What if the Confederal Republic of Koryo was formed?

FOLLOWING IS FROM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_reunification:
"Confederal Republic of Koryo
North Korea's policy is to seek reunification without what it sees as outside interference, through a federal structure retaining each side's leadership and systems. In 1973, it proposed forming a Confederal Republic of Koryo that would represent the Korean people in the UN.
[21] North Korean President Kim Il-sung elaborated on the proposed state (then called Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo[22]) on October 10, 1980, in the Report to the Sixth Congress of the Worker's Party of Korea on the Work of the Central Committee. Kim proposed a federation between North and South Korea, in which their respective political systems would initially remain"

What if S Korea actually agreed to this? was that even possible? If so, what would a CRK look like today?
 
FOLLOWING IS FROM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_reunification:
"Confederal Republic of Koryo
North Korea's policy is to seek reunification without what it sees as outside interference, through a federal structure retaining each side's leadership and systems. In 1973, it proposed forming a Confederal Republic of Koryo that would represent the Korean people in the UN.
[21] North Korean President Kim Il-sung elaborated on the proposed state (then called Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo[22]) on October 10, 1980, in the Report to the Sixth Congress of the Worker's Party of Korea on the Work of the Central Committee. Kim proposed a federation between North and South Korea, in which their respective political systems would initially remain"

What if S Korea actually agreed to this? was that even possible? If so, what would a CRK look like today?
When, IOTL, the fifth Korean Republic formed, it also imposed itself on the DPRK in time for the olympics.
 
Depend...would Kim try something stupid?
He is the supreme leader. His choices are the right choices!
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Seriously, though, a totalitarian regime fused to a liberal democracy? If you think American politics are dysfunctional, just imagine the headaches this would cause politically, financially, and culturally. I give it three years before it falls apart, likely in renewed civil war (since one prerequisite for this union would obviously be the withdrawal of American forces).
 
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chankljp

Donor
Seriously, though, a totalitarian regime fused to a liberal democracy? If you think American politics are dysfunctional, just imagine the headaches this would cause politically, financially, and culturally. I give it three years before it falls apart, likely in renewed civil war (since one prerequisite for this union would obviously be the withdrawal of American forces).

Keep in mind that until the June Democracy Movement in 1987, South Korea was still a dictatorship. So if the unification took place during the 1970-1980s, it would have been a unification of two dictatorships instead. In addition, this was before the 'Arduous March' of 1994 - 1998, so the North would have have been as dysfunctional as it currently is.
 
What did you mean by your Olympics reference and the ROK "imposing itself" on DPRK?
The CRK would have been formed over the ITL presidencies of South Korea's two final military dictators, Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan. When, IOTL, the South Korean dictatorship ended, it would have also spelt, in TTL, the end of the North Korean dicttaorship, and perhaps even that if the CRK at large, with the less crazy, more ceonomically developed South taking over the Confederation.
 
The CRK would have been formed over the ITL presidencies of South Korea's two final military dictators, Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan. When, IOTL, the South Korean dictatorship ended, it would have also spelt, in TTL, the end of the North Korean dicttaorship, and perhaps even that if the CRK at large, with the less crazy, more ceonomically developed South taking over the Confederation.

That sounds like the best-case scenario, I suppose. Realistically, I can't see either the States, the Soviets, or the Chinese being happy about this at all. You could expect one or all of them to do their damnedest to scupper the plan. Ignoring that, I'd still see problems with integrating the two militaries, which as far as Washington is concerned is giving the Soviet bloc access to NATO technology, plus economic competition where Southern firms try going up North and buying up less efficient North Korean industries leading to more resentment up there.
 
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