From: yeonwook@hardy.u.washington.edu (Mark Choi)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.korean
Subject: Re: Korean diplomacy twds. China
Date: 23 Aug 92 06:58:19 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Aug23.065819.25498
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <78246@ut-emx.uucp> zing@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Leon Z. Lee) writes:
>In article <1473700028@igc.apc.org> anlyyao@igc.apc.org (An-Ly Yao) writes:
>>it seems, that Korea will drop her relations to Taiwan and open diplomatic
>>ties with the PR China.
>[...]
>>What do you think about this development? If it is unavoidable, what do you
>>think about the  w a y  in which the reorientation of Korean politics will
>>take place (so far, as it can be observed now)?
>>bye, Goetz Kluge
>
>It is an interesting development indeed.  I, for one, have no reservation
>about the Koreans pursuing their own agenda at reunification.  In any event,
>it is difficult to speak of friendship when another nation is asking
>you to perpetually segregate your own homeland just for the sake of
>maintaining a united-front against mainland china.
>
>In any event, the close political ties between thr ROC and the ROK during
>the upheavals of the Cold War has rapidly vanished.  The personalities
>of Chiang and Park does not exist anymore within the realm of Chinese
>and Korean politics.  It is only predicable that Korea will pursue her own
>course in history.
>
>If it is any consolation to the ROC, Korea has been a faithful ally
>with the Chinese for the past 50 years...which is the best track record
>than any other nation could come close to.  Remember how the British dumped
>the ROC in order to keep their colony of HK, remember how Japan dumped
>the ROC to secure better investments on the mainland, remember how the
>US dumped the ROC to use mainland china as a pawn in the Cold War ?
>Given this record....the Koreans have been more than faithful and
>patient with the ROC.
>
>This incident is interesting one respect....and that is news reports
>indicating that S. Korea will recognize the PRC in order to facilitate
>reunification talks with N. Korea.  Does this mean that the PRC has
>a direct say in the reunification of Korea ?  I always thought that
>Korean Reunification was not dependent upon the approval of another
>foreign power.  Can anyone elaborate ?

I believe the main point to make is of China's influence on North Korea. 
It is believed that if any nation can influence or penetrate the government
of the isolated North Korea, it will be her only friend on Earth, the PRC.
This, and the combined pressure from the PRC and ROK on the DPRK to stop
any ideas of nuclear weapons from spreading into a fad. However, there are
analysts who believe the exact opposite could happen. The DPRK could feel
the need to develop weapons in order to strengthen her front against the 
now "betrayed" PRC and the always enemy ROK. 


______________________________________________________________________________
>  Leon Z. Lee  
>  Network Administrator                    Internet: zing@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu
>  Residence Hall Computer Labs
>  University of Texas at Austin
>___ Note: Let the consequences of my words be solely bestowed upon me ________


-- 
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  --|--|      | Mark Yeon Wook Choi             |
   /.\ |      | yeonwook@hardy.u.washington.edu |
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