The UK’s economy is smaller than that of Germany or Japan Which just goes to reinforce my point. Once you’ve equipped your workers with modern technology your growth is mostly limited to following technological advances or expanding your population… or speculation. Consequently developed countries end up pretty even.

Even assuming the wild speculation comes true and there is reunification in the near future followed by rapid economic development it’s still not going to end up with an economy bigger than Japan or Germany. Unless it also exceeds them by population. It could well however surpass that of France or the UK

In any case, regardless of the headline-grabber stats, I think the report also contains some pretty optimistic assumptions it’s hard to envision coming true, while “we believe that there persists a spirit of reconciliation, cooperation and unification based on mutual respect and trust” is to give a huge amount of credit to a North Korean regime which seems mostly interested in power for its own sake.

On the other hand, it is helpful to reorientate the debate away from a German-style overnight reunification with all the prohibitive, politically untenable consequences that would bring with it and towards a somewhat unsavoury and certainly repressive federation of states, with little non-essential internal migration. The cost, potential, and the likelihood of its being acceptable to all (not just to the Northern leaders, but to the selfish, individualistic South Korean youth as well), have at least made such a scenario worthy of a Goldman Sachs report, which i reckon is positive no matter how flawed said report may be~

But I doubt it would be politically possible to keep the North Koreans trapped in NK after a fall of the current regime. Would it have been politically possible to keep East and West Germany apart? Probably not. Maybe the ideal scenario is that the Dear Leader holds on to the power but introduces China-style reforms until a painless reunification is possible.