A Unified Korea

North Korea, long a pesky fly to the rest of the world is at it again. Recently they have once again made moves against their rivals South Korea. The sinking of the Cheonan is a direct repeat of the moves they made in the 1950's. North Korea is always looking for a conflict in their short history after the splitting of South and North after the Second World War, and once again they have killed South Koreans. 46 men with wives and children were killed in that attack, and the world can not continue to allow North Korea to disrupt the lives of the the South anymore. Originally the purpose of splitting the country in two was for the USSR to control half and the United States to control the other. With the fall of the Soviet Union now 19 years ago, and improved relations between the two nations, there is no need for a divided nation of Korea. Although the two governments do not share relations, the people of both nations share one nationality, that of being a Korean. In fact the people of North Korea for the most part are not content with the oppression their government forces upon them. The citizens of North Korea would be happy to see a change in leadership, and this delicate time is the perfect opportunity to unify the long warring nations into one Korea.

The United States must intervene in the affairs of Korea if the North attacks the South again. A swift transition of power must be ensured, a five year war is not an option with the current economic situation in the west. And unlike the previous conflict with the North Koreans, they have will have no Allies pulling strings, Stalin won't be there baby-sitting, and China has too much invested in the United States to oppose the regime change and provide reinforcements to the North Koreans. Either through political or military means Kim Jong-il must be forced out of power and instead replaced by a regime allied with the United States. The current president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak would be a great replacement, and would allow the United States continued relations with the Unified Korea. Unifying Korea will give Long and Short term benefits to America as well. In the short term it will remove a nuclear threat, and replace it with a staunch, grateful ally. In the long run, the United States will have much more power in East Asia, instead of only having an ally in half a country, they will have a unified nation as an ally. In conjunction with Japan, the United States will be able to watch China and Russia from a much closer angle. The unification of Korea is important for both the safety of the world, and the safety of the United States' world power.