SINGAPORE ― Legendary investor Jim Rogers called for South Korea to put a greater focus on taking measures to help North Korea open and reform its economy rather than holding war games every year.

Rogers said that unification will become a breakthrough for Korea to overcome various economic challenges.

“All you have to do is to take down the demilitarized zone. Stop spending money on defense. You had those war games every year for 50 years,” said Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, in an exclusive interview with The Korea Times in his residence in Singapore.

He said Seoul needs to take steps to expedite the opening of North Korea, instead of further isolating the country.

Austrian School for In... Rahim Taghizadegan, Ro... Best Price: $15.96 Buy New $34.03 (as of 08:20 UTC - Details) Rogers expressed skepticism about the effect of President Park Geun-hye’s decision to shut down the Gaesong Industrial Complex.

“I am a fan of President Park more than any other politicians but that was a mistake if you ask me. When she closed the complex, I was surprised. That was pretty negative for South Koreans,” he said. “I know she has an election in April. It is one of the few times I thought she was making a mistake.”

His view comes amid growing geopolitical tension on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea’s provocative actions and subsequent U.N. sanctions against the reclusive country.

Describing himself as a big fan of Korea, the 73-year-old said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is trying to use nuclear brinkmanship to get leverage in negotiations with the U.S. and South Korea.

“We now know negotiations were set, but then the U.S. pulled out so I presume that was his reason. He seems to want peace,” he said.

Rogers, who has visited the isolated country twice, believes that North Korea will follow in the footsteps of China in market opening and economic reform.

“They already started. They already have 15 free trade zones. The reason why there is so little investment from abroad is they just started,” he said.

He explained that Deng Xiaoping in 1978 said China was going to change the world but in 1981, most people still couldn’t see any change. In 1981 Shenzen was just a fishing village but now it has eight million people and is the most exciting city in the world.

“It takes a while for this to take place. He (Kim) does have 15 free trade zones. You can go on bicycle tours, you can go skiing, and you can take a movie tour (in North Korea). That’s what you could not do before. Those are what his father and grandfather did not allow,” he said.

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