Reuniting North Korea and South Korea could cost trillions of dollars

CBS News Money Watch ^ | June 12, 2018 | Jillian Harding

[2ndDivisionVet]

President Donald Trump's historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday, following on the heels of the two Korean leaders meeting a little over two months ago, has raised the question of whether North Korea and South Korea would ever reunite.

Analysts say unifying North and South Korea could cost a trillion dollars under the best of circumstances and take several decades. The final price tag would also depend largely on what the catalyst for reunification is.

Some analyses put the cost of reunification at far more -- closer to $3 trillion. Experts argue that much of the cost surrounding any scenario for Korean unification would depend on whether the countries decided to converge gradually or if a chaotic event occurs. If the reform were carefully planned and followed by a peaceful union, it would be far less expensive than if North Korea's economy collapsed or a war broke out, requiring massive reconstruction costs.....

[2ndDivisionVet]

Unless they deed over those rare earth minerals, platinum, gold, silver and iron ore. Then we’ll gladly pay. Estimates for those are above $40 trillion.

[Sarah Barracuda]

The left wants nuclear war..they would rather DIE than give President Trump credit for ANYTHING

[Democrats hate too much]

Too Early CBS. Too Early.

[Avalon Memories]

Media analysts and self-styled experts all sit around on their butts pontificating from outside while other people do the real work. They are a cohort of useless know-it-all blowhards who are quite possibly the most irritating people on the planet.

[Arm_Bears]

So—Suddenly liberals are worried about costs?

[billyboy15]

This piece is in no way negative towards America or TRUMP. It simply states the possible costs of reunification citing varying ways it could be accomplished.

[VRW Conspirator]

I would think private investment would cover a lot of it.

Natter Nabobs of Negativity. No kidding. Investor from around the world could turn Un and his cronies into billionaires.

[servo1969]

How much would a nuclear war cost?

[PapaBear3625]

South Korea is a world leader in finance and industry. They can handle it. Not our circus. Not our monkeys.

Leave the border mined. Set up some component assembly facilities in NK to provide some employment. Gradually increase over time to the degree it's cost effective.

[billyboy15]

This article has zero to do with costs borne by us.

[ExpatCanuck]

Who says the USA will pay for all of it you stupid CBS? How much coverage have you given in the last 20 years to how horrible conditions are for the people living there? Oh wait, that would be almost zero. Japan, China, South Korea and even Russia have a vested interest in making this work.

in other news, Main Street Media condemns D Day invasion for costing so much.

[DannyTN]

Lets just get peace and de-nuke first.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[dfwgator]

Just get Lorne Michaels to make the offer:



The National Broadcasting Company has authorized me to offer you this check to be on our show...a certified check for $3,000. Here it is right here. A check made out to you, the Beatles, for $3,000. All you have to do is sing three Beatles songs. "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah." That's $1,000 right there. You know the words - it'll be easy.

Like I said, this is made out to the Beatles - you divide it up any way you want. If you want to give less to Ringo, that's up to you - I'd rather not get involved. I'm sincere about this. If this helps you to reach a decision to reunite, it's well worth the investment. You have agents - you know where I can be reached. Just think about it, okay? Thank you.

[knarf]

Maybe, but in this case, I don't think NK has such a huge population that if every single one of them migrated south, there's probably a family that is connected somehow that would take them in.

They already have a common language so teaching them to be civilized would expedite the situation.

The only problem would be housing which is a lot easier in the countryside.

[Captain Peter Blood]

According to legend Paul McCartney was at John Lennon’s watching this on Tv and told John they should go on down and sing.

[Joe 6-pack]

I was in West Germany in 1990 when full reunification was in the planning stages. One of the West’s big telecom execs said that integrating the phones between east and west was going to be like merging an autobahn onto a one lane dirt road.

[dfwgator]

I think George showed up and got his $750.

[Ancesthntr]

Anything and everything to hurt Trump.

Trump just finished a successful first step. No one is seriously talking about unification - Hell, they haven’t even signed a peace treaty for a war that’s been going on for 68 years! However, if they do it someday, that’ll be traced back to Trump...so they have to make it look bad.

What this stupid harridan doesn’t understand is that 90% of the people out there know very well that the most expensive peacetime investments pale in cost to fighting a hot war...particularly with nukes. One nuke on Seoul or Tokyo (or L.A., for that matter) will make $3 Trillion look like peanuts, and it won’t produce any future benefits (as unification would).

[MeganC]

North Korea has over $20 trillion in rare earth metal reserves so $3 trillion for reunification is actually quite affordable for them.