The spokesman said removal of the mines is not part of any effort to clear the way for reunification of the peninsula, nor an indication of improving relations with North Korea.

The spokesman pointed out that the South Korean military has never removed land mines inside the DMZ and in its adjacent areas immediately to the south.

And the Japanese are seriously looking into restating part of their constitution. They've already made it clear that a first strike to protect Japan is allowed under the self defense clause. Of course they did this during the time NK was launching missiles over the Japanese mainland.

Seriously the Japanese are a country you don't want to screw with. KJI picks a fight then the next thing he knows he got some sort of flying robotic army all over his a$$.

I can believe China, but the Japanese constitution has pretty much neutered its armed forces, so you're friends are being irrational.

Besides, South Korea most probably has nukes.

I really don't understand Koreans when it comes to reunification. They are at least as nationalistic as we Americans are. My guess is if a hunk of America were being ruled by a tyrant, we would crush them at the earliest possible moment, expenses be damned! I have heard only one sensible explanation on this. Korean friend of mine once told me keeping North Korea going was important because Korea as a whole needs nukes to counter-balance the Japanese and Chinese. Since ROK is a respectable nation, it can't nuke up while their roguish brethren to the north can. Awfully cynical, but its an awfully more palatable rationalization than Koreans in ROK are just too rich, happy and lazy to be bothered with the whole mess.