Why North Korea Starves

[@Asianometry]

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[@AndrewMellor-darkphoton]

hi

[@boyahboy09]

Please make a video on Cuban economy and maybe include the political system if you can.

[@hpdpco6634]

Finally you fixed your audio. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you very very much!!!

[@Ofasia777]

​@agapp11able I wish I could unread your comment.

[@lashlarue7924]

I love your content!!!

[@schmitzi99]

It is sad to see century old knowledge not being passed on. Crop rotation was already done in middle age Europe and Eastern Zhou period farmers...

[@lusvus5445]

Stop believing what this guy talking about. Everything OK in NK according to THEIR standards, if we all stop mornings about poor souls and just curry on with our lives it would be perfect.

[@supercompooper]

Don't worry, the eternal leader's magic hawks will fly down from sun mountain and put a chicken in the pots of the truly faithful 🤪

[@TWEAKLET]

@@supercompooper can confirm i just received a chicken. I'm an American all I needed to do was pray to the supreme leader and his magic hawk graced me with a chicken.

[@afewspokesloose2699]

@@lusvus5445 I think you're confusing violently oppressive autocracy and democracy. Alternatively you're heartless

[@richie1002]

@@lusvus5445 It is true that every country’s citizens have their own quirks which will cause every government to deal with their citizens in different ways. However, this doesn’t mean they are ok. It just means that we can’t assume they will suffer because we think we would suffer under that condition. Do they really suffer? Probably, since government pays its staff little, the citizens can’t afford anything above minimum necessity, and even workers in the gray market makes three times more. If you want to play words though, everything is OK in NK, says THE government. Maybe the government have the opposite in mind. Anyway, I believe we have been taught to be wary for untrustworthy source, that government included.

[@dennishover4803]

100% employment. Zero pay but everyone's got a job.

[@RCSVirginia]

Denis Hover As the old Soviet joke went, "They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work."

[@cockatoofan]

North Koreans get paid

[@drunkenslav2334]

@@RCSVirginia and now thanks to the advances of capitalism, they pretend to pay us well, and we pretend to work well. in czechia we also have the "back during the days of communism we were forced to live in these tiny apartments we called "rabbit cages" but now thanks to the advances and innovations of capitalism, we get to pay 5 million crowns for them"

[@Robespierre-lI]

Definitely not actual communism, is it. It's much closer to a feudal society.

[@RCSVirginia]

As one Polish economist noted, "If the communists ran the Sahara, there would be a shortage of sand."

[@jinsu2640]

thats a good thing

[@porkysharma8423]

What a bias statement. More like sanctions does that.

[@maarten1115]

@@porkysharma8423 The soviets ruled half the world yet a bunch of sanctions ended them? That would mean that communism is dependent on capitalist trade.

[@porkysharma8423]

​@@maarten1115 Communist depends on an open market to trade, unfortunately that trade access is controlled by the capitalist, none other by the US, who throws sanctions left and right and controls the SWIFT system through which all transactions go through.

[@maarten1115]

@@porkysharma8423 Then why didnt they trade with their own allies and puppets? Again if the soviet, who owned half the world, couldn't maintain their own economy without a constant input of capitalist money then there is something wrong with their economic system. Sanctions work both ways silly girl. The west did just fine without all that Soviet trade.

[@kingofrivia1248]

As a farmer its clear why they starve. They need more trees! That would help their soil so massively and especially since they mostly work by hand it would be perfect for classic agriculture with multiple layers of trees, bushes and root crops. Thats not done in the west because we dont have the workers, but thats their smallest problem. With this method they also dont need fertilizer

[@justcommenting4981]

Why would they not need fertilizer?

[@lendluke]

They starve due to trying to run a country with a terrible economic system; how they farm is only a proximate cause, the ultimate cause is what made them start to farm in such a manner.

[@justcommenting4981]

@@lendluke fascism? Yea it's a bad system. Tall hierarchies tend to have a lot of problems especially when the sphere of influence is broad. It likely lead to the years of economic stagnation in S Korea under Rhee despite U.S. economic support, until he was finally removed and the country reformed from the authoritarian puppet state the U.S. had originally created. The U.S. bombing campaigns probably made it difficult to administer what arable land they had as well, and I'd guess that likely made it easier for fascist to maintain and normalize their power.

[@ChickenMcThiccken]

you forget one thing. your idea gives hope. that is not allowed in the dprk

[@benaskalinskas4154]

@yezede relegen russia is also getting sanctions but they are not starving

[@phyarth8082]

Situation been bad in 90s when North Korea national TV broadcasted to people that plants are edible to survive famine, this broadcast reach South Korea, China and Russia so well documented.

[@m.a.118]

No coincidence it was the 90's too. They didn't have the USSR to ship them grain. It's important to remember that the DPRK was about on par with the south until the end of the Cold War. Which shows how North Korean leadership was capable if backed by a willing ally. However in post Kim Il Sung North Korea- Jong Il decided to go down the path of autarky which is basically a war economy (songun) which put the 90's DPRK economy in survival mode rather than growth mode.

[@alienelephant4721]

Once race of slaves are always will be as slaves.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

@@m.a.118 not until the end of cold war but 70s or 80s

[@Usual_User]

@@alienelephant4721 what?

[@davidjacobs8558]

@@m.a.118 NK was far behind SK by the end of 1970's.

[@pyro1047]

North Korea seems like that group of survivors in an apocalypse that get wiped out because while they may know what to do, their leader "Knows Better" and any attempt to correct them or fix the issue is seen as a great affront and challenging their leadership.

[@planescaped]

It's like an entire country run by an incompetent middlemanager who's related to the CEO.

