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Why North Korea is set to become the next big thing for investors
South China Morning Post ^ | Saturday, 16 June, 2018 | Anthony Rowley

Posted on 06/16/2018 10:09:34 AM PDT by GonzoII

To modernise North Korea’s economy, outside aid and investment – a great deal of it – will be needed from governments, multilateral agencies and private investors. .

Will North Korea become the next big thing for investors now that the Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un summit has ended with handshakes and a “walkabout” (rather than a walkout) by the two leaders?

The question is not premature, even if denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula is some way off. The general verdict on the Singapore summit is that there is still a long way to go before we can say Trump’s “art of the deal” has paid off. But the economic and financial implications of the summit are more immediate.

Save a reversal of the Singapore agreement, Pyongyang and Seoul will emphasise economic and military matters. Kim has emphasised his desire to modernise North Korea’s economy, but he cannot afford to do so alone.

Nor will South Korea be able to pick up the tab in the same way West Germany did for East Germany when the two halves of the divided nation were reunified. Outside aid and investment – a great deal of it – will be needed from governments, multilateral agencies and private investors.

Besides South Korea, this will come from China, Japan and maybe the United States and Europe so far as official aid is concerned. Multilateral aid will flow in time. But the more intriguing question is how will private investment flow into the hermit kingdom?

(Excerpt) Read more at scmp.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: asia; korea; nkorea; northkorea; trumpasia; trumpkimsummit
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1 posted on 06/16/2018 10:09:34 AM PDT by GonzoII
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To: GonzoII

They will have very cheap labor for a long time. But not many skills. This will be a 2 generation investment.


2 posted on 06/16/2018 10:12:49 AM PDT by FatherofFive (Islam is EVIL and needs to be eradicated)
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To: GonzoII

It’s getting harder and harder to find slave labor. Even the mainland Chinese want decent wages and stuff.


3 posted on 06/16/2018 10:13:06 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: GonzoII

Hyundai...... That’s the place to put your money.


4 posted on 06/16/2018 10:15:56 AM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 ..... Greetings Jacques. The revolution is coming))
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To: FatherofFive

They will get things done in China years. What takes the west seven years to complete, takes the Chinese 1 year. No environmental impact study, OSHA, permits, bureaucratic red tape etc.


5 posted on 06/16/2018 10:23:28 AM PDT by The_Media_never_lie ("The MSM is the enemy of the American people"...Democrat Pat Caddell)
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To: GonzoII

Invest in North Korea!

Bring your billions in, enjoy a lovely weekend hosted by the Dear Leader. Watch as everyone treats him like a god, and then watch your money go into his accounts.

Eventually the Dear Leader may gift his worshipers with another statue or host another parade in his honor.

Oh, and maybe you’ll get to sponsor elevators in the big buildings that were created as hulls to provide the image of some great future.

Or invest in any other part of the world, including Venezuela, and actually get a little bit of your money back before the state seizes it.


6 posted on 06/16/2018 10:29:03 AM PDT by kingu (Everything starts with slashing the size and scope of the federal government.)
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To: GonzoII

If they pull it off, I’ll head right over there to setup a Whataburger joint. None of this changing the recipe to suit Asian tastes, like what McDonalds does in China. It’s going to be full on Texas burgers, with a side of onion rings and Dr. Pepper for a drink.

I’ll make millions, even after Whataburger gets their cut!


7 posted on 06/16/2018 10:29:56 AM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans (I mostly come out at night... mostly.)
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To: GonzoII

NK needs everything. It is a multi-trillion dollar investment.


8 posted on 06/16/2018 10:39:24 AM PDT by CodeToad
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To: GonzoII
I've assumed the private talk Trump and Kim had went something like this:

Trump: There are 2 ways we can leave this meeting
1) We can be friends. I want to be best friends. If we are friends I will get NK more investment money than you know what to do with. I will use my contacts from business and as president to build NK as quick as possible. My country and the world will only let us be friends if you commit to complete verifiable denuclearization on my schedule.
-or-
2) We leave this room and say the time isn't right yet. Our people will keep talking and we'll meet again when we are ready.

I'm happy either way. What do you want? I probably don't need to mention it, but if you say you are ready to denuke (option 1) then you screw me, I will be the worst enemy you can imagine and I have the entire US military to help and the world won't stop it. So pick option 2 unless you're serious in your commitment now - I won't have any hard feelings unless you lie to me. We can get back to option 1 or something else when we're ready, but today these are the only two options I can commit to.

Kim: I WANT TO DENUKE.


