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News & Current Events May 6, 2026 at 9:18 PM

North Korea drops reunification goal from constitution

Posted by Effective_Reach_9289

North Korea drops reunification goal from constitution
dw.com
North Korea drops reunification goal from constitution
North Korea has rewritten its constitution to erase any goal of reunification with the South. The move locks in Pyongyang leader Kim Jong Un's shift toward treating Seoul as a permanent adversary.
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arlondiluthel 6 days ago +1990
Frankly, at this point I'm not surprised; it's been almost 75 years from the end of active hostilities; there are very few (if any) people left who haven't spent their entire lives living in a separated Korea.
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noir_lord 6 days ago +844
Doesn’t help that there isn’t a realistic chance of unification by force which doesn’t result in absolute carnage for both sides. Which leaves a negotiated unification and I don’t think either sides leadership *really* wants to open that can of worms for differing reasons. Maybe a gradual thawing of relations with increasing trade between the two is the best realistic outcome at this point. Anything else would make the reunification of Germany look simple, something you can still see the scars of more than 30 years later.
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InformationHorder 6 days ago +516
And Germany was a *peaceful* reunification and *still* cost trillions over the past 39 years. Integrating NK into SK would be impossibly expensive.
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DateMasamusubi 6 days ago +325
Even so, Seoul has plans for reunification. They extensively studied German reunification and its shortcomings and are well aware of the current challenges. Most likely, they will go with the 5 Year Plan approach with infrastructure modernisation + compatability top of the agenda.
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Imaginary_Scene2493 6 days ago +184
The difference in education and indoctrination between East Germany and North Korea is stark. They probably need at least a generation of South Korea running their education system for it to work.
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RinTheTV 6 days ago +93
Yeah. You'd have to undo how many generations of brain washing and propaganda? And then you also have to realize that it's going to burden your already burdened population even further. South Korean birth rate is pretty low ATM iirc, and a big reason for that is a significant number of the population is barely scraping by, living in closet-sized apartments called Goshiwons, while the mega rich children and relatives of Chaebols chill at the top of the pyramid. I can't imagine how much stress that would put on a significant number of people who already feel somewhat disenfranchised.
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Somnif 6 days ago +42
Not to mention the catastrophic state of food and sanitation infrastructure up north. Their soil is damn near dead, over farmed and over fertilized to the point of being nigh useless (in an intensive agriculture context anyway). Small household gardens are propping things up but that's not enough to support a nation, and even those are often fertilized using poorly composted human night soil, and consequently the lack of widespread clean water availability means basically everyone has a parasite load of some kind. The north is going to be a bit of a boat anchor on whatever nation is helping keep it afloat, be it China, Russia, or a hypothetical unified Korea, for decades at least.
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Seanspeed 6 days ago +17
And dont forget you've made China big mad about all this in the process, losing a buffer to a country with American military assets, and probably sending tons of N Korean people fleeing into China because they've been so brainwashed to believe the people in S Korea are their enemies. And it also takes away China's influence in Korea, obviously.
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Gumsk 6 days ago +37
That's been my opinion of the only way it could work. The gap between N/S Korea is supposedly at least ten times worse than the gap between W/E Germany was, and that nearly brought down West Germany. I think you have to not allow movement from North to South for quite a while, while building up the infrastructure to make the North more attractive when you do allow movement.
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teddyKGB- 6 days ago +6
Well of course the gap is harder to cross going north and south vs east and west. That's just how gravity works. I'm confident my brothers and sisters can use technology to overcome this gap/gravity before we are grey
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Dingcock 6 days ago -7
Gravity doesn't run north/south...
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pinkmeanie 6 days ago +3
Sure it does. Look at a globe, genius
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Sieve-Boy 6 days ago +84
Honestly, given the disparity between SK and NK development at this point in time, I would suggest four 5 year plans would be needed to bridge the gap.
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DateMasamusubi 6 days ago +54
I missed the plural as I usually write 5YP but the planning is multi-decade similar to the domestic 5YP implemented by Seoul during its industrialisation and development and to reduced extent, still remains today eg K-Initiative programme.
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Sieve-Boy 6 days ago +25
That's fair. It would be a hell of undertaking thats for sure.
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IIICobaltIII 6 days ago +41
Also upon reunification the GDP per capita of East Germany was only half that of the West. South Korea's per capita GDP is nearly 30 times that of the North's.
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noir_lord 6 days ago +64
Honestly that it worked out as well as it did is a credit to the German people, it could have gone much worse.
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InformationHorder 6 days ago +93
And that's because the two societies hadn't drifted too far apart culturally too. The people wanted to be reunified. NK may as well be on another planet for how similar it is to SK now.
