The chaebol have spoken. There will be no hot war on the Korean peninsula. Not good for bidness

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/December/international_December395.xml§ion=international

SKorea says reunification with North not long off

(AP)

10 December 2010,

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea’s president has declared that the reunification of Korea is drawing near — a surprising statement at a time of soaring tensions on the divided peninsula.

While a single Korea is the stated goal of both the communist North and the democratic South, it has seemed a faraway dream this year, which saw an alleged North Korean attack on a South Korean warship, an announcement by Pyongyang that it is expanding its nuclear programs and, most recently, the shelling of a South Korean island two weeks ago.

In the wake of the Nov. 23 artillery assault on the South’s Yeonpyeong Island, both sides have raised the temperature on the peninsula by trading angry barbs and threats of retribution. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has not shied away from tough rhetoric, as he looked to deflect criticism that his military’s response to the shelling was too weak.

On Friday, North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun stoked tensions further, accusing South Korea and the U.S. of pursuing a policy of hostility and confrontation and reiterating that Pyongyang needs its nuclear program to fend them off.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol

Chaebol

Chaebol (alternatively Jaebol, Jaebeol; Korean pronunciation: ) refers to a South Korean form of business conglomerate. They are powerful global multinationals owning numerous international enterprises. The Korean word means "business family" or "monopoly" and is often used the way "conglomerate" is used in English.

There are several dozen large Korean family-controlled corporate groups which fall under this definition. Through aggressive governmental support and finance, some have become well-known international brand names, such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG.

The chaebol has also played a some significant role in South Korean politics. In 1988 a member of a chaebol family, Chung Mong-jun, president of Hyundai Heavy Industries, successfully ran for the National Assembly. Other business leaders also were chosen to be members of the National Assembly through proportional representation. Since 2000, Hyundai has played a role in the thawing of North Korean and South Korean relations.

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Chaebol aren't going to empty out their factories to send their workers off to die. They are too important. They are more valuable alive than dead to the chaebol. Boy, wouldn't it be nice if we were in that position here in the US? I can remember when it was that way here. Jeebuz, we have devolved.

Don

[gratuitous]

1. Let's not be hasty; circumstances are always changing

As soon as it makes good economic sense to empty the factories and send workers off to die, the factory whistle will blow for the last time.