In a post at National Interest Manseok Lee raises some very interesting points in the wake of Kim Jong-Un’s recent threat to use NK’s nuclear weapons preemptively in pursuit of the country’s national interests. The most significant is this:
In practical terms, North Korea is a revolutionary state whose very existence is based on achieving revolutionary national goals. In North Korea, the Workers’ Party of Korea leads the national revolution. As a consequence, the Workers’ Party exists above the state, with its bylaw serving as the supreme state document in North Korea, not the state constitution.
The Charter of the Workers’ Party stipulates North Korea to have two immediate national objectives, the first of which is to build a strong country on the northern half of the Korean Peninsula, that is, the North Korean region. The second goal is to establish a socialist state that encompasses the entire Korean Peninsula, including South Korea, which entails both liberating the South Koreans from perceived American imperialism and building a unified communist country.
The Kim family’s significance in relation to achieving these national objectives must also be emphasized. The Juche ideology, that is, the self-reliance principle that underpins North Korea’s vision of state and society, holds that the Kim family’s leadership represents the only means of successfully carrying out the socialist revolution, defeating the United States, and unifying the Korean Peninsula. Thus, in North Korean politics, Kim Jong-un is more than a dictator; he is a leader who directs the souls of North Koreans toward accomplishing their revolution.
Unfortunately, Dr. Lee does not have much in the way of material suggestions for coping with the challenges of such a regime. Myown proposals have essentially been two. First, ignore North Korea to the greatest degree possible. While South Korea has substantial interest in North Korea, we have none as long as the North Koreans do not use military force against us. In that event we should be prepared to use as much force as is necessary in response including killing 25 million people.
The second is that there is no such thing as a meaningful dialogue with North Korea that does not include China. North Korea would collapse without Chinese support and the country is nearly as much of a thorn in China’s side as it is in ours.
North Korea also shares a border with Russia. And some, at least, of the MIG-15’s that flew in support of the North were piloted by Russians. How much the North is beholden to Russia v.v. China is not clear. But it gets support from both. People seem to think China controls the North, and their sacrifice for the independence of the North was great, but I think the Kim family goes its own way.
Russia tried to sweeten Trump’s deal by promising a rail link both to the Trans Siberian Railroad and to South Korea. But Bolton and Pompeo vetoed the deal, and nothing came of the Russian offer, although it still might be on the table.
The technical achievements of North Korea are stupefying. They have submarine-launched, nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. Their land-based ICBM’S most probably can (or soon will be able to) reach the US.
With Moon gone, the new South Korean government has adopted a hostile position v.v. the North. How will than turn out?
The achievements of the South are also stupefying. What would a unified Korea be able to do?
An interesting side note.
It is likely the North Korean ICBM’s that can reach the US was developed with the help (knowingly or unknowingly) of Ukraine.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/14/world/asia/north-korea-missiles-ukraine-factory.html
I wouldn’t be surprised. I wrote a post some time ago about distributed weapons development.