There's a lot I could say about North Korea being less than honest about how it presents itself to the world. From the Potemkin village approach they have to tourism to the fact that even their closest allies, Russia and China, essentially backing up every criticism the West says. That it is a failing state that puts the military first and foremost above all, that there is next to no public services outside of Pyongyang or that corruption is very wide spread. The only time you will find Russia or China saying otherwise is when they need North Korea to do something. For instance, Putin recently attended meetings in Pyongyang in order to beg for more ammunition to fuel his invasion of Ukraine. We know that in return Russia will be supplying NK with nuclear and submarine technology. At the same time as this there was a media campaign within Russia presenting North Korea as some world leading nation in terms of technology and societal innovation. All of that was just words, but it goes to show that whenever they can, NK's leadership will try to get respect wherever they can. Whether it is founded in truth or not is unimportant to them. All of that said, I do want to address one point you raise regarding the context of NK's right to Nuclear Weapons. The Korean War Ended in 1953. A war that was started by Kim Il Sung leading an invasion of South Korea, backed by the Soviet Union. When the NK army was pushed back to the border it was only with the sudden introduction of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) that the peace keeping forces were overrun. Later it was only when UN forces landed at Inchon that the tide was turned and PLA and NK forces were pushed back to the 38th Parallel where peace was sued. I am saying all of this because it is worth emphasising, at no point has DPRK been invaded by a foreign military power in a war it did not start itself. North Korea, according to information released by itself and confirmed by 3rd party states including the USA and China, did not start developing a nuclear weapon until 1980's. Long after the formal Korean war ended. The reason for this is simple. The Soviet Union was it's protector. While the relationship between NK and the USSR was extremely one sided, being purely extractive and benefitting only the latter, the very little aid that did come NK's way was always enough to ensure total military control of the nation. The USSR was losing interest in NK North Korean by this time and the Kim leadership felt that they needed their own Nuclear weapons to ensure regime security. Now NK has had the bomb for quite some time, however only recently gained the ability to strike the East coast of the US within the last 5-6 years or so. So, you might ask who was their target during the interluding 30 or so years? South Korea? No, they are protected under treaty with the US. Any nuclear strike would bet overmatched by US conventional firepower alone, let alone it's Nuclear response. NK leadership could only threaten the destruction of the North and South Korean people if that was the case as American Nuclear forces remain out of their reach to this day. Japan? Historically the Japanese has been a great threat to the Korean peninsula, however after Imperial Japan's defeat by the Allies essentially ending WWII the country lacks the capability to invade North Korea by itself. And this is despite it's powerful navy. Again, we run into the same issue that attacking South Korea has, the overmatch provided by America and her allies. That only leaves China and Russia. Both Nations have historically attacked Korea through the North. Both nations are in prime positions to lift up the struggling nation, much like the West helped rebuild Europe after WWII, however provide the bare minimum to keep the hermit kingdom from collapsing. And when you view the Korean war as a Soviet armed, funded and directed conflict, you can begin to see how NK can understand that Russia or China has the ability to influence a regime change in Pyongyang by force. With this in mind, it does not at all line up with the assumption that NK is in the position it is in because of the UN's sanctions alone. Both China and Russia (the latter is currently the most sanctioned nation on the planet) have expressed the want to overthrow the Rules based international order however, neither has shown any interest in building NK into an alternative example. That is because both benefit from having a weak NK that is dependant on them for survival, but willing to rattle the Nuclear sabre when it is convenient form them. You allude briefly that they need Nuclear protection against the USA and the rest of the free world, I assume because of events like Iraq or Bosnia? Putting aside the extremely complex and unique scenarios of both, at no point has the USA or it's allies postured to invade NK. Current force structures, has mimicked what we have seen for the last 70 years. That Allied forces present a deterrence form NK aggression. There is significate evidence to point towards the idea that Russia and China has drip fed nuclear weapons tech over the years so that NK can act as their bull to set loose in the china shop whenever they cannot get their way. Imagine that, your country, being