[@pedrob3953]

The Korean War was as close to apocalypse as anyone can experience.

[@chappikingofjoberg3583]

and even if the kims think they know better than farmers, the least they could do is not piss off every other government on earth to get some food aid, but even that is too much to ask.

[@hananokuni2580]

​​@@chappikingofjoberg3583heir biggest fear is looking like the guy who got ass-r*ped by everyone else. DPRK has to look tough and the Kim Dynasty has to look like the all-knowing father.

[@pedrob3953]

@@anon_148 What do you mean by “even worse”? Can you elaborate?

[@universalparadox4144]

It amazes me the amount of high quality content you produce. Being from the US, it's been so fascinating learning more of current conditions and industries in Asia. Keep up the fantastic work!

[@navsenjoy]

It is as if a whole team is separately researching for him...

[@michelangelo4483]

His recent one about comparing the cultural Revolution to Jan 6th was awful but nobody is perfect

[@lashlarue7924]

Agreed. This is some of the smartest content on KZbin. It’s almost as if it was produced by an Asian or something… 🤔

[@thomaszhang3101]

@@michelangelo4483 I mean, as someone who learned about the Cultural Revolution, I did find many similarities between Mao and Trump. You maybe upset that Trump is compared with someone as terrible as Mao, but Mao has his good sides and similarities with other politicians, like all people do. Will you be surprised if I tell you that Hitler is not special, and many politicians in the US and rest of the world bother before and after had used similar tactics?

[@LaowaiDaveJCP]

@@thomaszhang3101 Winston Churchill was 100x worse guy than Hitler but.... yea

[@shanehanson6013]

They take 70% of farm production because they have an insanely large army to feed.

[@fenzelian]

Classic Marxist mismanagement - since the only people who can exploit you are “capitalists” they ignore the damage they do when they deprive workers of the surplus value of their labor to serve the other parts of their operation. They are not capitalists therefore it cannot be exploitation, right?

[@TheEvertw]

Excellent analysis, though obviously I can't judge its veracity. Double-cropping like you describe is disastrous. You should produce intensive crops like potatoes only once every few years if you want the land to remain fertile. There are a lot of things the North Koreans could learn from other nations, if they weren't ruled by fear.

[@KanishQQuotes]

They already have their own rich culture However communism destroys everything

[@phoenix72999]

They seem to be ruled by narcissistic maniacs who assassinate their own family members and only have one care in the world: Their own power. A few people in the capital, both "normal" upper class families and extremely withdrawn elites around Kim Jong Un seem to be living fairly lavish lives. At least the elites. The other ones might still be poor compared to us, no idea. Anyhow, I agree, it is fear. And it goes on because of extreme brainwashing, which made at least previous generations believe that the Kims are comparable to gods, and a concentration of weapons, money and technology (and even food) with the scum government that only cares about themselves. I mean, how stupid can you be to allow your population to starve in the 21st century, even though there is no political instability and you are getting aid? They really don't care at all about their own people.

[@TheEvertw]

@@KanishQQuotes Sure. Wasn't talking about culture but about technology and economics. However, I doubt there is anything left of Korean culture in N.K.: generations of oppression by absolute tirants who want to control your every thought and be worshiped as god tends to destroy a culture.

[@MrRedsjack]

If you don't own the land why do you care? Just pass your quotas and get some rewards. Anyway you likely would be working on a number of land plots and not always the same ones. Same if you were to lease a farmland for 3 years without rules. Just double crop as much as possible

[@asimian8500]

t's even worse as crop rotation techniques was solved during the Age of Charlemagne over 1200 years ago. Medieval farmers used a three crop system (vs. two crop of the Roman Empire) which left one field to fallow (no crops but clovers were encouraged which increased land fertility through increased Nitrogen of the soil). So, the DPRK farming techniques are even worse than the Middle Ages. It's like they're partying like 99 AD. The deforestation of old growth forests was a result of the need for new farm lands due to growing population during the Middle Ages.

[@fstln1891]

I have been to the DPRK in the end of 2018 and I can assure that all the colored images in the video (no matter how old they might seem) are exactly how I experienced the country, the soils color, the people wearing black, the sky being foggy etc. I have even been in the room on the thumbnail… btw: great quality video! You could level up by adding your resources then it would be close to perfect scientific journalism! Keep it 🆙

[@Mbeluba]

So I guess those images are part of a curated propaganda tour. I wonder how things look outside of that special areas. In countries of the former Warsaw pact, we have a joke about painting grass green, because directors of factories would do that for visiting dignitaries and foreign visitors.

[@planescaped]

@@Mbeluba Probably looks like Katanga slum.

[@BungieStudios]

Looks like a normal California gloomy day.

[@Nemenis]

@@BungieStudiosngl I’d rather be shot by a group of kfc people than the secret police of NK

[@drunkenslav2334]

@@Mbeluba well you can visit like 90% of all cities in the DPRK, not everything exists to pander to foreigners man, sure Pyongyang is nice and well developped but if you go to Wonsan which you can, youll see the real korea, cracked roads, lack of beef, old walls. its a poor country, its GDP is comparable to bangladesh, thankfully north koreans have access to healthcare and education that even the UN praised as of decent quality. North Koreans also refuse to work 60 hours a week unlike their southern kin, which is fairly visible

[@debbiehenri345]

Recovering lost soil after abusing agricultural land for so long is going to prove a very difficult feat. Pesticide (and other chemical) residue is going to be something the North Koreans are going to have to live with for years. (Makes me wonder quite 'what' they are spraying on those crops, since unscrupulous global companies might be selling off 'leftover' chemicals banned in other countries). As someone who has been struggling to recover a patch of exhausted pasture (one third bare rock, two-thirds patchy grass with a few pockets of soil), I know exactly how long it takes - if you're not relying on bringing in soil from other places. Making your own soil is a very time-consuming process requiring a lot of hard work. It makes me sad to hear that NK cut down its forests, removing all the potential for soil-making as well as stabilisation. They have pretty much doomed their agricultural capabilities for the future.