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Flacier 6 days ago +29
The north would also likely lag far behind the south in GED and prosperity. Something we still see today in German with a stark economic divide between east and west. It’s hard to speculate if we could see reunification anytime soon. The big thing that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet union was the information about how much better the west was compared to the eastern block. That desire for a better life was instrumental in the fall of the Berlin wall. I don’t know if we will ever see anything like that in the DPRK. They have a super tight grip on information and the movements of citizens within the DPRK. They are also arguably the best propaganda in the world at this point. That combined with the cult of personality around the Kim family it’s hard to see any drastic charges without outside intervention something that China will not allow to come to pass. it’s way too much of a liability. They have every interest to make sure that the Kim family stays in power.
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genesiss23 6 days ago +8
East Germany was in much better shape economically than North Korea
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coffeecupcakes 6 days ago +10
Why NK into SK? I by not SK into NK? But jest aside. I would love to someday see a single Korea even though I have absolutely zero stake in that wish.
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godisanelectricolive 6 days ago +21
Now that NK has given up on absorbing SK into itself, NK into SK is the only option left.
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VanceKelley 6 days ago +12
If I were a South Korean, I would only allow my country to unify with North Korea after a few decades of the North Korean people demonstrating that they are able to govern themselves as a stable democracy with equal justice and the rule of law.
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Gumsk 6 days ago +8
The SK constitution has "free democratic basic order" as a precondition for unification. The NK constitution left the door open to separate governing systems in the two halves, but that's gone now.
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Putrid-Knowledge-445 6 days ago +77
The bigger issue is that there’s no way China will let US align South Korea reunifying the Korean Peninsula on its doorstep and there’s no way that US, unless severely weakened, will let a nuclear armed, China aligned North Korea to reunify the Korean Peninsula. The impossibility of the Korean reunification is basically the result of great power struggles.
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SenorEquilibrado 6 days ago +13
If China or NK gifted you know who a plane or, like, some magic beans or something they could probably get the USA to go along with it.
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cornmonger_ 6 days ago +11
nailed it
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Sieve-Boy 6 days ago +14
Or Russia for that matter. NK has a short border with Russia, no way does Russia want a "western front" on its Eastern border. ("Western front" means a border with a fully democratic, western aligned nation like South Korea).
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McFestus 6 days ago +5
Who knows if the US will have any meaningful allies in the region in 10, 20 years.
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Fast-Satisfaction482 6 days ago +1
That's exactly what it was for Germany, but in the end it still happened. But I agree that the grand scale politics are much less favorable today for Korea then they were back then for Germany. 
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Tundraspin 6 days ago +4
Ahh I see you read my mobile suit gundam rl action movie script.
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TheyCallMeMrMaybe 6 days ago +2
North Korea is under heavy global sanctions for its crimes against humanity that the Kim regime have performed in their goal to maintain power & control. Any attempt to better North Korea would involve weakening the Kim regime's power - and this is by design.
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muehsam 6 days ago +1
You really can't compare East Germany to North Korea. East Germany was a dictatorship but it was never as crazy as North Korea in any way. The two sides weren't nearly as strictly separated. West Germans could visit East Germany with no issues. They could (and did) regularly send packages to East German relatives with products that were hard to come by in the east (and to a lesser extent this also went the other way for things like books, which were cheaper in the east). East Germans could watch West German TV in most regions. East Germany was a dictatorship that spied on its citizens, and it was poorer than West Germany, but compared to North Korea of today, it was a bastion of freedom and prosperity.
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noir_lord 6 days ago +2
> Anything else would make the reunification of Germany look simple Yes, that was one of my points.
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External-Plastic-154 6 days ago -17
Unification and all that are no longer what matters most. What’s more concerning is Kim Jong-un becoming too closely aligned with China. The time has come for the U.S. to trade with North Korea. Even if North Korea can’t trade with South Korea because Kim Jong-un sees it as a threat to his regime, it could still trade with the U.S.
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Necessary-Music-6685 6 days ago +7
What does NK have that the US wants in trade?
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External-Plastic-154 6 days ago -13
Rare earths, access routes to the mainland, and containing China. What I’m saying is that the U.S. should invest in North Korea. From the perspective of U.S. containment of China, it would become a serious problem if North Korea falls under China’s control. At the very least, it needs to be kept as a neutral buffer zone. Imagine Chinese naval forces operating out of North Korea’s eastern sea. Would you like the idea of a “Chinese forces in North Korea” presence, similar to U.S. forces stationed in South Korea or Japan?
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mediumwetsock 6 days ago +3
I don’t want fascist US “containing” anything.
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iamnotafbiagnt 6 days ago +1
Didn’t we used to get products from nk to the U.S.? I swore I read they gave the U.S. plastic or something
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moofie74 6 days ago +4
I bought some soybean chocolate at the DMZ. It was not good.