given nukes, just to throw a temper tantrum. Not because anyone is threatening invasion, not because anyone actually wants to risk WW3 over you, but because someone in another country asked you to act like an idiot for their benefit. If you really are interested in Geo-politics and Grand Strategy I cannot recommend enough the following video on North Korea's Military and Nuclear Strategy: ua-cam.com/video/xF5SSQA8VPU/v-deo.html This is essentially a university level lecture on the topic that will go into the details far better than I can do any justice here. When you have had the time to watch it in full, let me know what you think. _________________________________________________________________________ Lastly, if North Korea is such a lovely place, why don't they let their people leave? Even trying to escape to China is well known to be risky and Russia still has deportation laws in place for anyone who escapes Kim Jong Un's "paradise". This is not a case where the world is lying to you. I have seen some brain dead news stories about things like NK hair cuts being mandatory, but don't think for a moment that one or two bad news articles suddenly disproves what is easily seen. North Korea has inflected many of it's own wounds. There is a reason why NK is often seen as the sick man of the world. Starvation has been the biggest killer in NK for a long time. Covid brought the nation to it's knees as China hoarded all the medical equipment they could get their hands on. The stories of Kim executing military leadership is very much true since...well...they are never seen again. The country is like a sick peacock. Flashing it's sparse and ruined feathers of nuclear inhalation is the only way it knows to distract everyone from the real threat it faces...a slow and painful death. You could claim that this is all due to UN sanctions, and that is a decent way true, but don't forget why they remain. A refusal to meet basic standards on Human Rights, no freedom of the press, no separation of powers and no freedom of though. All of this said, we cannot loose sight of the fact that there are real people suffering under this authoritarian regime. I hope to see the day where North Korea is free. Edit: Grammar and spelling + some extra anecdotes I forgot to mention regarding NK's nuclear strategy. (I originally wrote this while half asleep).
Sorry about the video getting randomly quiet after a minute. I'm not sure what happened. ☹
There's a lot I could say about North Korea being less than honest about how it presents itself to the world. From the Potemkin village approach they have to tourism to the fact that even their closest allies, Russia and China, essentially backing up every criticism the West says. That it is a failing state that puts the military first and foremost above all, that there is next to no public services outside of Pyongyang or that corruption is very wide spread. The only time you will find Russia or China saying otherwise is when they need North Korea to do something. For instance, Putin recently attended meetings in Pyongyang in order to beg for more ammunition to fuel his invasion of Ukraine. We know that in return Russia will be supplying NK with nuclear and submarine technology. At the same time as this there was a media campaign within Russia presenting North Korea as some world leading nation in terms of technology and societal innovation. All of that was just words, but it goes to show that whenever they can, NK's leadership will try to get respect wherever they can. Whether it is founded in truth or not is unimportant to them.
All of that said, I do want to address one point you raise regarding the context of NK's right to Nuclear Weapons. The Korean War Ended in 1953. A war that was started by Kim Il Sung leading an invasion of South Korea, backed by the Soviet Union. When the NK army was pushed back to the border it was only with the sudden introduction of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) that the peace keeping forces were overrun. Later it was only when UN forces landed at Inchon that the tide was turned and PLA and NK forces were pushed back to the 38th Parallel where peace was sued.
I am saying all of this because it is worth emphasising, at no point has DPRK been invaded by a foreign military power in a war it did not start itself. North Korea, according to information released by itself and confirmed by 3rd party states including the USA and China, did not start developing a nuclear weapon until 1980's. Long after the formal Korean war ended.
The reason for this is simple. The Soviet Union was it's protector. While the relationship between NK and the USSR was extremely one sided, being purely extractive and benefitting only the latter, the very little aid that did come NK's way was always enough to ensure total military control of the nation. The USSR was losing interest in NK North Korean by this time and the Kim leadership felt that they needed their own Nuclear weapons to ensure regime security. Now NK has had the bomb for quite some time, however only recently gained the ability to strike the East coast of the US within the last 5-6 years or so. So, you might ask who was their target during the interluding 30 or so years?
