North Korea

[SuperValiant1876]

https://rt.com/news/north-korea-threat-destruction-578/

 

Is someone going to do something with these cranks?

[Warren]

I would expect this to be closely monitored by the South Koreans, US, China and Russia in particular. It is in their spheres of influence. With an army of 1 million - even if starving and ill equipped - it is not likely that an attack will be made by ground forces. There is no economic interest to do so and the threat is not presently seen as severe enough to anyone.

 

The people suffering most in all this are the rural population in North Korea who are starving. That creates a paradox because one route to stability but not resolution from our point of view is to continue to allow the despots in charge to have the lifestyle they want in artificial palaces etc. Once they are threatened they become more volatile and dangerous as with Bashar Hafez al-Assad in Syria. Even more so because North Korea is believed by many observers to have a nuclear weapon.

 

My son visited the 51st parallel in 2010 and there is a permanence about it. I don't expect much to change in the next 50 years except that the countries watching North Korea will continue to advance in surveillance and be ready to take action if they need to.

[Andyregs]

I would expect this to be closely monitored by the South Koreans, US, China and Russia in particular. It is in their spheres of influence. With an army of 1 million - even if starving and ill equipped - it is not likely that an attack will be made by ground forces. There is no economic interest to do so and the threat is not presently seen as severe enough to anyone.

 

The people suffering most in all this are the rural population in North Korea who are starving. That creates a paradox because one route to stability but not resolution from our point of view is to continue to allow the despots in charge to have the lifestyle they want in artificial palaces etc. Once they are threatened they become more volatile and dangerous as with Bashar Hafez al-Assad in Syria. Even more so because North Korea is believed by many observers to have a nuclear weapon.

 

My son visited the 51st parallel in 2010 and there is a permanence about it. I don't expect much to change in the next 50 years except that the countries watching North Korea will continue to advance in surveillance and be ready to take action if they need to.

 

The army of 1 million would be more of a hindrance to them. Equipping them all, when enemy forces would decimate it from the air before any land battle, would be financially crippling. I'm presuming many wont be well trained apart from the elite soldiers. And would cause more problems for themselves against a well organised elite army (only invading once they have been sufficiently weakened). It's the same with concerns over the size of chinas army. Most are just farmers with a rusty gun.

[JOHNNYAITCH]

The attitude that a large army is a real threat against a smaller, well organised, well trained and well equipped opposition is very old fashioned and IMO largely a propoganda exercise and also a means of 'employing' large numbers of men.

 

If such a large army went up against smaller but vastly superior forces the latter would clearly win such a conflict given the weapons available

[JOHNNYAITCH]

I also don't necessarily take 'destruction' as meaning physically destroying it...could just mean bringing down the regime/nation

[sandbach_valiant]

Vietnam anyone?

[Warren]

Both Russia and China are big countries with sensitive governments that are concerned to retain control. They have lots of internal problems doing that including their Muslim populations. They don't need to be overexposed to external threats and they therefore build or sustain buffer states. North Korea is a buffer state for China. Georgia, for example, is a buffer state for Russia.

 

I can imagine that the British army along with NATO would be very effective at fighting a defensive war in Western Europe against a large foe. However, ask them to invade Russia and they are going down in the same way that Napoleon and Hitler did. Unlike football, perhaps, it is easier to play at home!

[bookworm]

china pulls north korea's strings but they are getting tired of north korea's posturing and of ignoring repeated demands for moderation, without china's aid and backing the north would be really isolated.