North Korea

  On 4/27/2018 at 10:17 PM, Snack Master said:

And now Merkel is also praising Trump for his role in the negotiations

 

"Today, we meet at a point in time where it has become very clear that the strength of the American president, where he really saw to it that the sanctions against North Korea are respected, has opened new possibilities, opened new ways,” Merkel said during a joint press conference with Trump.

I think this makes sense diplomatic sense in a way. It's a gamble, but praising net-positive actions of Trump/the U.S. is probably thought of as a good move to foster a sense of order and positivity to the global political situation, even if that's not true at all. It helps cool the international mood I think.

Kim Jong-un looks nice, I can't help but like him even as most his country starves. Putin, Trump, Boris Johnson, wrong 'uns the lot but Kim, look at his face. My brain hasn't developed beyond the Victorian belief in physiognomy.

  On 4/27/2018 at 11:19 PM, Nebraska said:

 

  On 4/27/2018 at 9:55 PM, auxien said:

Thanks dude. 

 

https://i.imgur.com/moidgyH.gifv

 

pity the poor cunt whoever trips up

Kim Jong-un has a swimming pool filled with Portuguese man o’ War jelly fish that he just casually tosses people into if they displease him in any way. All of his time off camera is spent in a teddy bear suit, a Capri Sun always in hand.

Ummm too much to think about to provide real responses here but for auxien:

Up until 2002, China, Japan, South Korea each took up about 20% of NK international trade. After 2002, Japan started to wind down its trade with NK. North and South trading patterns varied depending on which sort of president was sitting in the South - more conservative == less trade, and vice versa.

Important to note that UN sanctions up until 2016 (I think) didn't prohibit commercial trade with NK. Anyways, for the last 5 years or so, China has basically been it - like 90% of NK's trade.

For tec: the whole "North Koreans are all starving except for the leader" meme hasn't been true for a long ass time. North Korea does experience food security issues yearly, but these are nothing like the famine years. Yes, an average American's meal probably has as many calories as 2 days' worth of food for an average North Korean, but Americans are in general, some lard-ass motherfuckers.

As to whether or not Trump deserves credit - virtually impossible to tell, unless you're very high up in the North Korean Workers' Party.

On the whole though - this situation writ large is more a win for North Korea than for anyone else.

  On 4/29/2018 at 6:08 AM, chenGOD said:

Ummm too much to think about to provide real responses here but for auxien:

Up until 2002, China, Japan, South Korea each took up about 20% of NK international trade. After 2002, Japan started to wind down its trade with NK. North and South trading patterns varied depending on which sort of president was sitting in the South - more conservative == less trade, and vice versa.

Important to note that UN sanctions up until 2016 (I think) didn't prohibit commercial trade with NK. Anyways, for the last 5 years or so, China has basically been it - like 90% of NK's trade.

 

For tec: the whole "North Koreans are all starving except for the leader" meme hasn't been true for a long ass time. North Korea does experience food security issues yearly, but these are nothing like the famine years. Yes, an average American's meal probably has as many calories as 2 days' worth of food for an average North Korean, but Americans are in general, some lard-ass motherfuckers.

 

As to whether or not Trump deserves credit - virtually impossible to tell, unless you're very high up in the North Korean Workers' Party.

On the whole though - this situation writ large is more a win for North Korea than for anyone else.

Fair enough, most my knowledge is from the book Nothing to Envy and that's pretty old now.

Sorry, didn’t mean to come off snarky - you’d raised the point and I’d seen it elsewhere this week (in “reputable” news sources), so it was stuck in my craw. I’d also had more than a few beers when I made that post!

I think it’s and important distinction to make, because the response to the situation should be different. Starvation like we saw in the 90s should merit an immediate and unconditional response from the international community (with appropriate monitoring put in place etc etc). The situation as it stands now with regard to food security requires a more considered response, and the community has time to deliberate on these things.

My own opinion is sanctions like the type that are in place now on North Korea are completely ineffective and impossible to enforce anyways. They do nothing to achieve their stated goals, and make life much more difficult for average North Koreans.

  On 4/28/2018 at 9:11 PM, Candiru said:

Kim Jong-un has a swimming pool filled with Portuguese man o’ War jelly fish that he just casually tosses people into if they displease him in any way. All of his time off camera is spent in a teddy bear suit, a Capri Sun always in hand.

This is all true except on odd weekends it’s a natty ice always in hand.

Thanks for that info on the longer history of things chen. I knew I was getting the Japan thing from somewhere.

I think the meeting between KJU and Moon Jae-in is overall a step in the right direction. But at the same time, I don't think a peace treaty would necessarily mean reunification.

  On 4/29/2018 at 5:10 PM, ambermonk said:

I think the meeting between KJU and Moon Jae-in is overall a step in the right direction. But at the same time, I don't think a peace treaty would necessarily mean reunification.

I don't believe either side is seriously considering reunification at this point. Public support for it is low in South Korea for a number of reasons, and political will for it in North Korea is low for one very obvious reason.

"I pity the poor cunt"

flol

I like the current symbolism about NK changing it's timezone to match the international standards and the concession about closing the nuclear test site. But, it can still be just words and intentions. What does NK want in return? Obviously it will be about the US giving NK more space with respect to those sanctions. And there the question will be what the US wants in exchange for that? As currently it looks like NK is willing to move. But how much and in which direction? Things currently look positive, I guess. But if the US will be hard on those sanctions, they might leave NK little space to retreat into the tiny box they've created for themselves.

In other words, I'm actually more worried about the position of the US in the coming session. The current willingness of NK to move looks sincere from where I'm sitting. But Trumps White House and sincerity seem mutually exclusive most of the time.

Gah had a big reply typed out and now gone meh anyhow ina related note this appeared twice in my junk folder

  On 4/29/2018 at 11:33 PM, chenGOD said:

Gah had a big reply typed out and now gone meh anyhow ina related note this appeared twice in my junk folder4D39DE7F-5533-4A8E-A699-F58F6670B33E.png

Hahahahahahah!

I thought he only rode unicorns?

Well...

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un rumored to be dead

 

If true, life must be absolute hell rn for the surgeon. But I don't wanna spread this news until we have a solid.

yeah that's been bouncing around a couple days? maybe almost a week? no true confirmation that i've seen yet tho

Vice article on whether Kim's sister could actually ascend to Supreme Leader, and maintain control:

https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/n7jx8g/kim-jong-uns-sister-could-replace-him-if-he-dies-who-is-kim-yo-jong

https://mobile.twitter.com/DLekmind/status/1254120043333500928

“Staline”

  On 4/25/2020 at 9:45 PM, Rubin Farr said:

Vice article on whether Kim's sister could actually ascend to Supreme Leader, and maintain control:

https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/n7jx8g/kim-jong-uns-sister-could-replace-him-if-he-dies-who-is-kim-yo-jong

she's apparently crazier than any of them... 

An exemplary country with no actual declared cases? Well, I never!

Easy rumour to make rn. Didn't Trump apparently correspond with him recently? Lol

I imagine an overseas North Korean traveling home and its basically a Walking Dead wasteland of very fascist Lord of the Flies.

All rumour and conjecture with no certainty in either direction.

Just remember kids: The Korean War never actually ended. Sleep tight!

Let's hope that if he's actually dead it will somehow lead to a less disastrous situation in that country. Doubtful, though