The Other Option

In the last post I intentionally wrote "the Korea". This is because I wanted to express a sense of unification. I, for one, feel strongly that the country should some day be one again. But not everyone agrees with me. Perhaps the older Koreans feel the same way I do, but some in the younger generation see North Korea as a different country. Imagine this, all your life there has been this 'other country' that here and there blows something up or kills some people in your country. Your parents and teachers try to convince you that this 'other country' is actually part of the country you're in, but you're not allowed to talk to the people in that country or see them (under normal circumstances) and in general the people there could hardly imagine the life you live. People tell you how difficult it will be when the two countries try to unite. They will use Germany as an example and mention how the split between East and West there was not as prominent and the split lasted for much less time, but the consequences are still being felt today. No one can tell you when we'll be on a clear path towards unification, but for now you just need to deal with the 'other country' acting out and generally being a pain. If you're male, when you turn twenty-something you'll need to "give-up" a few years of your life, because of that dangerous neighbor.

You don't strongly believe in reunification. The shenanigans in the North have gone on long enough that you say it's over. Forget making one great nation; they are so far behind it'll only create one poor and destroyed country that'll probably be taken advantage by the superpowers. You live in a country that is always on the brink of war, but you don't think about it because well let's face it you could die at any time from alot of things you'd never even think to worry about. The people in the North are starving and facing terrible human rights injustices. You may feel for them and even do some things to help them, but by no means can you say "I know what it's like, I went through tough times when I was young too."

So what happens if North Korea's recent provocations get just "a firm stare and clenched shaken fist". The North's government might find some stability and another 20~40 years will go by just like the last 40. But now you've got this generation all grown up and the new generation really REALLY can't imagine why the North and South would unify. The adults feel kinda pressured to do it for the old folks' sake, but can they really muster up the effort. And what will the people in the North think? Humans have a problem with believing things that get repeated hundreds of times. Will they really want to open up to the world? What a shock! Hey, you know how you've never heard anything about America except how terrible they are? Do you want to go there or watch some movies/TV shows from there? Did you know there is a foreigner in town teaching Taekwondo? Can you imagine that? No foreigner could possibly be any good.

Yes, to me, it looks like if reunification will ever happen then it better happen soon. There is really no time to wait.