SKorea cancels new artillery drill on tense island

[cory777]

Source: Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea's military has canceled a live-fire artillery exercise planned for Tuesday on the front-line island targeted last week by a deadly North Korean bombardment.

Officials from the South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters Monday that the plans to fire artillery rounds into waters southwest of Yeonpyeong Island have been canceled.

The military did not give a reason for the cancellation.

Similar live-fire maneuvers by South Korean troops one week ago triggered the North's bombardment that decimated parts of Yeonpyeong Island, killed four people and drew return fire in a clash that set the region on edge.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101129/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_clash

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[Javaman]

1. Here's the reason...

the South Korean's like their 3% unemployment rate.

If they choose to do their live fire exercise, no doubt the North would once again respond. And frankly, it wouldn't end there.

This whole mess will slowly die down. Granted this is certainly one of the bigger "flare ups" but neither side has much to gain if war breaks out.

The South will spiral economically out of control. (and since a huge portion of American semiconductor industry is massively dependant on SK, a war would most definitely effect us).

The North would effectively cease to exist. The retaliation would be massive. China, would also suffer if the North collapsed and they would also suffer if the Souths economy did a nose dive. China would not be happy and probably refuse to assist NK.

Plus, the long dreamed about pipe dream of reuniting the Korea's is, just that, a pipe dream. The reunification of the Germany's was a vastly different story. While West Germany did very well under democracy and East Germany did poorly under Communism, both did still maintain an industrial, agricultural and economic base. Both very different from one another but still had a governed society.

North Korea is an animal of a very different nature. They have virtually no agricultural base (most if not all of their basic food stuffs have to be imported. The south has long been known to be the food producer of that region), their industrial base is lacking in spare parts and modern advancements. Their economic base basically doesn't exist. Socially speaking, they are night and day from the south.

A reunification of the two nations would plunge the Asian region into a recession if not a depression.

What to do? Hard to say. As North Korea becomes more and more isolated, they will eventually collapse. That isn't good either. Ideally, instead of a fascist dictator, the new leader (after the father croaks), begins to act reasonably and open up normal relations to the countries in the region and eventually to the west. Easing itself out of its self imposed exile.

That is what I hope for. Will it happen? Sadly, probably not.