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castille · Dec 18, 2004, 05:46 am

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/FL14Dg01.html

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For decades, Pyongyang propaganda presented North Korea as an embodiment of economic self-sufficiency, completely independent from any other country. This image sold well, especially in the more credulous part of the Third World and among the ever-credulous leftist academics.

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The secret of its supposed self-sufficiency was simple: the country received large amounts of direct and indirect aid from the Soviet Union and China, but never admitted this in public.

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But collapse of the Soviet Union made clear that claims of self-sufficiency were unfounded. From 1991, the North Korean economy went into free fall. Throughout 1991-99, the gross national product (GNP) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) nearly halved. The situation became unbearable in 1996, when the country was struck by a famine that took, by the best available estimates, about 600,000 lives.

What do you think? Will the North Korean government finally bow to pressure from China and South Korea, and embark on the road to capitalism? Or will they maintain a workers paradise where all are equal (equally poor, that is)?

Perhaps the bigger question is, how will the government maintain control amongst government reform? Will an attempt to foster fervent nationalism lead to war with South Korea?

tusaki · Dec 18, 2004, 07:05 am

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2947295
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Dec12.html

NK has already started experimenting with capitalism. I think they are trying to emulate china with it's "special economic zones". These experiments could lead to a full embrace of market economics, or at least a few good steps into that direction, such as what happened with China when Deng Xiaoping pushed through his economic reforms.

I doubt economic reforms would lead to war with south korea. What could happen, is that reforms could lead to civil war once the government loses control. But a political reform is needed for that, not an economic one.

Dec 18, 2004, 07:05 am	#2 (permalink) (top)
tusaki Playful Location: Groningen, the Netherlands Posts: 805	http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2947295 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Dec12.html NK has already started experimenting with capitalism. I think they are trying to emulate china with it's "special economic zones". These experiments could lead to a full embrace of market economics, or at least a few good steps into that direction, such as what happened with China when Deng Xiaoping pushed through his economic reforms. I doubt economic reforms would lead to war with south korea. What could happen, is that reforms could lead to civil war once the government loses control. But a political reform is needed for that, not an economic one. Hope & Dream Last edited by tusaki; Dec 18, 2004 at 07:10 am.