Didn't expect the little dictator to say "thanks"

[Yurt]

NKorea thanks US over piracy standoff

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea expressed rare gratitude Thursday for U.S. help in ending a high-seas standoff with Somali pirates, a sign of warming ties between the longtime foes fostered by progress on Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/nkorea_us_piracy;_ylt=AmfIIA0foIm2XQ6gw8CsUbIDW7oF


The owner at my local video store has engaged me in thoughts about Korea. He believes there should be one Korea. The US/Russia split it up in the 50s. And it is time to make it one Korea for many reasons. He is from the north, and he sees the north is very weak, he still knows people there, though does not hear much. I think a unified Korea would be a good thing.

[Gaffer]

There is one problem with them uniting. NK is so far behind in everything it will take billions to bring it up to SK standards. Most north koreans are brain washed and will have to be deprogramed, not to mention fed. There is no industry there and even the railroads are not able to handle trains from the south.

It wasn't the russians and US that divided korea. It was the chinese. The war in korea was started by the north and is still on going. There is a cease fire in place but no truce has ever been signed.

[Yurt]

There is one problem with them uniting. NK is so far behind in everything it will take billions to bring it up to SK standards. Most north koreans are brain washed and will have to be deprogramed, not to mention fed. There is no industry there and even the railroads are not able to handle trains from the south.

It wasn't the russians and US that divided korea. It was the chinese. The war in korea was started by the north and is still on going. There is a cease fire in place but no truce has ever been signed.

I don't have a problem with the $$. This country spends billions every day. Add SK to the mix and we have even more $$. Make NK an economy like ours and SK and the $$ will come back.

I thought that the US and Russia created the line at the 38th parallel?

[Hobbit]

I don't have a problem with the $$. This country spends billions every day. Add SK to the mix and we have even more $$. Make NK an economy like ours and SK and the $$ will come back.

I thought that the US and Russia created the line at the 38th parallel?

Nope. Russia was never in Korea. The U.S. and China decided on the 38th parallel.

[Gaffer]

I don't have a problem with the $$. This country spends billions every day. Add SK to the mix and we have even more $$. Make NK an economy like ours and SK and the $$ will come back.

I thought that the US and Russia created the line at the 38th parallel?

Nope it was the chinese. The US had kicked the NK all the way back to the chinese border. All of korea was under UN control when the chinese made a surprise attack and drove the UN forces back.

Combining NK and SK at this time would be a logistical nightmare. I'm all for it but it will take a long time. And the chinese will not be idle while its going on.

[Yurt]

Nope. Russia was never in Korea. The U.S. and China decided on the 38th parallel.

ok soviet union then?


However, in keeping with the earlier agreement, the USSR occupied Korea north of the thirty-eighth parallel while the U.S. occupied Korea south of the thirty-eighth parallel.

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/korea/kdivided.html

[Gaffer]

ok soviet union then?



http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/korea/kdivided.html

The soviets had very little to do with north korea. It was a chinese game almost entirely. NK is and has been a chinese puppet government for over 50 years. The soviets were involved in Vietnam, but not korea. In fact the UN became involved in the war with NK because the soviets walked out of the un when the war began and the security council was able to pass a war resolution. It seems NK and china didn't tell the soviets what was going on before they acted.