South Korea bypassing North Korea sanctions

Korea Herald ^ | Jan 13, 2019

[CondoleezzaProtege]

President Moon Jae-in’s government is seeking ways to circumvent international sanctions against North Korea to reopen an inter-Korean industrial park. The Kaesong industrial complex north of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas was shut down in February 2016 after Pyongyang conducted its fourth nuclear test.

The ensuing moves by Seoul officials suggest the Moon administration is seeking to resume the inter-Korean projects, particularly the joint industrial park, as a catalyst for the North’s denuclearization rather than a step to be taken after a significant progress is made.

But it would prove practically impossible to bypass sanctions imposed by a series of UN resolutions adopted since the industrial complex was closed. The reopening of the industrial park would violate such resolutions, which prevent any joint projects with the North, imports of textiles and clothing from it and the delivery of machinery and transport equipment into the communist state. This means that, even if Seoul found a way to avoid sending cash to the North, which is banned under a UN resolution adopted in March 2013, it would be impossible to revive the industrial complex.

The cash-strapped Pyongyang might show no interest in Seoul’s possible proposal to pay wages for North Korean workers in kind, with rice, for example.

The Moon government’s push to reopen the industrial complex would also run the risk of causing a conflict with the US, which remains firm that sanctions should be kept until the North has completely discarded its nuclear weapons program. The US may well judge that the reopening of the industrial complex would unravel the international sanctions regime imposed on the North.

The Moon government needs to keep its approach to the industrial park and other inter-Korean projects in line with objective international conditions, not with Pyongyang’s one-sided demands.

[LIConFem]

Good. Let the two Korea’s completely unite, and then nuke the whole stinking peninsula. No more nuke threat from the North, and no more $$$ spent defending the ungrateful and duplicitous South.

[Dr. Sivana]

No more nuke threat from the North, and no more $$$ spent defending the ungrateful and duplicitous South.

Regarding the entire south as "ungrateful and duplicitous" because of the actions of the head of state would be as unfair as making judgments on Americans based on Obama's behavior.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Not to mention that nobody will “nuke the whole stinking peninsula.” Except in a depraved fantasy.

[grania]

Good. Let the two Koreas completely unite.

I agree. It'll be a strong nation with a great economy and quite able to defend itself. And why wouldn't a united Korea not have nukes? I'd want them to be able to defend themselves against Russia and China.

Koreans have been off-the-charts successful as an economy and as people who are self-sufficient. They'll be too busy achieving economic progress for the north to be a threat for us.

[gaijin]

When they last had one of these co-venture development cities, it was CONSTANTLY held hostage to the mood vagaries of NK:

Shut down, oh, no, wait, now it’s open again. Oh, but now? SORTA shut, sorta open. Yes, cuz of dastardly westerners and not enough SK food.

Oh, no we pull out our people, cuz honor and Sea of Fire. But now we put them back in, cuz love and smiles and mercy..! Whoops, didn’t get the required level of US concessions, so gotta pull them back out..! Wait, SK gave us a bunch of oil and sorghum, so put NK personnel back in..!

A constant game.

It was ridiculous.

I think it’s going to be ridiculous again, too.

[davidb56]

we should be preparing for businesses to go there and sell OUR products. Lets start with McD’s, Bugger King and Carls Jr....Caterpillar Tractor, etc.

[gaijin]

After West/East Germany united, SK had data to work off of regarding how much a similar NK/SK process might be:

It worked out that it would be FIVE TIMES more expensive than the German process..!

The SK people are sincere but I think there are big parts of the SK gummint that looked at those figure$ and blanched.

China also does not want a wealthy, united Korea right on it’s border, too.

I’m hopeful but dubious.

[JudgemAll]

Aside a minority of evangelical Koreans, Koreans are extremely tribal and racist. These fools value uniting with northern genetic kins more highly than their own safety, completely racially pimped by communists. They completely mock the help from Americans not belonging.

[JudgemAll]

True, and Germans were split against their wishes, whereas Koreans fought each other! This is a tall order.

[Dr. Sivana]

Aside a minority of evangelical Koreans, Koreans are extremely tribal and racist.

I had not found that among the Koreans I have known, who are mostly Catholic. (Some married to Americans, so I guess that expands the "tribe".) They are willing to talk more openly on race. My college roommate freshman year was a legal immigrant from S. Korea, and he openly opined that Americans were the creative ones, and east Asians the great copy cats.