chenGOD

At work right now, so no long diatribes from me but... Josh: your description is somewhat simplistic and largely outdated. Which is weird to me, cause usually your posts are excellent on topics like this. Anyways suffice it to say that they do have lawn mowers in NK. Stevie G: if I could answer those questions in a forum post, I would amaze even myself. Your last question itself could be at least a Master's thesis.

Highly unlikely http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/19/the-united-states-isnt-hacking-north-koreas-missile-launches/

Dat resolve tho

No need to apologise - it's good to think about the negatives of an issue. I just don't think that particular article does a good job of backing up its claims. And I apologise as well (to all) if it ever seems like I'm being condescending on the issue. The Korean peninsula (and NE Asia in general) is near and dear to my heart, and a good part of my studies revolved around the area. I'm just somewhat passionate about the Peninsula - so I don't always post with the most clarity. I swear I'm not being condescending (well except to compson lol), just a lousy communicator at times.

I'm pretty spotty on Korean history, but if anything that reinforces the point I was trying to make - Korea has historically been united and homogeneous. That's crazy to think there were so more communists in the South but then again I suppose the same was similar in Vietnam with the huge presence of Viet Cong and their sympathizers. I was just confused by this part of your post Korea was independent before WW2 (technically up until 1910, but in actuality after the fall of the Chosun dynasty in 1897 the Peninsula was ruled by the Japanese through a proxy Emperor), but I'm guessing you were referring to the colonial period? And it was only really invaded meaningfully by the Chinese and the Japanese - all attempts by European powers were met pretty brutally by Koreans (sometimes with a Chinese assist). Like I said though, I'm probably just doing a shit job of reading your post - shouldn't be doing more than Dank memes when I'm this tired. Anyways, Trump ain't the only one doing NoKo ridiculousness - The Pencifier is getting in on the action too. https://twitter.com/Max_Fisher/status/854781454366232579

The second class citizen aspect is certainly something to think about, as evidenced by the aftermath of German unification, and the experience of defectors who have made it to the South. But I believe that as awareness of that issue increases in the South, it will be less of a problem over time. From my point of view, that article is problematic for a number of reasons. I'll address the author's bullet points I find problematic, though I do wish he could have stuck to one point per bullet. Sure it's possible that a rogue state or non-state actor could obtain NK WMDs. I'd argue it's probably more likely to happen if NK remains isolated and becomes desperate for cash and starts selling weapons on the sly - it wouldn't be the first time. Why would there be an exodus of fighters and refugees in a peaceful re-unification scenario? I'll start with the end of this one - the regime has prepared for a guerilla war - against the regime! If the regime has acquiesced to peaceful reunification, then the will not be fighting against the South, and the guerilla war the regime has prepared for will obviously not materialise because one would assume that the guerilla uprising would be against the regime policies. With a change in government, there would be a much lower likelihood of guerilla war arising. As to the point in the middle - this is patent nonsense. The elite and upper middle class he is talking about are probably the least brainwashed groups in NK. Businessmen (and women - egalitarian society comrades!) make up a good percentage of that upper middle class - and they make more than the elite nowadays. These types of people will certainly have a place in a united Korea, and will likely see no reason for an exit strategy (assuming again as the author does, that it is a peaceful reunification and there is no court of law awaiting the elite). Yes, in the short run. Germany also suffered a huge drain on its resources, but their position as one of the top global economies is pretty solid now. North Koreans are aware of markets, although not so much the hyper-capitalism that exists in the South. There are educational efforts underway by foreigners in the North to teach entrepreneurship, modern management practices, and other capitalist practices. North Koreans are not any stupider on average than their southern neighbours, and they seem to have done alright with capitalism. Why would Samsung, LG, Hyundai, and the other giant comglomerates become less competitive? Their resources and R&D schedules are not going to change drastically because of his, neither are their global supply chains. A unified Korea under a peaceful scenario would be significantly more stable than the current situation - and investors seek out stability. Re-education would be necessary, but as mentioned elsewhere - there is no reason North Korean workers cannot be retrained. The rest of the article is a mess - he scraps his whole "peaceful reunion" premise and goes off into more speculation. If there is unification - US forces no longer have a rationale to be on the peninsula, as their raison d'etre ceases to be. So the fear of US troops deployed close to China goes away, as by and large, Koreans really do not want US troops on their soil. Oddly, after all his wild speculation, his conclusion I agree with. Engagement is a much more preferable way forward than sanctions, and will ease the unification process.

