During a speech marking the 65th anniversary of Korean
independence (August 15, 2010), current South Korean
President Lee Myung-bak proposed a “reunification tax” to
financially ready the country to pay for reunification with
North Korea, which some observers estimate will cost
more than $1 trillion. President Lee stated his belief that
“reunification will definitely come” and emphasized that
“the time has come to start discussing realistic policies to
prepare for that day such as a reunification tax.