Quote:
Originally Posted by Oberon
The question is not can we beat Kim, but how far should we go? Do we drive them all the way back to Pyongyang and risk China stepping in? Or do we do a deal with China in which we stop at the DMZ and let China come in from the North under the guise of 'protecting' the DPRK but in reality to do a spot of regime rearranging?
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I think a lot of it will depend on the costs involved. If he can do serious long-term damage to the South's economy before being driven back, it will be a big blow to the ROK if that doesn't go along with the Kim problem being solved for good. I think a lot of the current status quo works on the fact that Kim's regime recognize that they cannot attack the South, seriously damage it and get away with it. But they can and do get away with the occasional scuffle, which the South cannot afford to escalate either. In some sense, the status quo right now is paradoxically the best thing that the two sides can hope for. The ROK gets to keep its economy running and Kim gets his concessions. No other solution, even a totally peaceful one, will keep both sides happier right now, sad as it is.