The Great Korea Thread

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A big-ass bronze statue of Kim #2 has been unveiled next to the equally big-ass statue of Kim #1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoJTptIV38k&feature=player_embedded

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China has suspended its agreement to repatriate illegal North Koreans. Officially this is over the rocket "launch", but one anonymous government official said he "can't ignore" the fact that repatriated North Koreans are jailed or worse. Will we see a rush across the border similar to the rush of East Germans into Hungary and Czechoslovakia in 1989?

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jJITPOH0kU5F5f0tK3EgikhNrBmA?docId=CNG.a8c1c3e2edf92a30cc1b3c9bd5ed11c1.1f1

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I doubt the Chinese will accept mass exodus. They will probably shut the border again, if refugees start coming in huge numbers. But if they don't, this could potentially be the end for the regime.

I think this decision was driven by the internal power struggle within the Chinese Politburo and not out of any particular humanitarian concerns. And besides, most North Koreans who do cross into China nowadays are informal traders who see border guards merely as toll collectors, which never happened in East Germany. We have no idea of figuring out what North Koreans think, but they have much less access to foreign information than East Germans did. Kim Il Sung was definitely popular among North Koreans and his family may retain some loyalty among the population. AFAIK this was never true about the SED leadership.

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I doubt the Chinese will accept mass exodus. They will probably shut the border again, if refugees start coming in huge numbers. But if they don't, this could potentially be the end for the regime.

I think this decision was driven by the internal power struggle within the Chinese Politburo and not out of any particular humanitarian concerns.

That's obvious. What is your point? Do you support my view that they will shut the border again or ...

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Nah, but we do know that living conditions are pretty horrible, which is always a powerfull motivator for human action. The regime is also not able to shut out all info to the degree they used to do.

This decision is very clearly another slap in the face committed by the Hu/Wu faction in the Politburo against Bo Xilai's people since he was fired. From now they'll probably tolerate North Koreans who quietly make their way to foreign embassies or find menial jobs. They definitely won't tolerate a high-profile rush across borders. Kim Jong Un needs face, after all.

Besides, in many dictatorships the central leadership retains considerable popularity and the local officials are blamed for any problems. East Germany was a rare exception thanks to the widespread availability of western media. In North Korea, radio sets are pre-tuned to government stations.

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I wonder whom Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il voted for.

You counterrevolutionary traitor, the Great Leader and the Dear Leader do not need to vote. Even in death, they still guide the glorious Korean people to vote to continue their glorious policies as personified by their glorious successor!

Now this way to the train station...