An editorial in the Korea Times hints that South Korean government seriously be preparing for regime collapse in North Korea:

President Lee Myung-bak hinted at the possibility that the Kim Jong-il regime of North Korea may collapse in the face of people’s call for change. “There is no political power in history that can go against people’s aspiration for change,” Lee told a meeting of the Presidential Committee on Social Cohesion at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday.

It seems the recent shelling of an Island is provided fuel to a growing consensus among the intelligentsia in Korea:

Policymakers, researchers and pundits at home and abroad have predicted that the North’s military regime may collapse someday in the not-too-distant future. Such a prediction is gaining ground, especially following the attack on the island. Some are even calling for a regime change in the impoverished North. One of them is U.S. Sen. John McCain who said it’s time to discuss regime change in the communist state, although he did not suggest military action against it.



Seoul has immediately ruled out any effort for a regime change. But it is apparent that policymakers are paying more attention to potential collapse of the Kim regime amid political instability and economic woes. According to media reports, the U.S. and Japan will soon begin a policy consultation to prepare for an emergency situation in the North. The South should leave no stone unturned to avoid any catastrophic consequences on the Korean Peninsula.

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