> They'll have to unite with North Korea eventually. Make of that what you will.... | Hacker News

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skhr0680 on Aug 4, 2021 | parent | context | favorite | on: South Korea: The only middle power of its kind

> They'll have to unite with North Korea eventually. Make of that what you will.

I don't know. United Germany was still within living memory when reunification happened, and it cost a huge amount to integrate East Germany, even though they had a functional society and industry. For example, Zeiss Jena (East German) camera lenses were competitive with those from the west. That would be like North Korea making good phones in the modern day.

otabdeveloper4 on Aug 4, 2021 [–]

I think consumers are more valuable for GDP than industry today.

Also, there are non-economic factors at play, too. For example, South Korea could grandfather in North Korea's nuclear arms.

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