Interview of Jim Rogers, American investor, commentator and supporter of Korean reunification

Question: Last Saturday, you caused quite a stir in Korea by participating in the Think Tank 2022 Forum, which UPF hosted.

What was your impression of the forum? I will say to you what I have said to others. The group has been doing things, more things than most people for a long time. It was just confirmation to me that they do have foresight and that they are sincere about trying to do something. Many people talk. This group is more serious, if you ask me. Their actions speak louder than words.

Question: Could you share with us what your interest is in North Korea and South Korea?

I have been around the world twice. I’ve seen a lot of the world from close to the ground, which is the best way to see the world. I will tell you that once the DMZ (demilitarized zone) is open, the Korean Peninsula is going to be the most exciting place in the world for probably ten, twenty or twenty-five years because everything is here. When you put it together — manufacturing ability, natural resources, disciplined labor — everything is here, on the Chinese border. So, it will be exciting. There Jim Rogers are other exciting places in the world but the Korean Peninsula will be the best for ten or twenty years. You’re at the right place at the right time.

Question: In February, the Universal Peace Federation and Think Tank 2022 will invite heads of state from various nations to convene a summit to discuss opening the border, the DMZ. What do you think about that?

The more people you can get on board, the more people you can educate about the situation, the more likely we can end this absurdity. More people will understand that we must do something about this. It would be good for Korea. It would be good for Asia and it would be good for the world.

Question: If the DMZ were opened, how would you value one unified Korea?

You’ll have a country of eighty or ninety million people on the Chinese border. They have very productive, disciplined labor in the North, lots of natural resources in the North. In the South you have manufacturing ability and capital-raising ability. You put these together and it is simple economics; it’s simple history. Then, you will have a very dynamic, peaceful economy. Some people wonder how you will pay for it. You will have huge amounts of money that you will save by not spending money on tanks, not spending money on guns in the South and the North. So, the capital is there.

Many companies around the world, including in Korea are studying how to invest in the Korean Peninsula once there’s peace, so you will have Hyundai, Samsung… many people investing a lot of money in the North and in the South once there is peace and a huge new market. Everything comes together at that time.

Plus, in the South you have a shortage of females. You can get females from the North. They have some extra females. So some of the social tensions will ease. Whenever a new frontier opens, there are great opportunities. There used to be a railroad up the east coast and the west coast [of Korea before it was divided]. They’ll rebuild those railroads, and this will become a transportation hub. Many things that Koreans have forgotten about or are not aware of will change once everything is finished and you don’t have to worry about killing one another anymore.

Question: In Think Tank 2022 Forum, one of the main topics was opening up the DMZ. One vision for that is “one Korea under God.” What would you say about that?

I’m not Korean, so I can’t tell you how to live, but I do know that if you open that border and people can come and go, they can trade, they can sing and dance, they can do whatever they want — everything will change dramatically. You don’t need an outsider, an American or anyone else, to tell you how to live. Once people can come and go again and there is one nation or one [undivided] peninsula if you will; it doesn’t necessarily have to have one government; you could have a confederation. Then, you’ll solve the problems. You don’t need me or anybody else to tell you what to do. You’ll know how to do it. Usually when there’s peace people become more spiritual. They realize there are other things besides themselves. But I cannot tell Koreans how to live or how to think. That’s up to you. You’ve had enough foreigners on this peninsula for the last one hundred years or so.

Question: You spoke about the railroad on Korea’s East and West Coasts and I know you are tremendously interested in the Korea−Japan undersea tunnel, which has tremendous potential in economic terms and in bringing the two Koreas together. If you had the chance what would you say to Japanese and Korean politicians about the undersea tunnel?

The more you can open countries, societies and nations, the more interchange there is, people have fun; they realize they don’t have to be afraid of each other. If you open the tunnel, there will be a lot more travel, tourism, trade between Korea and Japan, which will be good for Korea and Japan — you know the history as well as I do. The technology is there; apparently the capital is there. What do you have against it? You saw what happened when they opened up the tunnel between Europe and England. Any tunnel… Look all over the world. Whenever you open up communication or travel, things have gotten better. So this will be just another way to make the Japanese and the Koreans friendlier instead of antagonistic to each other.

Question: During the Think Tank 2022 Forum which you participated in, a resolution was produced that invited businesspeople from around the world to support the initiative of opening the thirty- eighth parallel, which will help to secure lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Of course! Yes. I would shout it from the rooftops: Open the thirty-eighth parallel; demolish the DMZ. Let’s have a big party. Let’s let people come and go. Let them pray, do whatever they want, sing, dance. Let’s do it!

Question: Could you say a few words about the founder of the Universal Peace Federation, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon and also about the chairman of the Organizing Committee, Dr. Yoon?

This group, Rev. Moon and his successors has been doing probably more (at least effectively and efficiently) than anybody else, certainly more than American politicians and certainly more than Korean politicians. We don’t have peace yet, but if anybody has been a driven, dynamic force, it has been Rev. Moon and his descendants; they keep doing it. They opened a car [manufacturing] company in North Korea. Who could have thought of that thirty years ago? The idea of the tunnel? Who could have thought of that and then actually have gotten it started? Whether people agree with them or not, they have done a lot of things, which other people have not been able to do. Thank goodness, they keep pushing! I hope the whole world will push with them. Let’s get this problem solved!