[@davidjacobs8558]

NK did not cut down trees. Those mountains were free of trees at least since 500 years ago. Korean Peninsula gets extremely cold, so all the trees were gone a long time ago used as fuel. South Korea was able to re forest their mountains after they become wealthy, and could afford to import oil for fuel.

[@BabyMonkeyDefender]

And what about them using human feces to fertilize the crops? Wouldn't that taint the soil?

[@adamesd3699]

@@BabyMonkeyDefenderI know very little about farming, but is using human feces worse for soil than using cow or horse manure?

[@Angel24Marin]

​@@adamesd3699Human waste is more likely to carry diseases that affect humans so it needs to be composted more carefully. But for example waste from cities water plants is used in farming.

[@adamesd3699]

@@Angel24Marin Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks

[@BobZed]

Double cropping isn't necessarily a bad idea, but you need to chose your crops wisely. Potatoes plus more potatoes is a really bad idea. Potatoes plus beans or alfalfa can work.

[@youcantata]

I have visited North Korea early 2000's and I saw nearly every mountains that meet my eyes are completely barren as l travel along the poorly paved road. Deforestation at its utmost. Not a single tree or green cover on the hills. They look just like desert or scene on Mars from National Geographics TV. No wonder that they experience eternal cycle of flood and drought. They will need tree on the hill, lots of them to recover her agricultural productivity and food self-sufficiency.

[@harryhuang1439]

Good luck growing trees on lime stone.

[@gillsejusbates6938]

@@harryhuang1439 good luck raping your soil for years and years and then blame it on limestone

[@harryhuang1439]

@@gillsejusbates6938 well, that is kind of the state of condition now. Thanks for the sanction from democratic countries, trees need to be chopped so more people can survive for the time been. But thanks for the hindsight wisdom.

[@patriotenfield3276]

@@harryhuang1439 even with sanctions Cubans didn't have to face starvation. they faced other problems but starvation was not one of them. same for Apartheid South Africa. your fat boss eats all that wheat and makes nukes to threaten everyone.

[@harryhuang1439]

@@patriotenfield3276 right, you can shift Cuba to the same altitude as north Korea and try again.

[@kc_1018]

Prior to the Khmer Rouge communists taking over Cambodia, Cambodia had one province (Battambang Province) that could feed the whole country of 6.5 million at the time. Sure, the country was poor, but the country already had self-reliance when it came to food. When the Khmer Rouge imposed collectivization practices and their principle of self-reliance, the country suffered two famines.

[@oggypilestro6343]

Through out history these animals get into power, I hope one day they can eliminated before they get into power

[@defectiverfanatic]

@@oggypilestro6343 based

[@externaldriver]

@@defectiverfanatic is based good or bad?

[@defectiverfanatic]

@@externaldriver good. Very good.

[@sarasarita8855]

@@oggypilestro6343 ironically these "animals" were highly supported by the US and were eliminated by other communists (Vietnam) :D

[@mogreen19]

Great content as usual. I am from West Berlin and cannot see North Korea as either "DPRK" or "communist". With grandfather, father and son running the country north korean hereditary leadership is more like royalty or kings, but I also see the Kims as a crime family. North Korean Mafia Kings may be the most appropriate title.

[@darren8608]

you might realize one day that the similarities between the two is by design

[@hananokuni2580]

I often say that the DPRK is Joseon Dynasty 2.0 .

[@mudra5114]

Communist run countries are mafia by default.

[@tylersoto7465]

Would be cool and funny for a country to go to war against a bunch of gangster Mafia lol

[@omggiiirl2077]

Sadly this has been a problem since time immemorial. All the invasions wars and migrations haven't helped either. The history of the area literally changed the environment before there was even a Joseon. It's why North Korean cuisine features more potatoes corn beans and other grains like millet and barley because it's was hard to grow rice. From what my Grandfather used to tell my Mom, he said those were the crops used as staples because the weather is so extreme, and rice is grown as widely as South Korea. I just hope a day comes where a 38th parallel doesn't exist, and our people can care for eachother freely without involvement from outsiders.

[@SelfProclaimedEmperor]

South Korea and North Korea can unite...but the Kim family demands they be in charge of a unified Korea. This is the biggest problem.

[@cookingwithchefjeff]

@@SelfProclaimedEmperor The ChiCom government would rather the Kim's be in charge, too. The last thing they want is a unified free Korea on their border.

[@edsnotgod]

Xenophobe alert

[@Reppo80085]

@@edsnotgod East Asian doing East Asian shit~ it's okay when they talk shit about others but not them.

[@reginajanelilianapatterson5838]

@@cookingwithchefjeff It's true. The only reason, really, that China provides any support to North Korea is because they want a commie shithole between them and a free Asian country; China IS still an actual ally of North Korea and they DO NOT honour international sanctions agaisnt them. With Japan, they have the ocean between them and internet censorship out the ass to limit access to free world ideas, but if all of Korea were a free country, China would find it harder to stymie the influences of the free world from influencing their people who are largely silently resistant to the amount of authoritarianism they have to deal with. The Chinese voices you hear which sound patriotic and protective of the Communist Party's 'face' are those who fear telling us what they really feel or are part of what has become known as the "Fifty Cent Party", who are paid to deflect criticism of the CCP and to criticize free world ideas to make the CCP look more appealing to foreigners. Protip: these "50-cent people" love bringing up old historical issues relating to racism, skeevy business scandals, and unpopular political moves as 'proof' of the crimes of capitalism and democracy when we Americans have LONG addressed and redressed those issues (and still are redressing some of them today). They are, to us, ancient history and, thus, irrelevant.... so don't let these assholes deflect and those weak rebuttals when you encounter them and end up in a political/economic/civil liberties debate.

