Unfortunately, although I’d like to see the U.S. pull out of Korea entirely, it’d send the wrong signal to China and Japan. Japan would go nuclear in seconds and China would see an opportunity to make Korea a tributary like in the old days. I think removing 2ID and 8th Army from artillery range, to somewhere like Pusan or Changwon, and able to quickly move to regional hotspots, would send all the right signals:

- To China: Ha, ha, we’re still in your neighborhood and able to actually respond quicker to a crisis in Taiwan. Do you feel lucky, punk?
- To Japan: We’re still here, buddies, and able to move quicker than before. Don’t touch those plutonium stockpiles just yet.
- To South Korea: We’re no longer a trip wire. Deal with your own defense, you ungrateful freeloaders. Uri nara? I’ve got your uri nara.
- To North Korea: You can’t touch our troops after we bomb your nuke plants. Go ahead and shell your caring blood brothers to the south, though, if it makes you feel better.

We leave South Korea.

We also do not come back, whether the result is positive or negative, and without regard to who may hold these points of view.

So, if the whole peninsula experiences the same level of success in the near future, as South Korea currently enjoys - then good for them.

If the whole peninsula ends up eating grass and doubling the size of their female cheerleading corps - well good for them on that account too.

Then the main value that this element of Korea values - “unification uber alles” will be accomplished, and the U.S. shall play no part in whatever becomes of Korea.

I think we can find better uses for the military assets that we constantly devote to South Korea. If the South Koreans have not learned by now what it is that helps them be so successful, then we should devote that effort somewhere else. Frankly, it wont effect my personal life whatever the South Koreans do, or how miserable their lives inevitably become if they succumb to North Korea.

For make no mistake - all of Korea will become much more like the North if everyone voluntarily reunifies. The North will not voluntarily reunify unless the resulting political system is Stalinist. And if the South Koreans are too stupid to see this, then let them be educated.

We have 50 years invested in these people. If this is as far as they have come, lets pull the plug.

In face of political realities, it seems extremely unlikely that the “liberation” of the North Korean people will take place any time soon…
Yet, why is this so??? The Cold War ended over a decade ago, and most of the nations in Eastern Europe and around the world have already been freed from Communist oppression. The status quo in Korea has been maintained long enough!!

There is still a viable solution to this fifty year standstill: through economic engagement and normalized political relations, North Korea can be enticed to reform and open up their isolated, communist system, without need for regime change. In fact, China has already progressed quite far down this road, without need for any sort of concrete “liberation”. In response to many possible arguments to this plan, I have this to say: The Cold War ended over a decade ago and with it, any possible logical argument against such a policy have become obsolete. If you any objections, e-mail me at Parkjay@aol.com.

With a policy of engagement, the US and the international community have nothing to lose, and there is a good possibility of success, which would result in the fostering of peace and stability in the NE Asia region. Along the same lines, the North Koreans, faced with an opening up of economic sanctions and a long awaited normalization of political relations will also have nothing to lose…. after fifty years of stormy weather over the Korean peninsula, the sun will shine at last…..

If you have any comments, e-mail me at parkjay@aol.com