- 80,000-120,000 prisoners from the gulags (slave-labor camps) would be released
- China would no longer have to support NK with fuel, food and other goods
- While unification may cost $2 trillion for South Korea, there would be some savings in their defense budget with the northern threat gone
- "Reunification would bring a demographic jolt." good for a state that currently has a birth rate of only 1.2 children/woman, the younger and "more fertile" North Korean population could bring more than 17 million potential workers to the South.
In conclusion, Dr. Terry states that the U.S. and its allies should pursue a tougher version of containment, knowing that they may accelerate the collapse of the Kim regime.
Worried that the U.S. won't have as strong of a stance in the region with a unified Korea? You are not alone, here are some sources that discuss the role of the U.S. with a unified Korea:
- U.S. Military Presence in a Unified Korea by Sung-Han Kim, Associate Professor, Institute of Foreign Affairs & National Security; Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Seoul, South Korea
- A Blueprint for U.S. Policy Toward a Unified Korea by the Center for Strategic and International Studies
- [Would] The United States want a Unified Korea? interview by Pressian.com with Joel Wit (former State Department official for 15 years)