[@creatoruser736]

It should also be mentioned that with North Korea closing their borders due to COVID-19 they're in danger of facing starvation conditions right now. They've even admitted food troubles and a lot of their pronouncements recently have had to do with food security and reassuring their people they're trying to look after them.

[@xboxstudent]

They closed their borders, but the ships from Vietnam and trains from China still bringing rice to their ports and stations anyway. So they'll be fine

[@winnieid2727]

It's hard to simpatize with country that prefer buying b* *mb or mi* *ile rather than foods for it's people.

[@skylarkesselring6075]

@@winnieid2727 no one's asking you to feel bad for the DPRK, but for the majority of the people living there with no say in any of this

[@MusicalMemeology]

@@winnieid2727 why did you censor bomb and missile?

[@sizor3ds]

@@MusicalMemeology I’ve seen people do similar things with words on KZbin’s demonetized list, but never for bomb and missile

[@hyderabbasi]

Really admire the extensive research that went into this. I learned a lot.

[@KanishQQuotes]

North Korea is as if the great leap forward and holodomor had a radioactive baby

[@cageybee7221]

17:00 holy shit. my *city* has a GDP of 23 billion. it's a city of 200k people. our manufacturing sector's GDP alone is 3x larger than the entire state budget of north korea. that's fucking insane.

[@Wabu_227]

What city do you live in?

[@cageybee7221]

@@Wabu_227 nowhere special, just a mid-size city in northern indiana.

[@NUCLEARARMAMENT]

North Korea has a GDP of at least $150-$300 billion. Capitalists really love to lie.

[@haechiwr]

@@NUCLEARARMAMENT 🤣🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭

[@aa-vk6hd]

@@NUCLEARARMAMENT Not true

[@catsspat]

17:07 A good example of, "just claiming something does not make it true." Building at the top left corner says, "We are happy." (hengbok = happiness, contentment, satisfaction, etc.) I'd venture to guess that most people seeing that huge sign at the top of the building don't agree.

[@jellybr3ak]

Lol, we have something just like that in Vietnam, every new year, they hang a banner cheering the government and that banner will sit there until next year. People in countries like us doesn't care. We are just trying to survive.

[@indianatarzan8001]

China recently claimed their most valuable company is TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Corporation). Countries that implement information firewall across their borders love making ridiculous claims.

[@Kirillissimus]

It does not matter what people think and whether they agree or not. As long as most of them prefer to stay quiet you can just pretend that truth does not even exist and replace it with whatever suits you best and you will all just carry on with it, right until you just can't anymore.

[@haruruben]

From what I’ve read, there was a long time period after the war where the North was doing much better than the South due to contracts from Soviets and CCP, now of course the South has them beat a few hundred times over

[@haruruben]

@Armament Armed Arm cut of 90% of any country’s trade and they would do poorly, the trick is don’t get your trade cut off. Kim could have trade and prosperity right now

[@jacksonneedham2792]

@@haruruben yeah if he bent over backwards, let himself get penetrated, and personally helped the us build bases with nuclear weapons on the country Do you understand what your argument sounds like? “Yeah we could not let them starve but they won’t listen to everything we say so uh, yeah sorry”

[@죽은_시민의_사회]

There was a time when they were outperforming even Communist China in terms of individual well-being.

[@haruruben]

@@죽은_시민의_사회 that was back in the 80’s, the North had a lot of different manufacturing contracts with the Soviet Union that boosted the economy but that ended with the failure of the USSR

[@aoh4905]

@Armament Armed Arm low iq comment

[@nowisthetimetochange]

Awesome to see this channel grow so big.

[@paulbangert6005]

In a different video someone said that the people are starving because their government wants them to, and I thought that was a really interesting perspective. If you worry about your food every day and you're hungry constantly, you don't have enough brain capacity to worry about anything else, especially not about the lies of the government or even trying to leave the country, simply because all you want is to make that hunger feeling go away. And if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. When I work or just do something in my free time and I get really hungry all of a sudden, everything else suddenly matters way less than it did before. I lose my focus at work, my fun during my free time and many of my worries, because I really just want to eat something. The government could do so much to improve all of this but I'm sure they're well aware that if the population had enough food and people wouldn't be hungry anymore, there would be too much capacity to think about different things, like discrepancies in the stories that the government comes up with. People wouldn't have that pressure of trying to grow enough food to survive. It's essentially just a massive balancing act between leaving the population hungry and occupied enough so that they obey, while at the same time giving them enough food so they don't die. The massive famine disturbed that balance and led to a lot of death.

[@guyukassman7705]

What a bullcrap. You think the people of North Korea didn't knew BEFORE the starvation that their government is trash? With or without starving, they were and still are very loyal to their government because of brainwashing and cowardice.

[@dannyzero692]

@@guyukassman7705 I believe they slowly think that their government is trash after multiple famines and economic failures, remember that the people who founded North Korea was fighting for it. People wanted that communist government and they got it, after multiple failures by the government they don't like it anymore but the government got too powerful to stop.

