Let's suppose Kim Il-sung dies before he can consolidate power or simply gets outmanoeuvred by one of the other factions in the Workers' Party of Korea in the power struggle of the early 50s. That means no cult of personality and no Kim Dynasty, as Kim Jong-il is still way a kid and way too young to play any role in politics. That opens up the possibility of North Korea developing like a more standard Eastern Bloc communist country with greater variation in leadership.
Assuming this leads to an end to communism in 1989 or 1990, how does Korean Reunification go? Will it follow the model of Germany, with the entire process being completed before the end of 1990, or would there be extenuating reasons to put off official reunification? Reasons for that could be the massive differences in economic systems and levels of development. I'm not sure how much the differences in development between West and East Germany are comparable to the differences between South and North Korea in 1990. And then there's the matter of China complicating things, as they'll want guarantees no American troops will set foot in the former DPRK before they'll agree to reunification. Thoughts? Suggestions?
Assuming this leads to an end to communism in 1989 or 1990, how does Korean Reunification go? Will it follow the model of Germany, with the entire process being completed before the end of 1990, or would there be extenuating reasons to put off official reunification? Reasons for that could be the massive differences in economic systems and levels of development. I'm not sure how much the differences in development between West and East Germany are comparable to the differences between South and North Korea in 1990. And then there's the matter of China complicating things, as they'll want guarantees no American troops will set foot in the former DPRK before they'll agree to reunification. Thoughts? Suggestions?
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