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External-Plastic-154 6 days ago +1
There has never been a normal trade relationship.
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ixid 6 days ago -17
They'll end up reunifying due to demographics. South Korea has such a low birth rate that they will look to North Korea for more people.
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phiwong 6 days ago +9
North Korean population statistics are not great. Reunification means a ton more old people - hardly what S Korea needs. Yes, N Korea has a lower median age but at 38 and increasing, it is not so much better than S Korea at 47 that it would make sense. N Korea TFR is higher than S Korea but still below replacement levels and it has been that way for decades - neither country will be growing their populations.
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mediumwetsock 6 days ago -19
Whatever numbers you are pulling out of your a****** are probably incorrect. JFC listnookors with their pseudo intelligence
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Evil_Eg 6 days ago +25
Consider also from another perspective that this would make it more tolerable for countries to accept an opening of North Korea economically, in terms of trade and even limited and controlled tourism to North Korea (For most countries, it is not even hostile or seen as a threat, even with nuclear weapons, because these countries don't interfere in internal affairs.)
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FollowingFeisty5321 6 days ago +35
25% of South Korea is 65+ years old, these people's parents experienced the war and separation first-hand, and then these people grew up with their families divided across the line. They're doing it because the only way for the two countries to unify is by becoming cooperative and amicable enough to do so, which cannot be achieved without North Koreans realizing they have one of the shittiest governments in the world.
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DateMasamusubi 6 days ago +310
He wants another aid package from Seoul.
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SirTresmegestis 6 days ago +68
Hes preparing for a future with less hostilities for when his Daughter takes over. Whether or not the plan is to resume hostilites after she does is still up to the guesses of the political science majors tho
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ZEROs0000 5 days ago +2
I never thought of that but that’s a really good point
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IntentionDeep651 6 days ago +20
he sees what is happening to other russian allies , thats the reason
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throwawaykayaker 6 days ago +5
I imagine most autocrats got spooked by Trump taking Maduro.
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tobiaspwn322 6 days ago +56
or he realized he can just have the future leaders of NK walk into south korea in a 100 years and find it empty. Can just take a short boat trip afterwards if they fancy an empty japan too.
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No_Hay_Banda_2000 6 days ago +63
The North Korean birthrate is also below replacement level and they additionally have a netto Migration loss. South Korea can at least attract migrants.
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WarmRoastedBean 6 days ago +10
If they can convince people to go there... As it stands, it is below the worldwide average.
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ModernirsmEnjoyer 6 days ago +3
They haven't received aid for quite some time from the South
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CircumspectCapybara 6 days ago +241
I mean, if they ever reunify, it doubtless would be under circumstances Kim probably wouldn't like.
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Druggedhippo 5 days ago +1
Here's what you do.surrender the country to South Korea.. but on the condition that you get to keep some senior position, don't pay taxes get a lavish salary, some out of the place villa somewhere nice... Plenty of nobles in the world are descendent from local bandits and pocket kingdoms that integrated with a neighbour. Just gotta smooth over the ICC warrants...
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VoidMageZero 6 days ago -142
Looking at South Korea’s birth rate, wouldn’t be surprised if North Korea has the upper hand eventually.
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herpderpby 6 days ago +129
Don’t worry, NK also has plummeting birthrate
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DaftPump 6 days ago +24
I won't be surprised if this regime forces pregnancies.
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herpderpby 6 days ago +21
Romania’s **Nicolae Ceaușescu** did that and got firing squad execution as a result… So maybe if it happens in NK, that might be the final straw for its people to openly rebel
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DaftPump 6 days ago +20
After all this time how many NK citizens would be open to rebellion? I mean, that's the world they know. With the amount of isolation from the rest of the world I wouldn't be confident this would happen. And if it did happen, I can't see China pitcing in to deal with ~40M refugees. I don't know of SK could accommodate that either.
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Sandy-Balls 6 days ago +5
He got the firing squad for other reasons, not for baning abortion.
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Halinn 6 days ago +2
We can only hope
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KenUsimi 6 days ago -36
Worry less about other people f****** and go make up the difference yourself if it matter to ya.
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aluke000 6 days ago +118
So NK will no longer have any reason to invade SK, and both can live in peace now, right?
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Khamvom 6 days ago +38
They’ve dropped goals for “peaceful reunification” and SK is still officially viewed as a “hostile country”…so probably not.
