North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly has voted to scrap all agreements signed with South Korea on promoting economic cooperation, the North’s official KCNA news agency reported on Thursday, as the two Koreas’ relations continue to deteriorate sharply.
The assembly, which takes formal steps to adopt policy dictated by the ruling Workers’ Party, also voted to abolish laws governing economic ties with Seoul, including the special law on the operation of the Mount Kumgang tourism project.
The tours to the scenic mountain just north of the eastern border were a symbol of an economic cooperation that began during a period of engagement between the two Koreas in early 2000s, drawing nearly 2 million South Korean visitors.
The project was suspended in 2008 after a South Korean tourist who strayed into a restricted zone was shot and killed by North Korean guards.
Do any armchair strategist have any theories on the possible intentions here?
Personally I think it is in preparation for what complete economic sanctions would look like if North Korea went to war.
They don’t need it any more. Arms exports to Russia are far more profitable.
I believe they are going to attack the moment China can or does not want to stop them anymore.
A Korean War would bind a significant amount of US resources. To Russia it could be very valuable at the time that they decide to seriously start messing with NATO countries.
Despite how much it pains me to admit that George Bush was right in one thing: There is an axis of evil. And it is getting ready.
Considering China’s whole military has recently been shown to be stripped bare by corruption from the top to the bottom, China’s power in the world is shaken. They could pivot to letting DPRK off leash a little bit, as a threat to step aside and let DPRK do what they want with the nuclear weapons they absolutely have, now on missiles that can reach the west coast of the US.
How was China’s military shown to be stripped bare?
Bunch of top brass got pulled out after some of the corruption was discovered. Like rockets fueled with water.
Ooh, I do!
Honestly, I think this is mostly symbolic - the economic cooperation between the two governments is about as minimal as it gets anyway, and the tourist scheme was already suspended for nearly a decade. Presumably there were no near term plans to resume the scheme, so it’s not going to bring in any more money for the north. Might as well axe the legislation to give your rival the middle finger if it’s not useful otherwise.
I think it would be an enormous strategic error for NK to engage in war any time soon, given China’s military is not in a healthy state, and Russia is busy in Ukraine. A direct conventional conflict with SK would be extremely difficult to win with the difference in technology, even with their enormous military spending.
And nuclear weapons are, frankly, much more effective as a deterrent than as a weapon itself. Firing them on SK will inevitably trigger response fire from the US nuclear weapons stationed on the peninsula.
If there is anything the History Channel has taught me is if you don’t know it is aliens. If you know it still might be aliens.