[@Dutch_Uncle]

@@guyukassman7705 And, people who are absolutely starving do not revolt. The revolts come as things get better. In the NK context, the only possible revolt would be some type of military coup, which seems unlikely as it would force out the military.

[@dannydaw59]

They can't keep the military fed. Gotta feed the military so that they can put down revolts/uprisings.

[@dplocksmith91]

@@Dutch_Uncle which is why North Korea will never be free until their military is destroyed. When China collapses, North Korea will be in big trouble. Their chief benefactor will be gone, and with it, the military's main source of food. When the military starts starving, they will be vulnerable, and that's when they will attempt to pillage South Korea, which is when South Korea, the *real* Korea, should end North Korea's existence, with help from the US and others.

[@boyahboy09]

Please do a video on the Cuban economy and how it's survived thus far. I think most people who even lean towards socialism don't have any real understanding of how cuba works including myself. Much appreciated.

[@penguinpingu3807]

Honestly I want to see what happens if America lift it's embargo on Cuba. Because if it's a failed state, then why not lift the embargo and make it fail on its own.

[@MusicalMemeology]

It’s called asianometry though.

[@Jetsetlemming]

@@penguinpingu3807 Cuba isn't remotely a failed state lmao. They even regularly offer medical aid to the US when natural disasters hit (getting turned down by the US government of course).

[@victorhopper6774]

@@Jetsetlemming oh please, their largest export is people.

[@boyahboy09]

@@MusicalMemeology he sometimes does videos on the Soviet union etc and other places. I don't see why he wouldn't do one. It would just be great to have an actual analyst breakdown the Cuban situation.

[@andro7862]

The north korean regime is the strongest on Earth. It has tried every trick in the book to destroy itself, yet it is still here.

[@ChickenMcThiccken]

it hasn't fallen; because the people still fear the ruler and are very malnourished to fight a war. most of the food is grown for the military. very little is kept for the farmers and their families. in the end; the population will fall. not very many are having children. why would a north korean man; have a child he knows; will grow up in poverty and live under that type of regime? not gonna happen. kim is going to be dead by the end of this decade. people who go from morbidly obese to slim in one year ; and on top of that ; go through a massive heart attack and almost dying at the operating table; but 1 year later; look like it never happened? yeah no. his time is coming.

[@fduranthesee]

@@ChickenMcThicckenNgl, I wish DPRK and China would collapse _FASTER._ I hate being an Accelerationist in times like this - everything feels so goddamned SLOW.

[@treborobotacon]

Imagine your country starving to death and not being allowed to grow a backyard garden because it's private property and not socialist.

[@gtbsbe3465]

seriously amazing content, presented with lovely graphics and images as opposed to basic stock footage. definitely deserve more attention, keep up the work!

[@AC-nr1xh]

There are some mistakes: double-crop is not mean that you can get two haverst potato in one field the same year (this is not possible in Korean climat). Double crop means that you can grow, for instance, barley in winter and spring and corn in summer in the same field. This also mean crop-rotation, very good if alternate legumes and corn. Second, barley can be sown in winter or in spring. In both cases harvest will be in summer. Winter is better, because the crop have more time to grow, but sometimes weather, or lack of tractors, don't allowed to sown all the barley in winter or before winter, so farmer should sown it in spring. There are not little tractors in Korea for little plots? I have only seen little tractors in huge fields😅. Thank you, this channel help me to study English and polit-economy.

[@pjacobsen1000]

North Korea: The eternal tragedy.

[@sinoroman]

Has potential but cannot access it since food is still critical

[@appa609]

Except it's not eternal! It was basically the same as SK until the fall of the Soviet Union.

[@pjacobsen1000]

@@appa609 SK started pulling ahead already in the 70s.

[@kasugaryuichi9767]

@Armament Armed Arm Or perhaps communist countries are always on the path to starvation

[@kasugaryuichi9767]

@Armament Armed Arm that's because communism is brain rot for countries, weakening them from inside

[@XiaosChannel]

It's interesting when this is compared to what happens today in china, where central government set up goals, and its up to lower government to achieve them with means as they see fit, it's usually several pilot programs at the same time and supposedly those achieving good results get to be implemented in broader area

[@RussellCambell]

I was in Japan 1992 to 94. 93 was so rainy the rice didn't grow well due to lack of sun. They imported rice... There was a volcano in the Phillipines (Pinatumbo) a few years earlier 1991 . I wonder if North Korea experienced more of the same.

[@aurelian2668]

Pinatubo?

[@RussellCambell]

@aurelian2668 yes sorry i mistyped

[@Herr_Damit]

A lot of states are not independent with their food, but it's not as bad when you are able to trade with the world.

[@kicapanmanis1060]

15:52 Housewives of North Korea. Now that would be an interesting reality show.

[@TWEAKLET]

way better than half the fake reality tv shows we have today

[@Fireclaws10]

Thanks for making an actual good, fact based video about Nk. People uncritically quoting Radio Free Asia doesn’t paint a real picture of the problems NK faces.

[@simunator]

keep the people starving so they don't have the energy to revolt

[@karmandalas]

I've been to North Korea near Chinese border. All their hills are turned into arrable land sparsely planted with corn. The lack of appropriate farming tech and fertilizer and the degeneration of land made farming very inefficient.

[@cow1816]

Just to remind everyone that China and Russia have even both talked about sanctioning NK before, that's just how bad the North Korean government is. At least Russia allows access to the outside world and China has food and medical service.

[@multidoor6928]

Russia is no longer the way you described it lol.

[@Nestalgba92023]

CCP's China sanctioning NK, like really?

[@cow1816]

@@Nestalgba92023 NK has threatened China and Russia before over silly things, making both Russia and China view NK in a less favorable light.