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IllicitDesire 6 days ago +11
Saw in Korean media says that the term "hostile" wasn't used. > The word “hostile,” used frequently by Kim after he in 2023 declared that inter-Korean relations “have been completely fixed into the relations between two states hostile to each other and the relations between two belligerent states,” was notably not included in the amended constitution. > “The inclusion of a territorial clause emphasizes its sovereignty, but the document lacked expressions referring to South Korea as a ‘hostile’ or ‘belligerent’ country,” said Lee Jung-chul, a professor of political science at Seoul National University who analyzed the entirety of the revised constitution. https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_northkorea/1257604.html
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WorryNew3661 6 days ago +7
That seems positive, and a big change from even like last year
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IllicitDesire 6 days ago +7
I think it probably means a permanent closure to the possibility of unification efforts (without a total collapse of the NK state) but can mean in the future (probably far, far future) that both countries can actually finally work towards normalisation of diplomacy between two completely seperate states and political entities, which isn't much but obviously much better than the permanent Cold War like the RoC and PRC. Considering Armenia and Azerbaijan have begun trading for the first time in over 30 years (since independence) I start to have hope for anything nowadays even if it might take decades and generations 😊
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Car-face 6 days ago +29
This coincides with discussions in Seoul around [what South Korea should call North Korea.](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/01/south-korea-debates-what-to-call-north-korea) Historically with unification the overarching agenda, Bukhan was the complimentary option to go with Hanguk from a South Korean perspective. But North Korea refers to itself as Joseon (Joseon Minjujuui Inmin Gonghwaguk) whilst referring to the south as Namjoseon - until a couple of years back, when they started to refer to South Korea as Hanguk as a signal of their own positioning as two separate nations, so there's a loaded question about whether to move to referring to NK by the name they've chosen for themselves as well, or the one SK chose for it. This move could just be that - a coincidence - but more likely a signal to push for recognition of the North as a separate entity and refer to it as such.
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UbiSububi8 6 days ago +57
New goal: universal electricity.
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Koala_eiO 6 days ago +20
Jong-Un's Minecraft server needs more people.
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Kinenai 6 days ago +49
They finally thought of something "fresh" as opposed to exterminating sea life at random.
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Accomplished-Noise68 6 days ago
Huh?
0
Kinenai 6 days ago +42
They keep launching missiles into the sea of Japan to try to remain relevant.
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TheSenrigan 6 days ago +11
NK just trying stop Godzilla
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Kinenai 6 days ago +2
The Korean peninsula had never been threatened or attacked by Gojira. Only the Japanese eastern seaboard and that one time our submarine dino buddy somehow magically lept over the entirety of the contiguous United States of America in one leap only to terrorize New York City alá Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. To say nothing of his mecha brother whose exploits were recorded in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers documentary.
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TheSenrigan 6 days ago +4
>had never been attacked Now you know why
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Kinenai 6 days ago +4
Checkmate.
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Accomplished-Noise68 6 days ago +6
Ahhh gotcha.
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dgellow 6 days ago +1
Do they actually explode though? I know very little about missile but would imagine they just sink without explosion? 
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Necessary-Music-6685 6 days ago +97
As an aside, what does “constitution” even mean in NK? It’s arguably the purest example of a one-man dictatorship anywhere in the world. The constitution is whatever Kim says it is.
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PurpleSailor 6 days ago +68
Excuse me ... ***Democratic*** *People’s* ***Republic*** *of Korea* if you please!
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ckthorp 6 days ago +25
Classic “if you have to say it out loud, it probably isn’t true”.
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Deducticon 6 days ago +23
United States of America.
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Karsh14 6 days ago +5
\^ this. It’s right there in the name, these people be free!
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WhatANoob2025 6 days ago +5
I'm not sure we should be looking at this as a good sign. It may be a sign that he'd be willing to just nuke it and to give a damn.
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Belgraviana 6 days ago +6
Didn’t this happen a few years ago
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TheEpicGold 6 days ago +3
Pretty big changes behind the scene.
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PG_Glenwood 6 days ago +19
With the current birth rate in ROK, in 75 years they’d probably just walk in and find the place mostly abandoned.
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No_Hay_Banda_2000 6 days ago +21
South Korea has twice as many citizens as North Korea and the North Korean birth rate is also below replacement level.
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PillaJamindar 6 days ago +4
Where did you find these numbers??? As far as i know there's no census readily available about nk
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nonoimsomeoneelse 6 days ago +3
Isolation, the only policy.
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ZzZzZzZzZzZero 6 days ago +1
But the war is still going huh?
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dp1029384756 5 days ago +1
The only way reunification works is if Kim gives up nuclear weapon (or the threat of it via nuclear capability) which will is a no go since Kim uses that as a way to stay in power and will be overthrown the moment he loses it.
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External-Plastic-154 6 days ago +1
Alright, I get it.. just hope they trade with the U.S. or South Korea too.
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DimSumFan 6 days ago -4
Shame. They had a lot to bring to the table.
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lew_rong 6 days ago +3
Yeah, but could you imagine the culture shock of your average South Korean going from the abundance of the west to the superior abundance please don't hurt me Kim Jong-daddy of North Korea?
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