But I Had Tickets!
The Peace Train has been cancelled. Collect your refunds. I know, you were soooo stoked for this.
What Korea really needs is a futures market devoted exclusively to joint North-South projects. A very simple model here is to imagine yourself as a ruthless North Korean tyrant ensconced in an underground lair in Pyongyang, surrounded by his pleasure squad. Then ask yourself, “what’s in it for me?”
Having done this, try to spot the irrational exuberance. If you can, and if that market actually did exist, there would be a beach house in Ko Samui with your name on it:
South Korea will conduct test runs of cross-border railways without guarantees of safe passage from the North Korean military after talks between top brass from both sides collapsed last week. Seoul on Monday proposed fresh working-level military talks about the test scheduled for Thursday, but there has been no response from the North.
That would have been enough for me to mortgage my house and short-sell Peace Train Holdings, Ltd. Such risks tend to end badly, but this one really was the “sure thing” so many bookies have heard about:
North Korea on Wednesday unilaterally called off the planned test run of cross-border railways, a day before it was scheduled.
The North canceled the planned test run citing the absence of military guarantees of safe passage and “unstable conditions in the South,” according to a Unification Ministry official. A government official said it appeared the North’s powerful military stubbornly opposed the plan.
Well, duh. The North Koreans were actually demanding that South Korea agree to renegotiate their Western maritime boundary — presumably on terms that favored the North. A week before an election, no less.
A government official said Pyongyang gave notice on Tuesday afternoon saying “no issue” can be solved without addressing fundamental matters such as preventing military clashes in the West Sea, and it is “unacceptable to seek a military guarantee of safe passages for cross-border railways without mutual agreement. Seoul had earlier said it would ignore the matter and simply notify the North of the passengers who are to travel on the train since the test run was agreed at ministerial level.
I wonder how long before the South Koreans cave. As if they haven’t dishonored the sacrifice of these men enough already….
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Ah gee, guess leftist commies got bit too excited with so much tv news coverages of brand spankin new station and globs of money.
But alas, no train today or tomorrow or whenever though I do wish 1 way train will begin to operate (cattle car type from DPRK) to ferry the leftist mongers to “worker paradise” – no return tickets are valid.
Ah, the loss of face by Unification Head moron (the fatface liberal)… LOL Wasn’t he pretty damn sure about it? Listen fatass! You didn’t offer enough USD, fuel oil, fertilizer (resold in Thailand) and lastly ROK “gippumjoe” from the Kangnam’s finest room salon!
Pyongyang knows Uri Party types want a 2nd summit if they have to commit ritual suicide to get it.
Thus —- NK looks around for things it really, really, really wants — and demands them.
For what?
A “promise” to do something — in this case let the trains run and carry KDJ to Pyongyang.
The only question is if SK will redraw the border for them.
I’ll give somebody good odds on it. 5 to 1 SK gives in.
If you remember back to the 2002 West Sea Battle —
—there were a good number of the Uri Party types who were saying the problem was South Korean fishermen violating —
get this —-
the line below the no-man’s land line — SK had drawn up to prevent such clashes.
Not the no man’s land line.
Not the line into North Korean waters.
But the buffer line SK had imposed on itself.
Violating that line somehow justified or at least eased fretting about the fact NK military boats crossed into South Korea’s territorial waters and shot up some of the ROK gun boats.
What I mean is — I think there has already been some indication a significant chunk of influencial South Korea would not mind re-drawing the line if they thought it would “greatly” further the Sunshine policy.
Let me re-phrase my bet —
5 to 1 the current ruling party tries to give in to redraw the line (against opposition from sizable portions of the people and Koreans of influence).
Sure, the line rather lucrative 1 at that for the crabbing… No real loss really in terms of “territory” for fishin but give here and there and hell mind as well give up few miles on the land side too so DPRK can position their long range artillery little closer to PT?
Watch as leftist commie liberals in next 18 months will give away the “house” plus.