I think there is a big difference between humanitarian aid, which almost everyone agrees should be unconditional except for its distribution being transparent, and economic developement aid. Strings should be attached to the later.
Sounds to me like NK is trying to appear as if it would rather collapse than deal with this president, which could harm his plans to improve the local economy and attract foreign investment.
Whether NK likes it or not they will be dealing with this president for at least the next 5 years. With all the questionable things about this new administration the one thing I’ve liked about them so far is their hard line stance on North Korea.
While Pyongyang must be mindful of China’s likely long-term hegemonic designs on its territory, the North Koreans appear primarily concerned about maintaining face with the South. Yet it is not the South that the DPRK need worry, but rather that the nation’s northern border is increasingly being weakened – from both directions.
And that is one of the fundamental and ironic dilemmas created by the DPRK. Dogmatically, it is committed to unify Korea under its undisputed control. But in so doing, the ruling oligarchy has forced the nation into a long-term, unrealistic fantasy that has manifested itself into putting the impoverished nation on a constant, delusional war footing, which has further weakened its economy. Even worse, during the past decade, the DPRK has increased its dependency on Chinese goodwill and direct investment, as well as on the unconditional aid from the South and the west.
In short, Pyongyang has devised a survival strategy that can only buy time, but with each year, it diminishes its likelihood to indefinitely maintain its de facto sovereignty in the face of creeping Chinese power.
I suspect the North’s ruling oligarchy is latently prepared to let millions starve during the short term and quite capable in the end of turning over the real controls of state to Beijing via Chinese manipulated proxies in exchange for the elite families’ welfare.
Consequently, I’m sorry to conclude, eventual reunification of the nation may have already slipped from the Koreans’ hands.
…because maintaining pride against the South and avoiding southern-led reunification is more important to the ruling oligarchy; death of more millions and control by Chinese proxies is less-bad to them. Yeah, you may well be right…
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I think there is a big difference between humanitarian aid, which almost everyone agrees should be unconditional except for its distribution being transparent, and economic developement aid. Strings should be attached to the later.
Sounds to me like NK is trying to appear as if it would rather collapse than deal with this president, which could harm his plans to improve the local economy and attract foreign investment.
Whether NK likes it or not they will be dealing with this president for at least the next 5 years. With all the questionable things about this new administration the one thing I’ve liked about them so far is their hard line stance on North Korea.
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While Pyongyang must be mindful of China’s likely long-term hegemonic designs on its territory, the North Koreans appear primarily concerned about maintaining face with the South. Yet it is not the South that the DPRK need worry, but rather that the nation’s northern border is increasingly being weakened – from both directions.
And that is one of the fundamental and ironic dilemmas created by the DPRK. Dogmatically, it is committed to unify Korea under its undisputed control. But in so doing, the ruling oligarchy has forced the nation into a long-term, unrealistic fantasy that has manifested itself into putting the impoverished nation on a constant, delusional war footing, which has further weakened its economy. Even worse, during the past decade, the DPRK has increased its dependency on Chinese goodwill and direct investment, as well as on the unconditional aid from the South and the west.
In short, Pyongyang has devised a survival strategy that can only buy time, but with each year, it diminishes its likelihood to indefinitely maintain its de facto sovereignty in the face of creeping Chinese power.
I suspect the North’s ruling oligarchy is latently prepared to let millions starve during the short term and quite capable in the end of turning over the real controls of state to Beijing via Chinese manipulated proxies in exchange for the elite families’ welfare.
Consequently, I’m sorry to conclude, eventual reunification of the nation may have already slipped from the Koreans’ hands.
…because maintaining pride against the South and avoiding southern-led reunification is more important to the ruling oligarchy; death of more millions and control by Chinese proxies is less-bad to them. Yeah, you may well be right…