If they pay you with a BMW, film it blowing up then create a score to the 10 minute edit of the car blowing up.

Marf, two points: 1) NK would launch artillery pieces toward Seoul, US bases, and other key points in South Korea. THAAD is not designed to counter artillery, but missiles (short and medium range ballistic missiles primarily, there have been no tests done against long range ballistic missiles, to the best of my knowledge). 2)There is also no indication how well a THAAD system would work in actual combat, Patriot missiles had a good success rate before the first Gulf War and ended up shooting down no SCUDs during actual combat. There is also the possibility (remote, but we don't know the true nature of NK's stockpile) that the defense system, even if it functions perfectly, gets overwhelmed by sheer numbers. So those two points alone are pretty big red flags showing it would be a pretty damn bad idea, never mind ground troops and whatever else NK would decide to throw into battle. North Koreans (especially in Pyongyang, and by the Chinese border) by and large have a good idea of how their economy stacks up against the developed world (side note - up until the 1980s, the North Korean economy was for the most part stronger than South Korea's). Thousands of DVDs, USB sticks and other forms of media have been smuggled into the country. Particularly popular are South Korean TV dramas (like soap operas, but not quite as terrible somehow - probably because they don't drag on for thousands of episodes). There's a lot more I could get into on North Korea and the socio-economic situation, but not appropriate for this thread. Sweepstakes: Family is still very important in Korea. Watch this from last year and tell me it doesn't hit you in the feels. Chongryon is of less relevance today - they were a much more powerful organization until the 90s/early 00s. Josh - you bring up some salient points about invasions of Korea, just a slight clarification (although entirely possible I am misreading your comment). Korea was in fact unified for a long period of time - from 936 to 1392 under the Koryo dynasty, and from 1392 until 1897 under the Chosun dynasty. It's also interesting to note that before the Korean War, there were more communists in the southern part of the peninsula than there were in the north - this had a lot to do with the US supporting certain factions for political purposes after WW2. Anyways, all this to say that North Korea is not a matter that Trump can bullshit his way through. In somewhat related news: the Trump administration wants to renegotiate the US-Korean free trade agreement. Wonder if he'll threaten South Korea with North Korea.

Cracker horses?? Sounds racist.

A + Dub Dub Route Bear tbh

I thought the foley was excellent in this - the scene when Ernesto is opening the batteries? Or Mike popping open shit on his car? Some of the music in this episode was a bit hit or miss (Mike driving sounded like some early NIN cast-off) but overall the music in the series has been pretty good. I dunno, I guess I'm just not enough of an auteur. I gotta admit though, I was lost on Mikes story for the first couple of minutes. Couldn't remember shit.

Sorry, it was a figurative "you", not literally you. Related https://twitter.com/justin_kanew/status/851047413062270976

If you think for a second that China sincerely would be ok with military intervention in NK, then they're playing you. I almost guarantee they'll use the warships in the western pacific to increase their military presence in the South China Seas, which is a bigger end game for China. They're not worried about military intervention in NK because no president is going to risk turning SK and Japan into a mass casualty ward.

I mean China is playing the Trump admin for fools. Tillerson has no experience in international relations, probably knows fuck all about China and their history, and understands less about their strategic culture than a first year STEM major.

China playing the Trump admin. Also, Greenwald is on point: The Spoils of War Although, I will take some slight issue with his point about the Russia connection. While the idea that the White House is controlled by Russia is clearly nonsense, I would wager there is a strong connection between the two administrations, mostly down to Senor Trump's desire to do mucho business in Russia.

How long until Russia comes out and says there were Russian troops at the site the US targeted? Any takers on that bet?Apparently they told the Russians in advance of the strike.

I remember watching this before and thinking how sorry I felt for the kid. Wonder how he's doing two years on...

Trump's foreign policy continuing to isolate America. http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/02/donald-trump-north-korea-china

Literally can't make this shit up (he's an MP with the Conservative party here in igloostan)

Hey look! Now you can beg for money online via facebook!

Ruh-roh!

Nah, I lost it at "When will dostoevsky notice me?"

lel

God I love cassettebwoyyy!