Response; My opinion, not expertise

In response to a friends comment left on my little piece about North Korea I would like to say one or two things.

He is completely right that N.K. is probably the most isolated part of the world with the possible exception of Burma. It is definitely the most oppressed but consequently the government has done such a good job it is relatively stable with less widespread violence than similar regimes.
'Is there such a thing as a single 'Korean' nation anymore?'.

I would say....yes. Korean 'people' if not nation most definitely. Korea has always been remote, which has allowed them almost 2000 years of unique history which, unlike Europe or American, was hardly infiltrated by outside powers until Japanese Imperialism. In the same way the Celts retained a language and culture unique to Brittany; Koreans have the same except much stronger, less diluted and only separated 80 years ago.

I guess a better comparison would be East and West Germany and all the same arguments divide Korean opinion. Is it economically viable, they have lived under a dictatorship and so on. Nostalgically I think all Koreans would go for unification but realistically a large minority would say it shouldn't be done. The possibility for democracy at root is alive in South Korea. I see women's institutes proudly taking on stuffy old politicians, young people protesting on the streets. I see nothing inherent in Korean culture which immediately stands in the way of democracy; such as monotheism, monarchy, or present conditions in the south.

Integration with the north would be difficult but surely possible. The sad fact is that the North Korean population are so oppressed that if you tell them to be democratic the will be.

Look out for 'The Crossing' on DVD. It won a few awards internationally. The fictional story of a father trying to escape the north.