One of the reasons as to why I have viewed the Sunshine Policy to be so ideologically bankrupt

The widening income gap between South and North Korea continues. One of the prime reasons as to why I viewed the Sunshine Policy to be ideologically bankrupt was the widening income gap between North and South Korea even as proponents of the Sunshine Policy stated the policy would prepare the two states for unification by closing the income gap.

Note that the statistics for the size of South Korea's economy as reported in the article/blog posting are in nominal terms as procured by exchange rates. Considering South Korea to have been the second worst performing currency in the globe in 2008 after the disaster that Iceland faced, the wealth gap has grown to actually be much greater between South and North Korea.The article reports South Korea's GDP to have been 837 billion dollaars in 2009, whereas in nominal rates
CIA World Factbook:

GDP (official exchange rate):
$832.5 billion (2009 est.)

Arirang News via North Korean Economy Watch:

DPRK-ROK income gap reaches record in 2009

The income disparity between South and North Korea has widened by close to 40 times.

According to figures released by Statistics Korea on Wednesday South Korea’s Gross National Income reached 837 billion US dollars in 2009 about 37 times more than North Korea’s 22 billion dollars.

South Korea’s GNI per person posted 17,175 US dollars roughly 18 times more than North Korea’s 960 dollars while in annual trade the South saw 686 billion dollars in 2009 which is 202 times larger than the North’s 3 billion dollars.

As for economic growth that year the South saw a [0.2%] expansion in the wake of the global financial crisis whereas the North posted a contraction of 0.9.

Economists say such figures show that it is almost impossible for North Korea to catch up with South Korea anytime soon.

An official with the finance ministry in Seoul says South Korea’s overall economic strength is about 40 times that of the communist regime adding that such power provides the foundation for South Korea to stay ahead of North Korea in every field including defense.

Read the full story here:

Income Gap Between South and North Korea Records 37 Times Differences in 2009

After 2009 and 2010, It's high time the United States began exporting F-22's to Japan...

In light of the United States Air Force ending procurement of additional F-22's and with the Chinese still manipulating its currency amidst years of trade surpluses with both the United States and Japan, it's high time the United States began exporting the high tech F-22s to the super loyal Japanese. The Chinese have sped up plans to procure an aircraft carrier and are deep in their development of a counterpart to the U.S.A.F.'s F-22.

Global Security:

Chinese Stealth Fighter

J-X / J-XX / XXJ

J-12 / J-13 / J-14 / J-20

(Jianjiji - Fighter aircraft)

On 29 December 2010, the right estimable China Defense Blog published the first no-kidding photographs of the long rumored J-XX Chinese stealth fighter. Unambiguous confirmation of the existence of this program will require re-evaluation of aircraft modernization efforts in a number of countried, including Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the United States. Chinese combat aviation has made remarkable strides in recent years, moving from a collection of obsolete aircraft that would have provided a target-rich environment to potential adversaries. Today China flies hundreds of first rate aircraft, and even flies more Sukhoi Flankers [the aircraft the American F-22 was designed to counter] than does Russia. The Chinese stealth fighter has arrived right on schedule. Chinese military technology is generally rated about two decades behind that of the United States. while the advent of a Chinese counterpart to the F-22 fighter might be disconcerting, the first flight of the prototype American F-22 stealth fighter came on September 29, 1990.

 

January 1st, 2011 brings a new year after China has condoned North Korean acts of aggression against South Korea, bullied Japan over the Senkaku Islands, and driven the United States to defend Vietnamese interests over the Spratly Islands.

To ensure both the security of the United States and our East Asian ally, Japan and keep highly skilled Americans employed as unemployment and underemployment rates remain sky high, F-22s should be made for our super loyal Japanese allies by our countrymen.