[@cow1816]

@@multidoor6928 yeah lol

[@BigFred458]

And YET, they can shoot 23 Intermediate and Long Range Ballistic Missiles into the Sea of Japan on a good day. What a waste.

[@KanishQQuotes]

The following Kept on life support by China Cambodia under khmer rogue North Korea since soviet collapse Myanmar (crisis since independence in 1947) Pakistan has practically leased out their entire coastline

[@cow1816]

China doesn't even like the N.Korean government, Russia and China have both talked about sanctioning N.Korea from just how doctorial it is. N.K constantly shows the world why authoritarianism is bad, which itself is a threat to Russia and China since they try to sweep under the rug how authoritarian their systems are. Pretty much by this point NK is truly alone besides Kim meeting up with Putin every few years. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Russia or China themselves invaded or at least toppled the Korean government.

[@shauncameron8390]

@Armament Armed Arm Yes you can. Sanctions are not a valid excuse for mismanagement and corruption largely to fuel the Kim regime's power-trips.

[@shauncameron8390]

Exactly.

[@haruruben]

7:00 wait- they put people in jail for foraging????? Like “foraging” meaning like looking for berries and roots in the forest? Why? That makes no sense

[@paul_the_merciful]

interesting.. 1990's I lived in Thailand.. refugees arrived via China and entered via northern Thailand . how can they afford missiles and nuclear weapons.. if they have no food .?

[@PsilocybinCocktail]

Pakistani dictator Bhutto put it well: "We will eat grass if we have to, but we WILL have a nuclear weapon". Said because India had demonstrated their ability to create nuclear warheads. Of course, when he says "we" in relation to food, he actually means "I'm going to have 5 square meals a day, the peasants can suffer instead."

[@brose2323]

Just think of how Britain used inflatable tanks during ww2. I'm of the mindset that much of what you see on north Korea video footage is bluster and propaganda, quiet frankly not a very good job.

[@montecorbit8280]

FYI: I just googled arable in the US. I don't remember how many million hectares....but it came out to be 16.8%.

[@DC9848]

They have vast coastlines, so why not aquaculture starting with growing algae that can be used as part of human diet as well. Secondly they have significant labor at their usage so reforestation would be easier (many trees can produce also fruits and food)

[@SK-hm3ze]

they grow seaweed but it does not contain any sufficient amount of calories, like potato or crop. fruits do not grow in the northern climate

[@topixfromthetropix1674]

China has aquaculture on its seacoast and when there is a big storm, small islands of seaweed float around and kids lie on them and float around. The coastline of North Korea is extremely rugged with mountains sometimes entering the sea. Almost any market in NE China will have seaweed and kelp in stock so it obviously is a viable option.

[@RoseNZieg]

reforestation is impossible. the demand for wood exceeds the planted trees. trees take years to mature and yield woods without being cut down themselves.

[@bristoled93]

@Armament Armed Arm The sanctions are to stop weapons and luxury goods from getting into North Korea and to stop the regime from making money to buy those things.

[@w.reidripley1968]

@@SK-hm3ze IIRC they cannot manage to grow strawberries. Unsuitable climate.

[@pranayamfamily]

I have been following the channel for some time now and you have brought us another good video to understand what is going on in Asia, if and when you can do a video on North Korea's ballistic and nuclear programme. It is impressive the tenacity of these people.

[@GibbonsTake]

He does things not tirelessly already covered by western media

[@annasoloweszyk5224]

It’s an amazing joke that Un had gone on a diet, while the entire country is starving.

[@tina8796]

What an outdated, backwards, dark, cruel place. Nobody should be made to live like that. That's not a life only a mere existence

[@Technobabylon]

I had the opportunity for a six month job posting in the DPRK with the British Council a few years ago - it would have been *fascinating* (which I don't mean as an endorsement), but my wife vetoed it.

[@BungieStudios]

I know your pain.

[@lombardo141]

She probably saved your life. Anything could offend the dear leader and who knows what could happen to you

[@patrickglaser1560]

Wife seems wiser than thou

[@RohitSharma-mi8gt]

There’s always a Asianometry video to watch on commute. Awesome stuff

[@UpstateAlgaeLaboratory]

North Korea is the country equivalent of the friend who tries to live off the grid.

[@JonMartinYXD]

1:15 and 1:45 look so nice. Terribly sad that so many people in what could be such a nice place are suffering under a horrible, illegitimate regime.

[@remcovanvliet3018]

Every regime is illegitimate. But some are more horrible than others. The Kim family and their cronies certainly deserve to suffer terribly and die very, very slowly for what they've done to their countrymen.

[@JonMartinYXD]

@@remcovanvliet3018 Yeah I added the word just to emphasize that there is no "government of North Korea". In fact there is no "North" Korea. There is just the Republic of Korea, the northern half of which, sadly, is controlled by a hereditary gang of criminals propped up by China and Russia.

[@Austine1452]

@@JonMartinYXD keep on lying to yourself

[@JonMartinYXD]

@@Austine1452 What? Could you explain what I said that you disagree with and why?

[@oracuda]

LONG LIVE THE ETERNAL LEADER KIM IL SUNG LONG LIVE KIM JONG IL LONG LIVE KIMN JONG UN

[@flyingspirit3549]

Thanks for this highly informative summary of the sad history of North Korea.

[@Kolar522]

As a farmer I recommend you look up the SK JADAM method of farming. All my neighbours are now starting to implement some degrees of this method and I believe that cultivating and multiplying microorganisms is key to high production.

[@bakedbean37]

It's odd isn't it? Loads of people, all over the world, learning about natural farming methods from SK and yet, over the border, .............

