Seven more people executed in North Korea

[Showbags]

Do they have a positions vacant section in the newspapers.

[otherstuff1957]

He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword!

Young Kim might find himself being taken out by means other than a covert internal coup in due course.

What a shocking and terrible loss that would be to the world,.. NOT!

How many people did Stalin kill? He lived to a ripe old age.

And he'd have probably lived a few more despotic years had everyone around him not been terrified to touch him when he had a seizure.

Right, instead of calling a doctor, they breathed sighs of relief and sat around watching him die.

Rumor has it that he was probably poisoned.

[1ma]

He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword!

Young Kim might find himself being taken out by means other than a covert internal coup in due course.

What a shocking and terrible loss that would be to the world,.. NOT!

How many people did Stalin kill? He lived to a ripe old age.

Kill one person or a few, you're a murderer.

Kill millions, you're a great politician or war hero/leader

Actually it's: "Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a god."

Jean Rostand

[Showbags]

So its safe to say they take this loss of face thing a tad more serious in NK then ?

[Publicus]

I agree FJ that nobody can predict what will happen next.

I disagree that China is content with the current state but agree that a unified Korea is not what they want. China has given very strong, unprecedented signals in the last 2 years that it feels NK has strayed way too far from the [Chinese] fold. The most recent being a public invitation to Kim Jong-Un to visit China. Such a statement has never before been issued.

Some strategists speculate that if NK govt were to spectacularly and suddenly collapse forcing SK to implement its immediate unification plan, then China would grab a band of 50 - 100 km of the top of NK as a de facto permanently occupied zone in order to avoid having American troops on its border.

Good post of observations and comments especially concerning Beijing's horror of horrors, US troops stationed at its border.

To which I would add South Korea and Beijing together don't want reunification of the two Koreas.

Seoul has done exhaustive examination and analysis of the reunification of Germany and concluded - justifiably - that because the very wealthy former West Germany is still paying for it, South Korea cannot afford it. S Korea can afford it but it would be set back considerably for some period of time. Beyond economics, the sociocultural shock to the North Koreans would be a significant drag on integrating the two societies.

Beijing for years now has been quietly but unsuccessfully pushing Pyongyang to begin Deng Xiao Peng style reforms so that the North can develop economically in the (dubious) style and fashion of the CCP-PRC itself, given such development would resolve the recurring question of when the North will collapse into regional chaos or, worse, lash out while collapsing.

North Koreans such as Jang who, encouraged and supported by Beijing, believe they have seen an opening to advocate a Deng style of economic development have always ended up put away in some remote camp. Now they are being shot and they are being shot with a public fanfare that is humiliating Beijing among the Six Party Talks member states. (Moscow, Washington, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Pyongyang.)

It's no secret throughout the region that the Kim dynasty keeps giving Beijing the finger and now has thrown up its whole right arm. Beijing has lost so much face to the Kim dynasty over an extended period that Beijing has begun to look like the Cheshire Cat but with a frown.

No one knows what will happen to include Kim the Fat but given Kim's impudent new escalations a reassuring (and vengeful) Beijing organized coup in Pyongyang appears the only viable course of action.

[Publicus]

I agree FJ that nobody can predict what will happen next.

<<snip>>

Some strategists speculate that if NK govt were to spectacularly and suddenly collapse forcing SK to implement its immediate unification plan, then China would grab a band of 50 - 100 km of the top of NK as a de facto permanently occupied zone in order to avoid having American troops on its border.

It appears a consensus is developing among strategists to include those in Beijing that, should the North collapse, no one wants to see a headlong rush of troops storming in from opposite directions only to come head-on somewhere in the middle. Added to any such volatile stir and mix is the North's army and what it might do in such an event.

Instead of a 'then what' complication and confrontation in a collapse scenario, behind the scenes quiet diplomacy already has discussed return of the North to the South with US troops remaining south of the current border, the 38th parallel, strictly and absolutely. Beijing doesn't really want to have to develop a collapsed North but decidedly absolutely number one is no US troops on a PRChina border - lest we forget the Korean Conflict, the Yalu river and MacArthur's assurances to Prez Truman the Chinese would never enter the fighting.

Even with such a consensus response to a sudden collapse the North's nuclear devices and missiles would need to be seized immediately by either side or by both in a controlled pre-determined way. The massive North Korean artillery within range of downtown Seoul would be immediately obliterated.

Ultimately, however, if a sudden collapse were to occur, it appears Beijing considers that Seoul can extend its democracy along with getting massive reunification expenses and headaches as long as US troops remain south of the 38th parallel.

Beijing already has its hands full with 1,350,000,000 mouths to feed and counting.

[connda]

I agree FJ that nobody can predict what will happen next.

I disagree that China is content with the current state but agree that a unified Korea is not what they want. China has given very strong, unprecedented signals in the last 2 years that it feels NK has strayed way too far from the [Chinese] fold. The most recent being a public invitation to Kim Jong-Un to visit China. Such a statement has never before been issued.

Some strategists speculate that if NK govt were to spectacularly and suddenly collapse forcing SK to implement its immediate unification plan, then China would grab a band of 50 - 100 km of the top of NK as a de facto permanently occupied zone in order to avoid having American troops on its border.

Good post of observations and comments especially concerning Beijing's horror of horrors, US troops stationed at its border.

To which I would add South Korea and Beijing together don't want reunification of the two Koreas.

Seoul has done exhaustive examination and analysis of the reunification of Germany and concluded - justifiably - that because the very wealthy former West Germany is still paying for it, South Korea cannot afford it. S Korea can afford it but it would be set back considerably for some period of time. Beyond economics, the sociocultural shock to the North Koreans would be a significant drag on integrating the two societies.

Beijing for years now has been quietly but unsuccessfully pushing Pyongyang to begin Deng Xiao Peng style reforms so that the North can develop economically in the (dubious) style and fashion of the CCP-PRC itself, given such development would resolve the recurring question of when the North will collapse into regional chaos or, worse, lash out while collapsing.

North Koreans such as Jang who, encouraged and supported by Beijing, believe they have seen an opening to advocate a Deng style of economic development have always ended up put away in some remote camp. Now they are being shot and they are being shot with a public fanfare that is humiliating Beijing among the Six Party Talks member states. (Moscow, Washington, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Pyongyang.)

It's no secret throughout the region that the Kim dynasty keeps giving Beijing the finger and now has thrown up its whole right arm. Beijing has lost so much face to the Kim dynasty over an extended period that Beijing has begun to look like the Cheshire Cat but with a frown.

No one knows what will happen to include Kim the Fat but given Kim's impudent new escalations a reassuring (and vengeful) Beijing organized coup in Pyongyang appears the only viable course of action.

Good analysis.

[Basil B]

Probably not the place to be if one has political views.

I think his entourage of nodding generals must be worried in case they clap at the wrong time.