Don't blame Stalin.

U.S. naivete not only wrongly interfered with the natural development of East Asia, but in particular with respect to Korea, the greatest tragedy was that by the U.S. interfering in what was basically a civil war, the peninsula saw all the carnage and destructionthat would've played out anyways had the U.S. not interfered, but the wardid nothing to unify the nation ("Containment"). Moreover, the perverse state that North Korea finds herself to be in is a direct result of the natural order of things being prevented from occurring. Other Sinic nations experienced similar bouts of reconciliation, but with the fruits of unification.

I believe the U.S. during that period in time chose the wrong side. It was as if the U.S. in almost a John Bolton-esque fashion held so rigidly towards ideology that the nation was blind to what was really going on.The Civil Wars in the Sinic nations in East Asia were more a natural development of land reforms and a conclusion to societal fissures that hadbeen building up for quite some time and, while Communism promised to be the "quick way" towards modernization, the U.S. belief in this communist bloc to be a monolithic one was misguided (and costly) to say the least.

for example, assuming "STALINGRAD was not the turning point in the East, it was KURSK, in July 1943, 6 months AFTER Stalingrad, followed by the Soviet Summer Offensive after it, that spelled doom for the Germans in the East, they RECOVERED from Stalingrad, but could not recover from the losses suffered at Kursk, and never regained the initiative after that." were true, which clearly is not. Stalingrad was the point where it no longer mattered what the Germans had and which battles they might win (such as a Kursk), but at that point, it was set that the Russians would win. What was not set was how long it would take...

were true, which clearly is not.”

Ummmh.... NO, IT WAS NOT, the Germans MAINTAINED THE Strategic OFFENSIVE INITIATIVE for another 6 months after the Stalingrad lines stabilized.

That initiative was lost at Kursk, AND in Sicily.

Kursk began on July 4, the Invasion of Sicily began on July 9. Air and Ground assets, (especially fighters and Tac bombers), that were to support the 2nd and 3rd phases of the Kursk Offensive, Operation Citadel, were diverted to Southern Italy.

40% of the German Air Groups committed to Citadel (3 entire Air Corps) were diverted to Sicily.

Until that point, the Germans had been able to maintain strategic inititaive in the east. After that, it became a losing game.

Guderian acknowledged this point very clearly in his book. The losses of Stalingrad were made good, but after Kursk, they could no longer be made whole.

“you on the other hand i have no hope for.”

The problem for you is that I am a student of history, not just the PROPAGANDA of history. The two often bear little resemblence to each other, ESPECIALLY where it concerns the Soviet Union.

As a for instance, at Kursk, American-built tanks actually OUTNUMBERED the number of T-34’s available to the Russians. But that FACT was conveniently withheld by Soviet Historians, because it would make them look weak. In Soviet propaganda, for FIFTY YEARS, the T-34 and the Russians that made them, would be the People’s Hero’s...

It wasn’t until the Soviet Archives were opened in the 90’s, that the truth began to come out, in fits and starts.

The imposition of communist rule was both natural and unavoidable.

It was obviously avoidable. It was avoided. It's just too bad it wasn't avoided all over the Korean penninsula. I say shame on all Communists and Communists sympathizers who favor a coercive society to one based on natural and free relationships among men, and shame upon them for their agressive and subversive acts all over the world, and continuing to this day, even in our own coountry, to impose their assinine view that men can be forced to conform to a utopian standard.

The world has paid a terrible price for all these flirtations with Communism, and Korea is one of the places most savaged by this alien and absurd political folly.

Ethnic distinctions do not exist in Korea..

Bullcrap. They certainly do. Ask any Korean from Cholla Namdo. For you to deny this reality indicates to me that despite a Korean American heritage, you don't know nearly as much about Korea as I do. I'd agree that these ethnic distinctions aren't particularly deep, or particularly racial, even though the history of Cholla runs contrary to Korean mythology. The election of Roh Moo Hyun in 2002 was a huge deal for Cholla.

That's not an ethnic distinction. And, if anything, to argue anything along those lines you'd have to go waaaaaay back. To the times of Samhan and Buyeo.

How about waaaay back to 1994-2006, the period of my residence in Korea?

Look, I’m not saying that the peoples of Korea are not Korean, and self-identify as such with justifiable pride. But to deny these regional ethnic differences, which are recognized and understood in Korea with ease and without embarrasment, seems strange to me.

And the distinctions remain to modern times. I looked for a reference so that you might understand a bit better where I am coming from and I found this, from Wikipedia: “Observers noted that interregional marriages are rare, and that as of 1990, a new four-lane highway completed in 1984 between Gwangju and Daegu, the capitals of Jeollanam-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do, was unsuccessful in promoting travel between the two areas.”

And this, from the same article: “Regional stereotypes, like regional dialects, have been breaking down under the influence of centralized education, nationwide media, and the several decades of population movement since the Korean War. Stereotypes remain important, however, in the eyes of many South Koreans.” This writer refers to9 ‘stereotypes,” but I am sure that these “sterotypes” have their origin in very real, albeit still Korean, cultural differences. I think that you are hung up on the word ethnicity. Call it “regional differences” instead. I’ll happily abandon “ethnicity”, but I stick to my eye-witness observations.

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