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American investor and businessman Jim Rogers gives a keynote address during a South Korea-ASEAN CEO at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) on Nov. 25. (provided by the South Korea-ASEAN special summit)

“When the Armistice Line comes down not long from now, Korea is going to be the most interesting place in the world.”

Jim Rogers, who has been referred to as an “investment genius,” remains unchanged in his love for Korea. The chairman of Rogers Holdings once again voiced his view that Korea is poised to become the “hottest” region in the world once inter-Korean relations improve and reunification occurs, as capital pours in from around the world thanks to the Korean Peninsula’s geopolitical position.

At a South Korea-ASEAN CEO summit co-organized by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) on Nov. 25 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO), Rogers delivered a keynote speech on “global trade environment changes and the role of ASEAN.”

“Dramatic changes are taking place in Asia, and Korea is going to be the most interesting region going forward,” he predicted.

“Japan has reached its peak and is in decline, while the Korean Peninsula is poised to achieve an economic revival as North Korean resources and labor combine with South Korea capital and manufacturing,” he said.

“Combining North and South Korea gives you a country of 80 million people on the border with China. They’ll be capable of producing anything and selling products to markets around the world,” he added.

Rogers also predicted, “Once peace is established on the Korean Peninsula through reunification, there is a greater likelihood of defense budgets being used for other areas.”

“[Change on the Korean Peninsula] is not far away,” he said.

He went on to say that the peninsula “could end up as a global transportation hub once the [Chinese] Belt and Road Initiative policies are implemented and linkages with the Trans-Siberian Railway are rebuilt,” adding that ASEAN would “develop into a new trade route and market driving prosperity for the rest of the world.”

“With abundant resources, low debt, and a population of 600 million people, ASEAN is set to emerge as a new leader joining East Asia in driving global prosperity,” he said.

This is not the first time Rogers has made rosy predictions for South Korea and Asia as inter-Korean relations improve. For decades, he has praised the future potential of Asian markets, choosing to educate his own children in China. He has particularly stressed the possibility of massive overseas investment inflows once peace is established on the Korean Peninsula, explaining that he would “buy up land near the Armistice Line if I could.” During a visit to South Korea last May, he said, “I’m an investor who sees where opportunity lies and invests there.”

“In the past, a lot of people emigrated from South Korea to other countries like Japan, but we need to tell them to come back now. It’s the land of the future,” he said at the time.

By Kim Kyung-rok, staff reporter

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