An idiot is convicted of entering North Korea illegally

[ShawnD1]

As opposed to the countless other dysfunctional states the US has happily attacked with the support of the right wing?

pffff always demanding a reason to kill people. Liberals 🙄

 

[Sea Moose]

It's stupid to try to change North Korea. The entire population has been indoctrinated with ignorance and fear. They will not accept change, especially those in power. Leave North Korea alone. Interfering with it will only cause trouble. Everyone knows this.

i am sure thats what people were saying about germany in the early 1940s

 

[nonlnear]

i am sure thats what people were saying about germany in the early 1940s

Even if the propaganda side of things is analogous, that doesn't mean the strategic implications are the same. There are no resources for NK to grab, no allies for them to court, and no stockpiles for them to sustain any significant offensive with. North Korea doesn't pose that much of an existential threat to anyone but South Korea, and both sides know that it's either MAD, an instant SK win, or SK coming out on top with terrible losses after a grueling but not incredibly long fight. Nobody in the area actually likes North Korea, and as long as any war is left to NK to initiate, the entire region would come down hard on them without any significant prospect of wider blowback. (Who knows, it might actually provide the catalyst needed for Japanese culture to start truly opening up to its neighbors. 😀) The absolute worst case I envision(for American influence, that is) is China steamrolling NK from behind as NK fights SK. They might be inclined to establish an authoritarian, nominally communist state, but it won't be quite like Kimmy's. Even in this scenario, it only becomes a drawn out slugfest if the USA decides that it wants to keep fighting China. Strategically that's a non starter. Even from an ideological perspective it doesn't fly. After all, it's not like the USA has any meaningful objections to anything China does any more. Well, other than in the propaganda we feed our children...

 

[StepUp]

<Tinfoil> I had a thought this morning that the CIA might intentionally send an agent across the border illegally into NK knowing that the person would be used a bargaining chip, and that the person will be released with the utmost of certainty. The reason for doing this being that they are able to reengage the leadership again to attempt to quell their nuclear ambitions.</Tinfoil>

 

[piasabird]

South Koreans have better Internet access than we do in the USA.