In fact, the one that was started back last century (1950) has never ended! It’s an armistice. A truce; it is not a treaty to end a war. So we have been at war with them for 59 years. Why is Seoul located so close to the border? You have probably heard that Seoul is only 40 miles from the North Korean border. Yep, just a short missile toss from the most militarized border in the world. Why is the South’s capital so close to the border? Well, we have to look at history for that; Seoul has been the capital for around 500 years. After the Japanese Occupation and Second World War two regimes sprung up on the Korean peninsula. The Communists to the North and a Democratic regime to the South (South’s regime turned out to be another dictatorship, but that’s not for today’s discussion.) So whoever controlled the ancient capital had or at least seemed to have a more legitimate claim to be the government of Korea. So the South Koreans were kind of stuck with keeping the capital here even though the Americans and others suggested they move the capital.

If North Korea collapses there will be millions of refugees crossing the border into China looking for food. South Korea has huge investments in China and the Chinese are concerned that if The North and South Korea reunify, South Koreans will pull their investments out of China to invest in the North. If South Korea takes over the North, China will have an American ally right on their doorstep. David C. Redman is an actor, writer, publisher and marketer living just outside of the ancient city wall of Seoul, S. Korea and within a missile toss of the North Korean border. He was a lead actor on MBC’s hit TV show ‘Surprise’ where he appeared in over 127 episodes.