Should we pull out of North Korea?

[FaithInOne]

Noninterventionist =/ issolationists

[ChumpDumper]

It's a dicey situation, because the North Koreans are about as close to a brainwashed populace as you can get. Get 20 million cult members, isolate them completely, starve them and make them live in squalor, blame their plight on foreigners and arm them to the teeth -- makes for a volatile situation.

It's going to take a couple of generations to get the north back to any semblance of normalcy after reunification.

[CubanMustGo]

It's a dicey situation, because the North Koreans are about as close to a brainwashed populace as you can get. Get 20 million cult members, isolate them completely, starve them and make them live in squalor, blame their plight on foreigners and arm them to the teeth -- makes for a volatile situation.

It's going to take a couple of generations to get the north back to any semblance of normalcy after reunification.

+1

There was a do entary of some 'doctors without borders'-type group that was actually allowed to go into NK, film the trip, and do some restorative work (maybe it was dentists instead of doctors) on needy North Koreans. After the work was done and the people got to see the results, they were literally bowing and kowtowing ... to a picture of li'l Kim that was in the room.

I don't see l'il Kim allowing reunification b/c I don't see him ever letting the people of NK realize what a ride they've been taken on the last 40-50 years.

[RandomGuy]

It's a dicey situation, because the North Koreans are about as close to a brainwashed populace as you can get. Get 20 million cult members, isolate them completely, starve them and make them live in squalor, blame their plight on foreigners and arm them to the teeth -- makes for a volatile situation.

It's going to take a couple of generations to get the north back to any semblance of normalcy after reunification.

This country literally has people starving on the streets. Not exactly a recipe for a military powerhouse.

Even so, does ANYONE actually think that China would really let them attack one of China's main trading partners?

I have yet to see much in the way of valid reasoning for why we should stay in South Korea.

[ChumpDumper]

This country literally has people starving on the streets. Not exactly a recipe for a military powerhouse.

Their military is not starving.

Even so, does ANYONE actually think that China would really let them attack one of China's main trading partners?

Well it comes down to whether one thinks there could be a point where NK would ignore China. I personally think they are crazy enough.

[Winehole23]

Who's next in line in the DPRK after Dear Leader kicks?

[ChumpDumper]

Who's next in line in the DPRK after Dear Leader kicks?

Nobody knows. He has three sons and a son-in-law who is an army general, but there are also theories that the party won't continue the dynasty.

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsO...30011320080910

[RandomGuy]

Their military is not starving.

Well it comes down to whether one thinks there could be a point where NK would ignore China. I personally think they are crazy enough.

Their army isn't starving, but it isn't really well-fed either. Look at the soldiers in any of the newest footage. All uniform, and skinny as a rail, down to the generals.

The ruling regime there knows that China is the kingmaker. Any stalinist police state's ruling regime has its own #1 interest in survival at heart.

China would squash them like a bug, or simply pull the plug on aid, depriving the military of the privledges they enjoy.

They may be crazy, but they aren't stupid enough to cross the Dragon.

[ChumpDumper]

Depends on who's calling the shots.

[Winehole23]

Irrationality and crazy are real too, but these have been overhyped IMO. Brinksmanship is the foreign policy style of North Korea.