korean unification studies

With estimates on the cost of unification providing such alarming figures (as in the last post), it is natural for people to wonder where the money will come from. A paper by Yang Un-Chol at the Sejong Institute gives a good summary of how this could be achieved. Amongst the methods, he lists: Inter-Korean cooperation projects. [...]

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An ROK National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts has estimated that unification could cost around 1 trillion dollars – yes, 1 trillion – with the cost increasing further over time. The report notes the difference in timing. If unification occurs in 2015, it could cost around $858 billion over 10 years to absorb the North. If unification occurs in 2030, it [...]

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Song Min-Soon will visit the United States next month to discuss a Korean War peace treaty to replace the armistice. There has already been, and there will be much more, talk on the role of US forces on the Korean peninsula after the signing of a peace treaty. On Friday, Foreign Minister Song stated that [...]

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I don’t know, but I think this may be going a bit far… Lee Su-Hoon, chairman of the Presidential Committee on the Northeast Asia Cooperation Initiative in an article on Korea.net gives his impressions of Kim Jong Il: Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea too showed calmness in his posture. But there was strength in [...]

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There is a new United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Working Paper entitled “Disabling DPRK nuclear facilities” written by David Albright and Paul Brannan. From the working paper: The primary goals of this Working Paper are twofold. First, to establish a definition for the term “disablement” which has only recently achieved widespread usage in the [...]

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Great post over at North Korean Economy Watch on life inside North Korea. The post concerns a report by the Chairman of Good Friends, held at SAIS US-Korea Institute. Good friends is a South Korean NGO operating in North Korea and China, assisting refugees and alleviating hunger. It puts in a great effort, despite difficult political conditions. Visit North Korean [...]

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Kim Man-Bok the Director of the ROK National Intelligence Service (NIS) has an interesting piece entitled ‘Ten truths of the inter-Korean summit in words of NIS chief’. Kim refutes some of the popular criticisms regarding the summit and attempts to highlight its significance. Here’s a taste: It was during my visit to Pyongyang in early August [...]

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If readers of this blog do not already subscribe to the CanKor Report, then I suggest you do so. The CanKor Report is an excellent monthly email subscription resource that both saves time and keeps you well informed. It contains very useful links to expert analysis from a variety of think-tanks and media sources. CanKor [...]

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