Certainly not as bad, but given their successes against superpowers, particularly against the Soviet Union, definitely in the Top Ten, if not Top Five of "Countries we'd prefer not to invade."

A midget who had a stroke versus a has-been NBA player? Hmmm, that might be a little more evenly matched than you'd think. :D

Also, Kim Jong-Un is about to succeed Jong-Il. That's what all this commotion is about.

Is there a specific reason for this or do things just get all whacked out of control when power changes hands?

In a regime like that of the DPRK, he who appears most nationalistic and willing to slap the Yankees in the face is seen as most fit to lead. So it's all about who can out-posture the opposition. Not appearing sufficiently militant can lead to political weakness.

I think if we can sell China on the idea of installing a Chinese-style communist regime in place of Kim and sons, we can make some progress. Reunification makes sense culturally and emotionally, but is a nightmare politically and economically, and thus is not really a realistic option. The Chinese get to keep their buffer, one that they have better control of, that buffer is more stable and progressive, with an improved standard of living for their people, and no one is committing random acts of war against South Korea. Basically, the only people who wouldn't benefit would be Kim and sons. Once China signs off on it, it's on!

That's the closest thing to a possibility I could imagine. But it's still highly unlikely. Moreover, if North Korea even suspected China was willing to do that, there's no telling what they would do in retaliation. It's not a coincidence that most of the DPRK's ballistic missile bases were built as far to the east of the peninsula (read: as far from the PRC) as possible.

I think if the Red Chinese drop enough subtle hints to the NK military that all they want is the Kims out of the way, a settlement can be reached. Once they lose China, who else will they have to turn to? If those generals are even a bit pragmatic, they have to know they're screwed without China's backing.

And if NK missiles can reach China, you can be sure Chinese missiles can reach NK.

That's good point. But I would expect that at this point, the Chinese have already considered this. If they really had a failsafe way to separate the Kims from the generals, I imagine they would have done it by now.

And ultimately, the Koreans are so xenophobic that any leader who is seen as a puppet of an outside power - even the Chinese - would never survive.

No doubt. But putting it on the Sea of Japan also makes it both more vulnerable and more provocative to the Japanese. That's as much an indication of a lack of faith in China as an ally as it is an indication of how much they fear/hate Japan.

A) How would they know? All media is controlled by the government. B) As if the people could actually do anything about it even if they did know.


I wouldn't take anything way from the hatred/paranoia of Japan. Not only is there the historical animosity (Probably the only thing you can get North and South Koreans, and the PRC and the ROC to agree on,) but Japan is also home to much of the American military.

It's not the people who matter; it's factions within the regime. My understanding is that many of the KPA's generals are more nationalistic and bellicose than the Kims themselves. It really might not even be possible for China to find anyone within the regime who is more friendly to them than the Kims. If they did install a puppet leader, said leader would probably have a great deal of difficulty winning over the loyalty of the KPA (more of a challenge than Kim Jong-Un faces now), and might face rapid marginalization. In the DPRK, a lack of military support means political weakness.

Yes, true. But think about it this way: If you trusted China enough as an ally, wouldn't it make the most sense to build a missile base as close to China (and within range of potential defending Chinese troops) as possible? Obviously, it's not going to make a difference in practical terms (missile ranges are far enough that the base is vulnerable to attack either way). But that doesn't mean it lacks symbolic importance, which has its own value (think about how the Russians get upset with us for installing completely useless missile defenses in Poland).