South Korea? No, they are protected under treaty with the US. Any nuclear strike would bet overmatched by US conventional firepower alone, let alone it's Nuclear response. NK leadership could only threaten the destruction of the North and South Korean people if that was the case as American Nuclear forces remain out of their reach to this day.
Japan? Historically the Japanese has been a great threat to the Korean peninsula, however after Imperial Japan's defeat by the Allies essentially ending WWII the country lacks the capability to invade North Korea by itself. And this is despite it's powerful navy. Again, we run into the same issue that attacking South Korea has, the overmatch provided by America and her allies.
That only leaves China and Russia. Both Nations have historically attacked Korea through the North. Both nations are in prime positions to lift up the struggling nation, much like the West helped rebuild Europe after WWII, however provide the bare minimum to keep the hermit kingdom from collapsing. And when you view the Korean war as a Soviet armed, funded and directed conflict, you can begin to see how NK can understand that Russia or China has the ability to influence a regime change in Pyongyang by force. With this in mind, it does not at all line up with the assumption that NK is in the position it is in because of the UN's sanctions alone. Both China and Russia (the latter is currently the most sanctioned nation on the planet) have expressed the want to overthrow the Rules based international order however, neither has shown any interest in building NK into an alternative example. That is because both benefit from having a weak NK that is dependant on them for survival, but willing to rattle the Nuclear sabre when it is convenient form them.
You allude briefly that they need Nuclear protection against the USA and the rest of the free world, I assume because of events like Iraq or Bosnia? Putting aside the extremely complex and unique scenarios of both, at no point has the USA or it's allies postured to invade NK. Current force structures, has mimicked what we have seen for the last 70 years. That Allied forces present a deterrence form NK aggression. There is significate evidence to point towards the idea that Russia and China has drip fed nuclear weapons tech over the years so that NK can act as their bull to set loose in the china shop whenever they cannot get their way. Imagine that, your country, being given nukes, just to throw a temper tantrum. Not because anyone is threatening invasion, not because anyone actually wants to risk WW3 over you, but because someone in another country asked you to act like an idiot for their benefit.
If you really are interested in Geo-politics and Grand Strategy I cannot recommend enough the following video on North Korea's Military and Nuclear Strategy: ua-cam.com/video/xF5SSQA8VPU/v-deo.html
This is essentially a university level lecture on the topic that will go into the details far better than I can do any justice here. When you have had the time to watch it in full, let me know what you think.
_________________________________________________________________________
Lastly, if North Korea is such a lovely place, why don't they let their people leave? Even trying to escape to China is well known to be risky and Russia still has deportation laws in place for anyone who escapes Kim Jong Un's "paradise".
This is not a case where the world is lying to you. I have seen some brain dead news stories about things like NK hair cuts being mandatory, but don't think for a moment that one or two bad news articles suddenly disproves what is easily seen. North Korea has inflected many of it's own wounds.
There is a reason why NK is often seen as the sick man of the world. Starvation has been the biggest killer in NK for a long time. Covid brought the nation to it's knees as China hoarded all the medical equipment they could get their hands on. The stories of Kim executing military leadership is very much true since...well...they are never seen again.
The country is like a sick peacock. Flashing it's sparse and ruined feathers of nuclear inhalation is the only way it knows to distract everyone from the real threat it faces...a slow and painful death.
You could claim that this is all due to UN sanctions, and that is a decent way true, but don't forget why they remain. A refusal to meet basic standards on Human Rights, no freedom of the press, no separation of powers and no freedom of though. All of this said, we cannot loose sight of the fact that there are real people suffering under this authoritarian regime. I hope to see the day where North Korea is free.
Edit: Grammar and spelling + some extra anecdotes I forgot to mention regarding NK's nuclear strategy. (I originally wrote this while half asleep).
I appreciate your well detailed response. I will look into the information you provided here. Thank you
How does the boot taste?
you tell me 😊
Tell that to someone to someone who escaped.
If you like north korea so much.
Then why don't you go an move there?
you should watch the whole video before making that comment