South Korea displays the highest achievements and the lowest failures of the modern world On one hand, the Korean peninsula contains an endorsement of capitalism so clear that you can see it from space. It's a randomized control trial splayed out over the surface of the earth. Controlling for geography, culture, language, history, and demographics, the difference between North and South tests the effect of capitalist institutions. On one side the people are desperately poor and enslaved. On the other, they are fabulously wealthy and free. On the other hand, while we can imagine the economic possibilities for our grandchildren; there will only be 1 grandchild for every 4 people in South Korea. Or really, three quarters of one. A fertility rate of 1 means that the population gets cut in half every generation. South Korea’s fertility rate is 0.72. South Korea is exponentially decaying with a half-life of 30 years and in 3 or 4 generations they will disappear. Whatever you think the causes or solutions are, the experiment on the Korean peninsula will continue. Anyone who can understand, explain, or predict this will greatly benefit our world.

Most people are like children when it comes to taking the most banal point and going with it. Transition of state is important factor here. NK: 1. Soviet satellite in unique geopolitical wedge of Communist East Asia 2. Kleptocratic elites with dynastic cult of personality SK: 1. US satellite kleptocracy 2. Enlightened dictatorship 3. Authoritarian oligarchy 4. GAE satellite liberal end-run Then consider when those lights came up mostly. For SK it’s 2 and 3. Nothing to do with just pure capital. Developmental state earned its miracles through central control of capital, bone crushing hard work, and ignoring most of the economic dogma of the time.