korean unification studies

I reckon this extract from a Reuters report on the re-establishment of rail links says a lot about what drives South Korean unification policy:
Cargo trains will cross the heavily fortified border dividing North and South Korea every day from next month, restoring a link severed for more than half a century, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on […]

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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 could cost […]

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Which should be first, ending the Korean War with a Peace Treaty or disarming North Korea’s nuclear programs?
Ask anyone from the US and they will more than likely say that disarming North Korea should be first. North Korea’s nuclear programs are potentially a threat to their interests.
Ask a South Korean and you may well get a different answer. […]

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Over the last 5 years there has been a lot said about a rise in anti-Americanism in South Korea. Some commentators have gone so far to view it as the end of an era, as South Korea cuts the final threads of an alliance that has lasted more than 50 years. But is it really ending?
One blogger that […]

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From the woodwork come all the Korea analysts with their two cents worth on the upcoming leaders summit… and some of it aint half bad. Andrei Lankov has a pice at the IHT, with the biting line:
“Seoul does not want North Korea to implode in a democratic revolution or a popular uprising - partially because […]

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The humanitarian situation as a result of the floods in North Korea will considerably affect the upcoming Leader’s Summit and possibly even the election. It is damned hard to take a hard line against a country that is suffering. The floods and the resultant media coverage will affect South Korean attitudes towards assistance to the North.
As […]

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It has been widely reported that the ROKG will send emergency aid to the North in a response to the floods that have devastated the North. Although one always has to be suspicious about ‘disasters’ in the North, there are very reliable reports of the situation. In fact, coming at this point in time, it could […]

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