korean unification studies

A group of twelve lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties have introduced a bill into the National Assembly to allow for the establishment of a ‘unification tax

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There is a new resource on Korean affairs that seems to have promise and I have been helping them out on unification issues recently. They mostly focus on a South Korean commercial/government perspective, but were open to social aspects as well. Check them out… http://www.junotane.com They have also got me agreeing to help answer questions [...]

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Think of this scenario. North Korea collapses. The Korean tax payer is loaded with a new Value Added Tax (VAT) and a hefty income tax to pay for unification. Japan, the United States, China all come to the party and contribute significant amounts to help stabilise and reform the north. But only then do people [...]

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The International Crisis Group has a decent briefing on what they expect LMB will do for the Korean peninsula. Pretty much the same old stuff, including: Lee is expected to continue South Korea’s efforts at rapprochement with North Korea but to press more firmly for reciprocity than his predecessor. He has outlined a plan to [...]

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Many suspected that differences in North Korea policy between a Lee Myung-Bak administration and the Roh Moo-Hyun administration were going to be largely cosmetic. Most thought it as an open secret that North Korea policy would largely remain the same… Stability is after all, much more valuable to most South Koreans than any chance of a North Korean [...]

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What does this long list of South Korean ministers responsible for unification tell you? Has there ever been a period in which the civil service has been led by a minister for unification for more than a few years? Or does it say more about the position of ‘unification minister’ and the fact that policy [...]

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Good article by Andrei Lankov on Korean unification over at Asia Times. To sum it all up – Romania style collapse is coming soon to country near you (if you’re in South Korea). Give it a read! Sphere: Related Content

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  In all seriousness though, the meeting between Roh Moo-Hyun and Nong Duc Manh, Secretary-General of the Vietnamese Communist Party, after the latter’s visit to North Korea is quite significant. Vietnam could be held up as a model for North Korea. Although the fundamental economic conditions are very different between Vietnam and North Korea (in [...]

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