The world consumed 67.6 million barrels of oil per day in the year 1990. This astronomical sum is simply not available. Conservation and conversion of energy sources are clearly in need. Until solar energy is developed on a practical basis, we must resort to other sources such as nuclear energy and clean burning coal. Each country in Northeast Asia has its own special circumstances regarding energy.
China has a tremendous amount of coal, a heavily polluting resource.
The Russian economy, heavily dependent on its natural gas and oil exports, needs to steer its energy development into domestic production of consumer goods. South Korea, like Japan, has almost no natural resources of its own. It is of utmost importance for the nations of Northeast Asia to work cooperatively in developing and sharing energy resources. The United States should also join this effort. Better yet, it could be located between the two, perhaps in Kaesong.