<p>Cover NK with drones and just irritate the heck out of them until they stop acting crazy. BBZZZZZZZZZZZZZ</p>
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He really needn’t be so insecure, since everyone knows he is the sexiest man alive</p>
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<p>I think you’d get more irritant value without giving them a legitimate excuse to declare war* by using South Korean loudspeakers at the DMZ and instead of broadcasting the same old anti-NK propaganda…blast them with Vanilla Ice, NKOTB, and sappy '80s hair metal non-stop. </p>
<p>It’s also more likely to facilitate a substantial reduction in the effectiveness of NK forces on the DMZ. Can you imagine having to listen to “Ice…Ice…baby” over and over again for months?** </p>
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<li>Violating a nation’s airspace can be legitimately considered an act of war…especially if the nation has already made statements to that effect.</li>
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<p>** Vanilla Ice certainly worked for a HS classmate with an obnoxious dorm neighbor who kept blasting cheesy hair metal till 3 am or later. A few mornings of blasting Vanilla Ice into the wall between their rooms right before his early morning classes while said neighbor was sleeping in was enough to get that dorm neighbor to stop blasting his crappy music to said classmate.</p>
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<p>From what other countries is North Korea extorting aid?</p>
<p>And why are China and NK allies? I’m quite curious about that.</p>
<p>NK is a buffer state against SK. Just like Eastern Europe was for Russia.</p>
<p>Crazy. Simply nuts.</p>
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<p>Historically, there were various reasons why the PRC aided the DPRK in the 1950s.</p>
<p>But today (with the ROK being much more valuable trade-wise to the PRC than the DPRK is), if the PRC withdraws support for the DPRK:</p>
<p>a. If the DPRK collapses, it will dump refugees into the PRC, which is not likely to be able to handle the situation well.
b. If the DPRK does not collapse, the PRC will have no influence over the DPRK, and many of the populated areas of the PRC are within range of a hostile DPRK’s missiles.</p>
<p>Why would refugees dump into the PRC? They’d all be better off as a part of SK. If I was in NK and it collapsed and I saw SK was taking over I’d stay put and then probably apply for a job at one of the large SK companies.</p>
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<p>Geographic proximity combined with the massive numbers of potential NK refugees involved. It’s not like they can move tens of thousands of people instantly and any time spent in Mainland China as refugees poses a humanitarian and security issues for its government from the local to the central. </p>
<p>Also, the northern border isn’t nearly as heavily guarded as the DMZ between North and South Korea. The vast majority of NK’s armed forces are located within a hundred miles of the DMZ with South Korea. </p>
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<p>C. US forces will be just across the border and there is some legitimate concerns on the Mainland Chinese part that the US may use that fact for geopolitical strategic reasons to keep Mainland China and possibly even Russia off-balance.</p>
<p>D. Having a united Korea under the South Korean government may bring up a potential territorial dispute between Mainland China and Korea because the South Korean government has claimed parts of Manchuria as Korean territory based on shifting borders of Ancient Korean Empires which went out of existence about a millennium ago.</p>
<p>I’m sure the PRC could manage to prevent refugees from NK entering into its country if they wanted to. But really, why would refugees want to go there in the first place unless there were factions in NK doing something against them? It seems that the SK government/economy would be the land of the dreams for most NK citizens compared to what they have now, wouldn’t it?</p>
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<p>Having NK as a buffer state means they can divert military forces that would be needed to guard a hostile/insecure border to other areas…especially considering Mainland China has long land borders, an extensive coastline, and various secessionist groups trying to gain independence. </p>
<p>Also, while going to South Korea would be ideal there are logistical issues involved. They can’t migrate directly to South Korea over the peninsula because that path’s blocked by the bulk of NK’s forces and the DMZ. That leaves only the comparatively lightly guarded northern border with China as a possibility. </p>
<p>There’s also the factor that the large numbers of potential refugees desiring to flee to South Korea is such that if they go north and succeed in getting into Mainland China, it’ll be a while before enough transport can be transport to South Korea can be arranged. </p>
<p>Something which also presumes that South Korea’s government is not concerned about being overwhelmed by the deluge in the large numbers of NK refugees or the potential national security some may pose as they may be NK or PRC spies planted to conduct espionage against the SK government and industries. Screening them out will add to the time and logistical factors involved in getting them all to South Korea.</p>
<p>^^ My statements were in regards to the NK government ‘collapsing’. If that were the case then maybe no one would need to flee anywhere - just stay put and let democracy/capitalism move in and they’d be far better off - maybe a bit like the collapse of East Germany and the unification with WG. Of course, it doesn’t always work that smoothly.</p>
<p>^ ^</p>
<p>And as I’ve stated previously, a sudden NK collapse has been considered a nightmare scenario by both the US and South Korean governments. </p>
<p>Germany is still dealing with the costs of unification 20+ years later…and the economic/social gap isn’t nearly as wide as is the case between North & South Korea. </p>
<p>The costs of Korea’s unification will make “die Wende” look like a pleasant sunny walk on Waikiki in comparison.</p>
<p>Nightmare scenario, but what is another option to getting rid of the nutjob and his generals and ending the concentration camps and getting out of the stone age? Kim Jung has the ******* to threaten one of the most powerful nations- but does he have the guts to go back and reform? Korean reunification seems like the most ideal solution but looks less and less likely as the younger generation start to take over and the older generation passes.</p>
<p>I’d like to see Il and however many generals he needs given luxury exile status in some European or Asian country and the Koreas reunified.</p>
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<p>The impression I’ve gotten from reading the South Korean/international press is the ideal for the South Korean government is a more gradual process where hopefully(Ideal…not necessarily feasible), NK implements some economic/social reforms and SK prepares themselves to provide the necessarily aid/subsidies so when reunification does come…preferably in a matter of a few decades, the gap in those areas needing attention won’t be as wide of a chasm as they are now and the Korean economy doesn’t incur a massive shock.</p>
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<p>the Moon would be fine too</p>
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<p>The moon’s fate is sealed if it’s actually made of green cheese…</p>
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<p>everyone that knows anything about this is very aware that what is happening right now is more than what usually happens when the US and South Korea run joint military exercises. That is why the US is taking the actions it is taking. As Hagel said today, you only have to be wrong ONCE.</p>
<p>another issue with this whole business is I don’t think anyone is actually positive who is making the various calls in DPRK… is it KJU? what do we know about him? what do we know about how he thinks? what does he value?</p>
<p>which senior military leaders have the biggest say? who does KJU listen to? who does he not? what do they value? what is their background?</p>
<p>there is a lot it seems we don’t really know about North Korea, “known unknowns” as Rumsfeld would say… these unknowns add to the worry.</p>