holy hell, pwoarYour regular reminder that young Moon Jae-in was a hunk
This is, of course, an important time for history and incredibly critical to the developed world and also look at how hot the president of South Korea is
Inter-Korean Summit
- Thread starter Blue Lou
- Start date
This is, of course, an important time for history and incredibly critical to the developed world and also look at how hot the president of South Korea is
To be fair, the two people stood in the background of that image are the North Korean media. It may take a while to relay those images.
Speculation that North Korea's nuclear test site may have collapsed.
Definitely surreal seeing Kim Jong-Un just mosey right in to South Korea, though.
I still can't help but think the collapse is legit considering the quick swing but I'm also wondering what sort of condition it must actually be over there. I mean if the site collapsed and they choose to just rapidly swap this fast was it a last ditch threat when they were already on the edge of ruin?
It's kind of strange, but if this can lead to good of course I'm happy. It also makes me rather worried about just how bad it could be in NK right now though.
It's kind of strange, but if this can lead to good of course I'm happy. It also makes me rather worried about just how bad it could be in NK right now though.
I was expecting a 5 minute photo op at the DMZ border, but Un literally visiting the village in the South.
This plus the likely collapse of the nuclear test site have me thinking things are really messed up over there right now.
Something happened for this weird turnaround behavior.
At least things look good, for now.
that would take far longer than Reunification did. RoK's economy and society would be completely fucked for decades to come. You can't deprogram a cult of personality overnight, let alone ten years.
I’ve stood in that place that they met... he atmosphere there is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s truly a frozen war.
This is one of the more remarkable things I’ve ever seen
This is one of the more remarkable things I’ve ever seen
It's strangely... human. This whole thing is bizarro world.
That's not even getting into the economic cost or what to even do with Kim. It'd be great, but unless there's a nation willing to give Kim sanctuary and the world tosses him a billion dollars there's no way to get him to give up his hold on the country. If they reunify he can't stay. It just wouldn't work.
It's likely the world bank would give North Korea a fairly sizable loan to begin rebuilding if all goes well. But too early. Let's get through this first.
My heritage is from where North Korea currently is (mind you, my great grandparents came over before the Korean War, so it was only one Korea.) This is very surreal.
I actually remember telling people not long ago that Korea will probably remain fractured during my lifetime. How very wrong I might be.
I actually remember telling people not long ago that Korea will probably remain fractured during my lifetime. How very wrong I might be.
I don't see a reunification scenario where the Kim family keeps any semblance of power. They'd have to be exiled with the atrocities they've committed, and what nations would harbor them? China?
This is a lot to take in. I don't really know how you go about trusting Kim and his regime from here on out or evaluate how things are going...
This will do until something shits the bed. Seems like progress one way or another..
One possible scenario I imagine
Border is opened. North Korea is infested with disease, radiation fallout, and poverty.
Everyone else: "Whoa what did you guys even do"
Kim: "Nothing really, since we're friends now though, can we have some food and supplies?"
Then who knows what crazy scheme he has in mind once he gets help. Crazy despots don't suddenly change overnight like this. There is an ulterior motive, and I can only hope it's because North Korea is in a pathetic state right now. Knowing Kim and his cronies, they would be very likely to sincerely believe they could turn around whatever hole they've dug themselves into with a little more time and aid.
But I think, even in a situation where N. Korea is scheming something, even if they wanted to backstab someone, things aren't looking so hot for them and peace may end up creeping in due to their incompetence anyway.
This is all personal speculation and rambling. I have no hard evidence or facts. Still, the situation is too bizarre not to think about.
Border is opened. North Korea is infested with disease, radiation fallout, and poverty.
Everyone else: "Whoa what did you guys even do"
Kim: "Nothing really, since we're friends now though, can we have some food and supplies?"
Then who knows what crazy scheme he has in mind once he gets help. Crazy despots don't suddenly change overnight like this. There is an ulterior motive, and I can only hope it's because North Korea is in a pathetic state right now. Knowing Kim and his cronies, they would be very likely to sincerely believe they could turn around whatever hole they've dug themselves into with a little more time and aid.
But I think, even in a situation where N. Korea is scheming something, even if they wanted to backstab someone, things aren't looking so hot for them and peace may end up creeping in due to their incompetence anyway.
This is all personal speculation and rambling. I have no hard evidence or facts. Still, the situation is too bizarre not to think about.
I tend to be skeptical of this whole process too, but the "every other time we've seen this"...we have literally never seen this out of NK, so that is something.
No way.
Trump gets NO credit for any of this. All he did was threaten and wave the US military around like it was his dick. He did absolutely none of that in the pursuit of peace. He did it because he could and because he is a petulant child who wante dto look tough in front of his base. Fuck him.
I'm so weirdly hyped for this stuff. Trump bringing us closer to actual nuclear war than any time in the past 30 years probably had a lot to do with this I confess.
I don't 100% disagree, but things are different now. NK has an actual, functional nuclear deterrent against any future US aggression. The impact of this cannot be understated. NK has convinced itself that it's enough of a military threat that they're bringing the US to the negotiating table, which has been the endgame propaganda victory there for decades. That's a generous interpretation, mind you, but it's not entirely wrong.
Trump hasn't done jack shit other than threaten NK. Any theoretical award for a roadmap to reunification in 5-10-20 years would go the Korean leaders.
The writing was on the wall when Kim Jong Il died. Un probably knows he can't outlast the rest of the world like his dad did, especially after his nuclear show of force went wrong.
If anyone gets anything, it is SK's President for sure.
It's also not based on anything in reality or political theory.
Their test site collapsed and is unusable, Trump is in office, they can gain a lot of food/lifted sanctions in the short term by playing nice.
They already know the world exists; it's not the NK of the 80s and 90s where the regime can keep a lid on things.
There's an incredible underground market for cell phones, K-dramas, and whatnot. A lot of NK defectors, when they were still on the other side of the border, even sneak phone calls across the border by climbing on hilltops. Same with SK-NK factory agreements and other family reunification programs.
Despite the spin, the signs were all there for many years. It was just a matter of time.
Thanks for reminding me I don't know what I'm talking about when I already explicitly stated that. Even a plebian like me can tell something is up, though.
Man, this is amazing. Hopefully everything proceeds smoothly and ends with a real peace treaty between the two countries.
What about the people of NK I wonder, will SK demand the dictatorship to end/change, and human rights given back to the people? Or is it all about the denuclearization?
What about the people of NK I wonder, will SK demand the dictatorship to end/change, and human rights given back to the people? Or is it all about the denuclearization?
That's considered doing something. Motive be damned it might have shifted the needle for North Korea. After all, they are a nation that responds to big, stupid, actions and demands. Sometimes a myopic president is the one useful against foreign leaders of kind.
Consider Reagan and George W. Bush. Both had the same view that the world was divided into those who are good vs those who are bad. During the end stages of the Cold War this absolutist viewpoint served to isolate Russia and cause it to bleed out. Dubya tried the same thing after 9/11 but the world was more nuanced and his plans led to decades of failure.
Trump is failing on the world stage but perhaps his singular and simple views are what is needed in the specific case of North Korea.
Dennis Rodman gets a bigger credit on this shit than the orange turd if I can name it.