[@BloodyCrow__]

Meanwhile commies think soil turning red means it supports them ideologically!

[@Frenchylikeshikes]

To summarize: North Korean government has always been incapable of provifing food to its people who were forced to find alternatives.

[@plantlord1079]

Incapable implies that they don't have the ability to help their own people, they do, they just don't want to. For instance, whether it was Kim jong Il or un, I dont remember, an organization offered north korea food assistance in the form of rabbits, since rabbits can give birth to alot more rabbits, it can help with their protein related food problem. Nope, one of those mother fuckers decided to eat all the delivered rabbits that were brought into the country at a fucking party, im amazed how nk is still around.

[@DruNature]

This is by design to control people, as completely starving populace has no means of resistance because they cannot even think straight.

[@deusexaethera]

@@DruNature : According to some philosophies, only the most devoutly loyal people are deserving of having even their basic human needs met. It's tribal culture writ-large. It's cruel, but also surprisingly effective at ensuring loyalty, because almost nobody has the means to go find their own ways of meeting all their own needs -- not even most people who have devoted their entire lives to the task.

[@thetreekeeper143]

That's what the West wants you to believe!!

[@jandrews6254]

And yet the kims are well fed to the point of obesity

[@mt8956]

With the cyber capabilities & stealing money/making counterfeit am surprised they haven’t made Hydroponics or Vertical Farming. They can use their Cyber capabilities to good use and get funds to buy the equipment from China or Russia.

[@jellybr3ak]

All that money went back into the pocket of Kim family to buy the loyalty of the top officers. Why spend 10 on farming when 1 for farming and 1 for loyalty and keeping the rest.

[@sizor3ds]

Hydroponics and vertical farming as well as community permaculture gardens are great for food security of communities, but are harder to manage (by bureau) and tax than traditional wheat, rice, or corn farms. So while it would be much better for the people, it would be worse for a government trying to cling to power

[@tylersoto7465]

True, north Korea could be a strong country If they loosen up on strict economic policies and let capitalism in like China, north Korea has large deposits of resources like high grade coal, iron , nickel, tungsten etc to be a industrial power

[@fraktaalimuoto]

I like again how you can talk about a challenging subject in a reasonably neutral tone.

[@porkysharma8423]

*"neutral tone" but slightly bias.

[@cyzcyt]

Alternate title: How to squander half a century of industrial lead

[@blenderbanana]

Have it obliterated by the United States of America?

[@Nicholas-qf8vx]

@@blenderbanana economic lead or not there are still gulags, if you need to shove a large chunk of your population in a prison in order for you to thrive its not a good system

[@blenderbanana]

@@Nicholas-qf8vx .6% of North Koreans are being kept as chattle in the Gulag System. Americans who have served time (In Prison) for Non-Violent Drug-Offenses, is about 1.4% of the Population. Coupled with the Addendum of the 13th Amendment, and the History of "American Justice" throughout the twentiest century, Our own depravity is revealed.

[@kerosblue5609]

@@blenderbanana Em where did you get this information?

[@blenderbanana]

@@kerosblue5609 N Korea's was easy, just google it. America's has to be pieced together from "Americans who have served time in Prison" and "# of Americans who have served time for Non-Violent Drug Offenses" and such

[@dsimondublin]

Severe floods, extreme drought, no fertlizers, and poor crop management in the 90's left NKorea in a famine. Estimates of upwards to 5 million people died. Probably one of the worst human disasters in last 1/4 century and no one talks about it.

[@SafetyBriefer]

15:01 Pretty bold to have a picture of a dude reading a book on your book.

[@stumccabe]

Very thorough. Excellent presentation.

[@richardscathouse]

You'd think in 80 years someone might have learned to grow plants

[@nikolatasev4948]

All this feels even more tragic when you remember North Korea spends Billions on nukes and ballistic missiles.

[@Vinzmannn]

Throwing money at the problem wouldn't solve the obvious lack of know how

[@亲爱的爸爸]

if it doesn't have it, US imperialism will invade it immediately like middle Asia. it's right

[@vietnamsemonky4082]

@@亲爱的爸爸 literally what are you talking about lol, we have no reason to invade a country that we very much like having as a buffer state between S.Korea and China. North Korea offers us nothing in terms of invading it other than so many more problems. Are you from China?

[@AussieFlavio]

@@亲爱的爸爸 And they'd be so much better off if it happened, too!

[@亲爱的爸爸]

@@AussieFlavio no, people in the country can decide their fate own, if they want to rebel, it's their own business. any imperialism and colonism can never be accepted. these several hundred years, imperilism and colonism have killed billions death, just India famines under uk colonism caused over 100 million peasants starve. and the slaughter by imperialism killed entire races in Australia and America. Africa slaves also died millions for US imperialism slave trade. let people themselves decide. US imperialism has make millions people death in such as Afghanistan, they just launch war for profit and don't care people death

[@WesstLmfao]

your videos are amazing!

[@Matixmer]

„And what does the government do about it.“ A sentence that would make me sceptical with the most functional of governments and we are talking about North Korea here …

[@spritemon98]

"The farmers are keeping food for themselves!!"

[@Sunzen44]

@@spritemon98 kulaks and farmers are not the same.. Same way domesticated cats and lions aren't the same You can try mix-matching them all you want but it will never be same shit

[@spritemon98]

@@Sunzen44 it's a joke

[@Sunzen44]

@@spritemon98 mb I seen too many ironic comment

[@mythos7477]

"North Korea was removed from the provisions of TWEA in 2008"....why did you skip the part about the IEEPA?

