[PEN-L:5882] Re: 'Civilian' Regime Going Beserk

[Rosser Jr, John Barkley]

On Thu, 29 Aug 1996 05:36:54 -0700 (PDT) SHAWGI TELL 
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


> 
> 
> On Wed, 28 Aug 1996, Rosser Jr, John Barkley wrote:
> 
> > 
> > On Wed, 28 Aug 1996 20:19:51 -0700 (PDT) SHAWGI TELL 
> > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > 
> > 
> > > What kind of change in the ROK are you referring to Rosser Jr, John Barkley?
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Shawgi Tell
> > > University at Buffalo
> > > Graduate School of Education
> > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > 
> >      It is no longer a military dictatorship, despite the 
> > recent violent suppression of student demonstrators.  
> > Elections are being held.  Past dictatorial and corrupt 
> > presidents are being condemned to death and long sentences. 
> > Even leaders of chaebols are being indicted for corruption. 
> > By all reports, the people in the ROK consider these 
> > changes to be very major, and that the trials of the past 
> > presidents to be the "trials of the century" in Korea.
> > -- 
> > Rosser Jr, John Barkley
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 
> Why, then, does the South Korean bourgeoisie need the blessings of U.S. 
> imperialism?  Why do they arrest people exercising their rights?  Why do 
> they oppose reunification?  
> 
> The reports I have been investigating do not support the view that ROK is 
> opening the path of progress to the society.
> 
> Shawgi Tell
> University at Buffalo
> Graduate School of Education
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]

     Of course there are serious limits to how far the 
progressive opening is going to go in the ROK.  Is there 
any movement towards a "progressive opening" in the DPRK?  
I realize that Shawgi considers it to be the closest thing 
to heaven on earth, so it doesn't need any such movement.
     Both Koreas want unification.  But each wants to be in 
charge after the fact.  That is the problem.  Shawgi asks 
why the South Korean bourgeoisie needs the "blessings" of 
US imperialism.  Well, Shawgi, let me remind you that it 
was Kim Il Sung's regime that invaded the south in June, 
1950, not the other way around, and that despite its much 
smaller population, the DPRK today has far more armaments 
and men under arms than does the ROK, deployed in a forward 
stance on the border, just 30 miles from Seoul, the south's 
capital and location of much of its industry and population.
     The ROK expects to swallow the DPRK at some point.  
With more than twice the population and more than fifteen 
times the GDP, that would seem to be a likely outcome.  The 
only way the DPRK will swallow the ROK would be by military 
conquest.  Given that nobody knows who is in charge in the 
DPRK, or what they are thinking or doing, nervousness in 
the south is not unjustified, especially given the apparent 
general economic collapse now going on in the north.
     Actually the biggest impediment to unification from 
the perspective of the south is the hassle involved.  The 
ROK Ministry of Finance has a plan for what to do if 
unification occurs on their terms, but it is very 
expensive, like about a trillion US $.  They are already 
deep in debt.  They have been very impressed/depressed by 
how difficult the German unification has been, and the gap 
in incomes and lifestyles between the two Koreas is far 
greater than was that between the two Germanies.
     Anyone who wishes to read a more detailed comparison 
of the two Korean economies as well as a detailed 
discussion of the ROK MOF's unification plan can find it in 
Chapter 18 of _Comparative Economics in a Transforming 
World Economy_ by me and Marina V. Rosser, 1996, Irwin.  
But, of course, the Devine Jim would rather bring in an 
"expert" to settle this "futile discussion".....,:-).
-- 
Rosser Jr, John Barkley
[EMAIL PROTECTED]