A Cautious Optimisim: Korean Leaders Meet to End Korean War

Today saw the beginning of a brave new world as the leaders of both North and South Koreas met face to face at the DMZ. Kim Jong Un stepped into South Korea with President Moon Jae-in. This was the first time a North Korean leader stepped foot into the south since 1953. This is truly a historic event. And while Kim calls for the end of the Korean War, we urge caution. We don't see how reunification can happen without major concessions from the North. And then there are the North Korean people itself who worship the Kims like gods. How do you de-programme an entire nation? To suddenly stop this way of life in the north would be as complicated as trying to de-Nazify Germany without WWII. It is not to say it is an impossibility. East and West Germany came together but this will be much harder and far more complicated. Kim Jong Un still maintains a four million man army and despite Kim's optimistic smiles, he is still a man who brutally executed a family member with an anti-aircraft gun and fed another to starving dogs. We do hope his desire to end the Korean War is genuine for we all want peace. We just don't see how Kim will give up power or dismantle the totalitarian state in order to reunify the peninsula. And while it is easy to distrust, it is harder to imagine a scenario where the DMZ is dismantled and Kim strong-arming our ridiculous impulsive leader (who will likely claim that he alone should get credit for achieving peace) to remove American troops from Korea that could become a prelude to invasion. Thus, we urge caution. It's not that we want to piss on the possibility of lasting peace, we worry that this may appear too easy and perhaps be a ruse to fulfill an agenda that could lead to catastrophe. If there is any sincerity in Kim's words, the Koreans will have to take baby steps to build a better world where they shall live as one people, one nation. It is up to the Koreans to decide their fate. We wish them all the best and hope they choose wisely and choose for the side of peace. The world is watching.