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Even Jack Pritchard thinks the South Koreans’ support for the North has gone too far, and that they’re isolating themselves. He also thinks China is more likely to absorb North Korea than South Korea. Test your Washington think-tank trivia by guessing who else has suggested the same result (subscription required, but you’ll see the answer).

It’s a horrible idea, no matter who’s discussing it, even if Pritchard doesn’t actually support idea. To publicly discuss such an idea risks legitimizing the urban legend that the U.S. and Russia intentionally divided Korea. Today’s realism, tomorrow’s anti-Americanism.

UPDATE: Everyone covering this story seems to be missing the main point, which is that Jack Pritchard is the standard-bearer of engagement with North Korea. He was a Clinton holdover who left the Bush administration in disgust over what he considered its “hard-line” policies. The real significance isn’t what Pritchard said, it’s that even Pritchard said that Roh has gone too far.