Korean Job Discussion Forums

[longsack22]

What if the DMZ opened tomorrow and North / South were one country again. I was reading the "Korean Mentality" thread and others and it started me thinking. Do you think in a few years many Koreans would be on Korean forums posting nearly the same questions we are asking?

While they may be the same people with the same cultures I�m sure the values within the society over time have changed. I�m sure that over time the culture within each society has changed. While we can post on Korean society or try to generalize on the society we have no way to speculate (for the most part) on North Korean society and values. Forget about the economic changes, political changes and on and on and on.

I�m talking only about say for example �North Korean vs South Korean Mentality�? What about your average Korean guy texting the girl he just went out with 7 times within 2 hours of the end of the first date, only she is North Korean. I�m sure she would not be used to this! Or how about the idea of protesting because they don�t want meat from China (for example), what must the north population that is now blending with the south think?

I could guess on some things that may be nearly the same within the two groups of people that are from Korea�. But what I�m looking for is your thoughts on what may be different, or how it will be different and possibly why? Do you think the mentality between the two countries/people would be different?

[mc_jc]

[kohmelo]

[jvalmer]

Based on how the Germans and Vietnamese treat their other half, there will be at least 2 generations (20-30 years) of major differences and tension between the two sides. The people who actually lived through the division and their unborn kids. Future generations won't care much. Kind of like how the kids now barely know, or care, about the Korean War, who are now 3 or 4 generations removed.

Even Americans still have minor lingering issues between each other, and US civil war was done over 140 years ago

[mc_jc]

[Old Gil]

China would never ever allow a US friendly state all the way to the Yalu river, . However, should South Korea begin to drift further into China's camp in response to Japan's eventual rearmament (maybe by 2020?), I think the Chinese and SK will come to some sort of agreement as to how to git r done.

[southernman]

I used to have some good discusions with my top Hogwan class, middle school kids, They don't want anything to do with reunification

Freely admitted they prefer the good lifestyle now and realise it'll suck heaps of money out of the economy and make the country poorer

[Konglishman]

Some people think that China's current GDP growth rate is unsustainable. Now, if China's economy were to stop growing so fast, it would start having a much tougher time keeping its populace happy and in check. In those circumstances, I bet that China would be less willing to provide economic aid to North Korea. My point is that things change. So, at some point, the factors cited by Mc_jc will not be sufficient to keep North Korea's current government propped up.

Now, of course, if North Korea's government were to collapse or were to go through some sort of profound revolutionary change, immediate reunification would still be out of the question. Instead, I would imagine that sort of dual alliance would be formed between the two Koreas. Reunification would only occur once North Korea is able to achieve some sort of reasonable economic parity with South Korea.

Recently, I read a book which suggested the collapse of North Korea by sometime around 2030. Afterwards, if it were to embark on a program of economic growth under the guidance of South Korea and other developed nations, then I could see reunification occur sometime around 2060.

Of course, this is all very speculative. Still, it is interesting to think about.

[hellofaniceguy]

The DMZ is not going to open anytime soon....in our lifetime...it won't happen. The leaders in the north do not want to give up their lifestyle, control, status, etc...and as previously mentioned.....the Chinese DO NOT want the U.S. so close to its borders! Who would be the elected President if the DMZ opens? You think the north would not want the job!? So does the south.
Arms are always going to be sold illegally by indivudales or countries. Sure, a lot of propaganda from all countries...long on rhetoric and short on specifics. It's all about money and power.
In the mean time, I'll keep doing my thing by making money and let the powers to be do theirs!

[itaewonguy]

soon as KJI dies we will know the fate of the North.. is the son takes over he might sell out... if he is just a puppet for the military then we will never see one nation in our life time unless its provoked by force...

but if the two nations did reunify then it will be like Germany...
the south will enter the north and do what they do best.. BUILD! and BUILD FAST!! EDUCATE EDUCATE and EDUCATE to bring the children up to speed and focus on the babies, 20 years later one nation on a great path...
sure there will be problems.. but time will fix that...

[90 proof]

Read about when the wall fell in Berlin. East and West Germans where two totally different countries in almost every way and it took them a while to come togather. It would take a while but the two Korea's would work it out in years to come.

[jhuntingtonus]

Fir my 2,100 word article "Korea in 2022," see www.thejeonjhub.com, "Back Page" for now, Archives in the future.

[toadhjo]

[Stalin84]