-sanction but dumping 500 tons of food a year? Still find it a tad amusing.

Except... trade for what?

They have a small amount of coal I guess. Maybe we can buy their bundles of rocks?

We can't get money from them. The nation also counterfeits huge amounts of dollar bills, so no one is going to trust a cent from the nation, and currency of communist nations has as much worth for foreigners anyway.

They have NOTHING.

But at least they, assuming Best Leader is being honest, actually WANT to contribute and trade with the rest of the world. You can't really say that about many other countries that require massive amounts of aid (where the leadership both is corrupt and uses trading to fund their human rights violations, see: Diamonds, etc in Africa).

If Kim Jong Un is serious, this is a lot like the end of the Soviet Union, an admission that they fucked up and want to be a part of the rest of the world. Even if they have little to offer, it shows a fuck of a lot of character.

Possibly, as the article notes North Korea has done this before, foreign policy of the nation can be summed up as "lie as much as possible." They claimed a tunnel under the DMZ was coal mine, proving it by painting the walls back. They claimed they were not making nuclear weapons, until they set one off. When they ran out of money to build the Ryugyong Hotel (it's the giant pyramid of cartoonish villainy: http://ryugyonghotel.com/photos/ryugyong-hotel-tower-5.jpg ) their official stance was that the building did not exist. Even in this statement they say Korea is "one nation," holding the official policy (the South is just a "rebellion" of the glorious south), but just stating it in a slightly kinder light.

In short, I don't find much reason to believe them.

 

[Abomination]

I honestly believe Kim wants to turn North Korea around. The problem is his cabinet and military have far more power than he does. He's a figurehead, not a dictator. North Korea is an oligarchy and Kim gets to be the potential assassination target if the oligarchs push too hard.

North Korea won't change any time soon, at least not until Kim is able to replace his generals and cabinet with his own loyal cronies. The problem is by the time he's done that or if he's even capable of doing that he may have developed a taste for dictatorship.

 

[Korolev]

I think he wants to reform N. Korea, but I don't think he knows how, and I think he knows that he'd be first up against the wall if he tried. While he is technically the supreme leader, his actual position is quite shaky at the moment. It took his father, Kim Jong Il, three years to properly cement his position as leader - he was actually in danger of losing the leadership to other members of his family after the "eternal" president died.

So it's not a matter of what Kim Jong Un wants to do. He's sitting on a house of cards - one wrong move and it'll come crashing down. Sure, he wants reform. But he saw what happened to Gorbachev. He'll take it very slow. Expect very little to change over the next few years, followed by some very tentative reforms.

 

[Charli]

I think he just wants Starcraft.

...I'm ashamed that this was the first thought in my head. Kim looks like he'd be one badass Starcraft Junkie.
He want's a NK Pro team.

 

[Dangit2019]

Next thing you know, the plot of Homefront WILL BECOME REALITY.

Seriously though, this is good news just in that they're making an attempt. The crisis won't be over in an instant, but this is progress.

 

[TheRookie8]

It's going to be rough following through with such a claim, but nothing could be worth more.

 

[Alandoril]

Is this really the only reply's we have this topic deserves much more discussion,come on people lets start talking!

So, let's talk about problems of a unified Korea!

With the fall of the Berlin Wall the BRD saw a huge wave of immigrants hoping for a better life outside the decade long communist wreckage that was planned economy and central committee administration. Also, let's not forget the damper it put on the new united economy due to the underdeveloped East with still a persisting West-East decline.

If North Korea seriously wants to unify I seriously doubt the South will do it under favourable conditions to them since they would be more or less agreeing to millions of poor and uneducated immigrants and a decade-long economical and political struggle to get the North from a constantly famine-stricken nation that can only support itself just so with mafia methods to a self-supporting part of a unified Korea.
And don't forget that you have millions of people that are second or third generation indoctrinated communists, you're only asking for trouble with those groups if the leader suddenly decides to abandon all the ideals of a "righteous Korea that stands proud against Capitalism".

True it would be difficult, but think of the glory of undertaking and completing such a task!

 

[Quaxar]

Is this really the only reply's we have this topic deserves much more discussion,come on people lets start talking!

So, let's talk about problems of a unified Korea!

With the fall of the Berlin Wall the BRD saw a huge wave of immigrants hoping for a better life outside the decade long communist wreckage that was planned economy and central committee administration. Also, let's not forget the damper it put on the new united economy due to the underdeveloped East with still a persisting West-East decline.

If North Korea seriously wants to unify I seriously doubt the South will do it under favourable conditions to them since they would be more or less agreeing to millions of poor and uneducated immigrants and a decade-long economical and political struggle to get the North from a constantly famine-stricken nation that can only support itself just so with mafia methods to a self-supporting part of a unified Korea.
And don't forget that you have millions of people that are second or third generation indoctrinated communists, you're only asking for trouble with those groups if the leader suddenly decides to abandon all the ideals of a "righteous Korea that stands proud against Capitalism".

OMG OMG I finally get quoted by an escapist celebrity I am so happy ^_^ I'm a fan of your comments but never had the guts to message you! (I'm a lurker).

Now as for your comment while I agree with you I think it would be worth it in the long run and that we have and obligation to help these people for the betterment of mankind. These people are suffering and if we deny them help what does that say about us?

The best way to avoid the problem you mentioned is if all the 1st world countries work together and contribute to aiding north Korea in order to avoid south Korea being swamped, so what do you think?

I'm a celebrity? Well, it's good that you told me, now I can finally make a use of those boxes full of autograph cards!

Sure it would be appropriate to help them but let's not forget the risks. Comparing East Germany to North Korea is only partly useful since East Germany dismantled and unified before the fall of the Soviet Union so they always had at least some kind of support from Moscow, North Korea on the other hand is since then more or less alone, the only support they get is a care package from China from time to time and even the Chinese are tired of crazy North Korea, they just want to keep the immigrants out of their country. So North Korea only gets by with performing weapons tests, then calling up Japan or the South and saying "Woops, almost hit you, sorry. By the way, how about food?".
In comparison, East Germany was tame and they had the StaSi make a secret scent database for known anti-communists. Not to forget that listening to West radio and TV was more or less tolerated since everyone did it, I believe Korea still has harsh punishments for that.

I'm not familiar enough with South Korea's economy but I believe that big international aids would be quite helpful at least (although I believe South Korea has one of the biggest economies in Asia), getting East Germany's infrastructure and lifestyle from communist 60s style up to a 90s level was tremendous work that far exeeded the costs anticipated plus the unified economy kind of ruined the Ostmark and left many wealthy communists (irony much?) pretty broke.
The DDR had the advantage of being one part of a huge communist East Europe, North Korea's everything is even worse since they have had not much help in the last 20 years since their whole system was completely reliant on USSR and Chinese aids.
Their GDP is now a ridiculous 20 times lower than the South's, making them one of the poorest nations in Asia, their power production has since 1990 fallen by about a quarter to a level that's now below their 1970s and apparently 57% of the population generally lacks food. Although these are approximations by other nations so it could even be higher.
In 2009 they tried revaluing their currency which effectively wiped out all of their inhabitants' savings, leading to a 96% US dollar exchange rate drop. And their main source of international trade money is the garment industry through Chinese firms - you know that you're at the bottom when China outsources work to you because you are cheaper.
And that's not even mentioning 60 years of communist propaganda, a leadership fearing loss of their power and privileges, a history of abductions, forgery, espionage and other untrustworthy activities and a border that's, I think, the biggest land mine collection in the world.