Kim had a way out (option 2). It wasn't just a threat that made him agree - negotiations could continue if Kim wasn't ready. But, if Kim committed (option 1), he should consider his life (or at least his reign) over if he goes back on it. That's why Trump could feel confident when he got a commitment (it wasn't coerced as it would have been without option 2). The selling point for Kim was to a large degree INVESTMENTs in NK and Trump is going to make sure that goes smoothly no matter where the investments come from.

The people attacking Trump still don't have a clue how he makes deals. The safe "way out" (option 2) is critical to that meeting and for Trump to have confidence in any commitment. The threat is about stabbing Trump in the back, not about forcing denuclearization. Trump probably did it in a better way than the example above. But he can be confident in Kim's commitment, and from the movie and a few other things I'd bet Trump's "offer" was investments and building, not simply easing sanctions and being nice.
9 posted on 06/16/2018 10:44:14 AM PDT by LostPassword
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To: GonzoII

South Korea has been struggling with a below replacement fertility level.
They could easily find population mixing as a solution, where North Korean women would literally love to move into their rural areas and marry the “lonely farmers” and create a whole new generation.
Ditto for those who move into a variety of depopulating small towns.
Heck, Japan could benefit from something similar if it lets some North Koreans join its existing Korean minority.


10 posted on 06/16/2018 11:11:34 AM PDT by tbw2
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To: GonzoII

It needs to NOT be the China model.


11 posted on 06/16/2018 11:21:48 AM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: GonzoII

The argument is that developing the mineral resources in North Korea, will cover the costs of developing the Country.

The possibility exists that once the mines, railroads and ports get built, and Western business get entrenched, that the North Korean Government will become rich and powerful like China’s did, and Western politicians will no longer be able to pull it back, under pressure from their corporate donors - like they did with China.

Political liberalization does not follow automatically - likely not at all.


12 posted on 06/16/2018 11:31:29 AM PDT by BeauBo
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To: GonzoII
right now NK is kinda like the worlds biggest uncut diamond, Trump has a cleaver and a hammer, the choice is Kim's... diamond or dust
13 posted on 06/16/2018 11:34:32 AM PDT by Chode ( WeÂ’re America, Bitch!)
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To: GonzoII


Coming Soon.
14 posted on 06/16/2018 11:36:12 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: FatherofFive

South Korea was in just as bad shape in the 1950s.


15 posted on 06/16/2018 11:37:16 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator
트럼프 타워 teuleompeu tawo
16 posted on 06/16/2018 11:46:27 AM PDT by GonzoII ("If the new crime be, to believe in God, let us all be criminals" -Sheen)
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To: GonzoII

American companies will not likely go there until there are civil rights reforms.

Not for moral reasons, but because they do not want the bad press of prison slave labor, etc.


17 posted on 06/16/2018 11:48:16 AM PDT by UnwashedPeasant (I told you so)
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To: UnwashedPeasant
American companies will not likely go there until there are civil rights reforms. Not for moral reasons, but because they do not want the bad press of prison slave labor, etc.

Are you kidding?? Just ask how Apple puts their phones together.

18 posted on 06/16/2018 11:52:27 AM PDT by ealgeone
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To: BeauBo

Singapore is a dictatorship that’s clean, safe and very wealthy .

But it has no freedoms. Great place to live if you can accept that trade-off.


19 posted on 06/16/2018 12:08:44 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: GonzoII

Japan could sure use a new source of energy, like North Korean coal. They would probably be leery of building up North Korean fishing operations though. The Japanese could probably profitably off-shore some manufacturing to North Korea, and develop some tourism facilities for Japanese.

South Korean tourism also has large potential, as do guest workers or day workers from the North in the South, depending on how they manage the movement of people.

The North Korean ex-patriot population in Japan (some third generation, yet still holding Korean citizenship) could play a unique role, as they have largely retained their Korean language ability. They are associated to some degree with Pachinko gambling parlors and the Yakuza underworld, although they are in many walks of life.

The big Korean Chaebol will likely expand aggressively into the North, if the rules are set right, and China could likely lay in some cheap roads and rail in 2-3 years. Although North Korea lacks a lot of infrastructure, their rail network is relatively a strong suit, having been built up during the Japanese occupation before WWII.

The Chinese might also benefit from trans-shipment of their products through North/South Korea, to avoid tariffs.

Russia should be able to get in on the growth as they share border along the coast, but probably won’t, unless there is some oil or gas to produce.

Big Australian, Canadian and American mining majors should be interested in North Korea as well, and they are able to raise large amounts of capital investment from outside the region.


20 posted on 06/16/2018 12:10:19 PM PDT by BeauBo
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