BrowncoatGR: You know there's so many messed up places around the world it always boggles my mind how most people get stuck only on what gets shown on TV and promoted by the US gvnt. Not that N. Korea is not in a terrible state, but there's clearly worse
Actually, having visited there... I'd say North Korea is near the bottom of the barrel. I say this also having visited other poorer countries--most notable Laos (one of the lowest per-capita GDP's in the world, and also a Communist state) where the people I saw were in a much better overall state of well-being and happiness than in North Korea.
The economic side of it is one aspect... but the pure brainwashing and fear of doing or saying one tiny thing wrong is another. It's not even about being able to criticize the Kim regime--nobody does that there. The fear is that if you aren't enthusiastic ENOUGH in your blind loyalty, and don't shout loudly and strongly ENOUGH in support... you could be sent away... even though you were speaking in support of the guy!
The problem is there's no real fix. There might be some war hawks somewhere in the US who would advocate an invasion, but the North has one of the largest standing armies in the world, and more importantly has tens of thousands of pieces of conventional artillery pointed at the second largest metropolitan area in the world, Seoul. If there was a war, it would only last a few days or weeks before the technological superiority (and supply capabilities) of the South (and the US et al) would win out... but it would only take a few hours for Seoul to be leveled to the ground, before bombers could be scrambled to take out the artillery. So there won't be a war. The South isn't suicidal, and neither is the North (even if they talk a bit crazy at times).
I'm sitting in Ilsan, Korea, in Goyang City. You can look it up on Google Maps. I'm about 25 miles from the DMZ. About two miles out of town on the highway start the security fences patrolled 24/7/365 by armed forces. In any attack, I'd probably be gone within a couple minutes (unless I could run to the subway underground near my building fast enough!) I'm not really unsettled by this knowledge, as... like I said, there won't be a war. No one's suicidal here. The North knows they'd be gone within a few days, too.
Sanctions won't work. The North already doesn't participate in the world economy. There's nothing they really need from the world market, with a very few exceptions that the Chinese are willing enough to supply to them.
Diplomacy doesn't really work. The Kim regime plays a game of throw-tantrum... get concessions... act nice for a while... throw another tantrum... get more concessions... rinse, repeat.
Edging towards democracy won't work. Kim Jong-Il knows he would share the fate of Saddam Hussein if he were suddenly to open the country up... so he has no interest in that. Furthermore, the people there generally DO believe (through VERY tightly controlled access to information--no internet, no cell-phones, zero non-state-propaganda TV or news) that while life is hard in North Korea, they are the lucky ones, and capitalist pigs in other countries have it much rougher. (Yes, life may be hard now, but look at America! In their capitalist ways, millions are starving and begging there now! So goes the propaganda...)
The only real option is to wait it out and hope Kim Jong-Il's successor, his son reputed to possibly be more open-minded, will open things up in a few years when he takes over power. Here's hoping.... the South would like to be reunited as well.
