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[Brentai]

I don't think the North Koreans are actually lacking in trade skills, just opportunities.  They're really the most well-trained motherfuckers on the planet.

[Bal]

My point exactly. They're the perfect 20th century workforce, which is what South Korea needs for their 21st century population. They have very skilled workers for every industrial application, there just aren't any in NK itself. The idea would be that, upon reunifying the country, the North's lack of would be moot, and Korea's economy could actually improve with the boom in available labor. As I said, this could well perpetuate the prejudice and mistrust between the North and the South, with the North essentially becoming Korea's hicks, but the stories coming out of NK seem to indicate that, honest to god most people just want to be able to work and feed their families.

[Brentai]

Last I heard the main motivation for going to work in NK is not going to fucking jail, since the wages aren't actually livable.  Being reduced to indentured servitude for the Southerners wouldn't be much of a step down for them; I think they'd even be happy with their "reunification" if we can just keep them from smelling even the barest whiff of a Western presence.

[Bal]

Yes, that is what I am saying.

[Caithness]

and Korea's economy could actually improve with the boom in available labor.

According to my understanding, a boom in available labor (without a matching increase in demand) leads to high unemployment and depressed wages for everyone.

[Mongrel]

Well, there would at least be some increase in demand given that North Koreans typically don't own anything worth a damn.

[Royal☭]

Somehow, increasing the unemployment rate to over 30% with people who can't afford anything just doesn't seem like it would work for anybody.

[Mongrel]

Obviously it'd be rough at first, and probably for a while. Sooner or later things would have to improve though. I mean, given how badly off they are right now, you'd have to fuck things up AMAZINGLY for things to not improve over their current situation and I don't think there'd be permanent damage to South Korea.

[TA]

I guess we're at war now.

[Büge]

 

[Mongrel]

Call me when shots are actually fired. Or at least when they actually close the Kaesong industrial complex.

I mean we have now finally reached the point where they've pushed the hyperbole so far that there is literally no statement left that they can make which will be taken seriously. 

[Bal]

Technically we were never not at war with North Korea. The end of the conflict was resolved with a cease fire, not a peace treaty. Though that declaration you linked there is some seriously lunatic, propaganda nonsense.

[Thad]

Well, if we're speaking in technicalities, we never declared war on NK at all and haven't made a formal declaration of war since WWII -- hence "the Korean Conflict".

But yeah, we've had our troops on the border for over 60 years and you're right that it's been a decades-long ceasefire and not a formal peace agreement.

[Mongrel]

The best joke I saw all day was simply:

NORTH KOREA: APRIL FOOL

[Mongrel]

Okay well, they just closed the Kaesong complex. Looks like we're following the established bullshit script so far. The real question is if they feel like they need to lob a few shells at some unfortunate South Koreans to "show they mean business".

What's worrying in that case is if they decide they want to target Seoul, rather than some isolated target. If NK makes that mistake, they could prompt a Thatcheresque response from SK's new president.

[Büge]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/nature/inside-north-koreas-environmental-collapse/

How is the population still alive?

[Sharkey]

At least nobody here is doing the "But NK can hit Seoul! Millions would die in minutes!" thing. Which is apparently mandatory everywhere else. Nevermind that the longest range NK artillery could only hit the comparatively much less populated northernmost outskirts, or that that artillery had an absurdly high failure rate, or that the location of those emplacements is very well known and wouldn't be in existence very long. I'm not saying it would be a completely bloodless curb-stomp battle for SK, but the threat there is consistently overstated.

[Brentai]

I had to assure some visitors last night that no, NK cannot nuke San Diego from where they are.

[Mongrel]

At least nobody here is doing the "But NK can hit Seoul! Millions would die in minutes!" thing. Which is apparently mandatory everywhere else. Nevermind that the longest range NK artillery could only hit the comparatively much less populated northernmost outskirts, or that that artillery had an absurdly high failure rate, or that the location of those emplacements is very well known and wouldn't be in existence very long. I'm not saying it would be a completely bloodless curb-stomp battle for SK, but the threat there is consistently overstated.

The main problem is that any shots will probably be fired first by NK. Maybe those batteries suck and work for very long, but even one shell anywhere near Seoul may drive an already-pissed SK into over-retaliating.

Now, if I was smart (which I'm not), and I ruled SK (which I don't), I'd be really trying hard to try and get China on board with some kind of plan - any kind of plan. Because these days, even the Chinese are sort of looking down there and going "Oh god, they're just fucked". Maybe you involve the US, maybe you don't. But if you do, you still talk to China first and talk to them alone, then bring up US cooperation after the fact.

Of course, for all I know SK has been trying to do that all along and has been getting nowhere. But China is certainly more receptive now to that kind of overture than they've ever been.

[Mongrel]

Ahaha. The lastest headline this afternoon is "North Korea approves nuclear strike on U.S."