South Korea prepares for Re-connection with the North

South Korean Aid to North Increases Tensions with U.S.
Wall Street Journal: March 11, 2005

The South it seems is preparing for the sooner rather than later fact that the Northern regime will ultimately collapse and does not want to be left holding the 'bag' of a broken and devastated North Korea. Boasting the world's 10th largest economy, South Korea is deathly afraid of the aftermath of a North Korea collapse rather than the threat of nuclear or conventional weapons raining down on Seoul. So afraid in fact that they are beginning to pour investments, aid and basic materials in the North in an effort to 're-connect' the North's non-existent infrastructure and help ease the pain associated with any future re-unification. Taking the East/West German event as a case study, Seoul is building a large industrial park just over the border and increasing its exchange programs between the two Koreas.

All of this is sparking some concern in DC, where most see this as placating Kim Jong-Il and his despotic regime, further keeping his power afloat. It could also be seen as being counterproductive in the ongoing six-party talks that are attempting to prevent Pyongyang from producing more nuclear arms and stronger ballistic missiles. Not that this concern and tension between South Korea and the US is anything new or to not be expected. Many in the ROK feel that Washington just does not understand the depth at the dangers that they face in either a continued 'whacky' North Korea or even a collapsed regime. In both cases, the people of S. Korea are on the receiving end of a bad deal, one where they are under threat of invasion/massive conventional artillery strikes or severe economic and social damage from integrating a weaker than weak North.

All in all this is the best option for the South as facing the future prospect of a re-unification with a regime as badly damaged and broken as the North's. To move forward without planning and on some level attempting to help raise the level inside their neighbor would be a disaster for not only Seoul but for the region as well, as any major decline in the South's major economy will no doubt have ripple effects through that of Japan and China and at a crucial moment as they struggle to find a common monetary reserve. Although the fact exists that in doing so they may prolong the inevitable collapse of Kim Jong-Il, they will not extend that by much and may just make a transition to a unified Korean pennisula that much more smooth.

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