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Applaud efforts to reunify Korea

South Korean national security director Chung Eui-yong, center, speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 8, 2018, as intelligence chief Suh Hoon, left and Cho Yoon-je, the South Korea ambassador to United States, listen. Could this be a step toward Korean reunification?
South Korean national security director Chung Eui-yong, center, speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 8, 2018, as intelligence chief Suh Hoon, left and Cho Yoon-je, the South Korea ambassador to United States, listen. Could this be a step toward Korean reunification? Andrew Harnik AP Photo

Korean reunification is on the negotiating table. What a surprise.

On March 7 Kim Jong Un announced he wanted to “write new history” on Korean reunification. Kim has doubled down on a pre-Olympics call to “smash” all challenges to it. South Koreans also viewed the Olympics as opening the reunification door.

Several factors move reunification forward. North Korea may be near bankruptcy. Korean expert Harry Kazianis reports its foreign-exchange reserves are near exhaustion. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have motivated China to encourage North Korea’s regime, which is not irrational, to settle.

In a July 1 article in The Week, Mr. Kazianis suggested settlement modeled on German reunification, with guarantees of safety and a decent retirement for North Korean officials.

Conflict would devastate South Korea and possibly Japan and, anyway, Koreans want to reunify. Efforts to achieve reunification should be applauded.

Richard Bailey, Reedley

This story was originally published March 11, 2018 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Applaud efforts to reunify Korea."

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