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Canada could be dragged into new Korean War if North and South collide: defence expert
Bradley Bouzane, Postmedia News, 19 Dec
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/19/canada-would-likely-end-up-getting-dragged-into-a-korean-conflict-defence-expert/
The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and the changing of the guard in that unhappy country will be felt around the world, but one defence expert says the potential is there for Canada to launch a military presence there with allied forces, nearly 60 years after the end of the Korean War.
With so much uncertainty surrounding the future of North Korea under the rule of Kim’s youngest son — Kim Jong-un —Canada likely would play a key role in any international response should the regime collapse, said Christian Leuprecht of Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.
“If there was a conflict on the Korean Peninsula, (Canada) would likely end up getting dragged into it because we consider ourselves a South Korean ally,” said Leuprecht, from the department of political studies at Queen’s. “We were there in the early 50s, so chances are we would support them again if there was a conflict. Whatever happens there has direct repercussions for us here in Canada.”
That prospect is sure to bring a chill to veterans of the brutal 1950-53 Korean War like 78-year-old Harry Marshall of Peterborough, Ont. He served 18 months in the region in 1952 and 1953; he said he hopes the situation there improves without the need for military action.