[@theknifedude1881]

Asianometry is one of the VERY FEW KZbin channels I put on Patreon after the first video. I’m retired and other than walking the dog and riding my ebikes/motorcycles (with Baby, the 12.5# Pekingese in the basket) I watch a lot of KZbin. Thanks for the videos/information. I spent a month in Hong Kong and Mainland China in 2007 and loved it. I’m afraid, what with Covid and and our respective administrations it’s probably not going to be on my “To Do” list in the near future. Thanks again for the videos.

[@elcuete]

I know it's embarrassing, but How come noone really mentions the fact that citizens have a poop quota they must hit which is used for manure in ALL their crops causing the majority of North Korean citizens to live with giant long ass worms inside of them. And how they have to have a person guard communal toilets because different villages try to steal poop from one another to be able to hit such quota

[@rockystelone21]

Yeah no shit

[@olanrewajuihenacho178]

My favourite story is of the German export of twelve giant (over 10kg/22lb) rabbits for an official government breeding programme which were all instead eaten immediately upon arrival at a presidential banquet🤣🤣🤣🤣🤦🏿👎🏿🇬🇧

[@geofjones9]

Just crazy enough to be true. Kim Jong Il only cares about one person, himself!

[@johnbutz9200]

Excellent work. Thank you!

[@DarknessUnresolved]

Thank you! For this educated and non-bias video.

[@ChickenMcThiccken]

why even have a kid in north korea? like wtf?

[@sycopath8311]

It’s because Kim eats everything and leaves nothing for the people

[@y-mefarm4249]

One thing I never see in any photos or video is livestock. They seem to grow grass quite well. I am a sheep farmer, I grow organic veggies and hay for my sheep. I constantly rotate my sheep and my crops. Every few years I switch my sheep pastures and veggie fields. The sheep pasture is extremely fertile, perfect for my veggies. My veggie fields are still good and grow grass perfect for my sheep. I never once had to bring in fertilizer. On 60 acres we produce tons of veggies every year. And enough meat to feed dozens of families. We are just a small operation.

[@Lenin941FN]

We effectively gave North Korea a massive head start when we left Korea at the end of WWII and they still managed to screw it up

[@mxr572]

Kim seems to have done well during the famines.

[@oracuda]

They didnt let the leader starve noo way literally 1984

[@Rhoda8002]

I'm sure someone said this, but, their leaders are focused om militarism; not humanity. I hope and pray that somebody will wake up over there.

[@stephenhoward6829]

So, the Kim dynasty will fall, but not without North Korea destroying itself. The starving will eat the starving, figuratively if not literally. Let us hope that in the paroxysms of death the country doesn't damage or destroy the countries around them. What will follow will be a tense dance twixt South Korea and China regarding land claims, with allies on either side in close attendance.

[@misdrevenous]

I love your content! Subscribed 😍

[@theblackhand6485]

I wonder why these people do not see the bad things they do to the soil. Being a peasant is a skill of a million years old. Even a kid knows that you only can use the land for two years with the same crop. After that you need to grow another kind of crop and leave parts of it behind on the fields. Or use ashes from the left over crop. Then add furtilizer. Natural fertilizers. Not men made ones. Every fifth year the soil must be just regular grassland and let cows graze. With these steps fertility of the soil will return. ...is all over the internet so mister Kim should know these things.

[@Matt-fh6ip]

Their fearless leader weighs 300 pounds ! How could they be starving?

[@robertsolimanm7031]

Your statement at the beginning of this video was a fresh breath of truth so many fake stats are propaganda riddled on other videos I’m happy ypu began by making this point well done

[@kensmith8152]

It’s very clear as to how the Soviet era management system along with stubbornness of NK leadership keeps if’s people in poverty. Doing the same thing over and over again and doubling down when it fails only multiplies the on going catastrophe. Because the government is unwilling to learn and implement new ways of doing things NK is stuck in it’s ongoing condition.

[@dredverone]

Anything to do with sanctions that almost every country is placing on N.K?

[@thedarkdivinity7525]

It's easier to exert tyranny over an uneducated and starving population than the opposite.

[@view1st]

That's like asking whether the USA has anything to do with Russia's actions in Ukraine. Are the increase in fuel and food prices in Europe are in some way related to the EU's sanctions on Russia. The blindingly obvious elephant in the room becomes suddenly invisible. Next you'll be asking whether three steel framed high rise buildings collapsed into their own footprint at free fall speed might have done so after a controlled demolition. _/S_

[@dashiellgillingham4579]

This is what happens when the people do not own their government, and that government cuts itself off from the world.

[@blenderbanana]

They didn't sanction themselves, those are being imposed on them.

[@usov656]

@@blenderbanana Even when NK had open support from the Soviet union and later china the government was still unable to prevent famine. Economic sanctions didn't starve NK, the completely inadequate methods used by the government literally arresting anyone trying to forage and cultivate by themselves did.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

@@blenderbanana they can still trade with russia and china.

[@shauncameron8390]

@@blenderbanana They still have Russia and China. The real problem is the Kim regime.

[@ernestkhalimov1007]

@@usov656 there was no famine in North Korea until 3 years after the USSR collapsed sir.

[@midbc1midbc199]

There has never been a period in time where North Korea didn't have a food shortage

[@亲爱的爸爸]

before Soviet Union collapsed, I remember north Korea economy was better than south Korea(dictator government time) for a period. that time many people from south Korea escaped to nk

[@AussieFlavio]

@@亲爱的爸爸 Lol.

[@PunkSlapper123]

@@亲爱的爸爸 Lol, I guess Kim has got you brainwashed too.

[@亲爱的爸爸]

@@PunkSlapper123 haha,just because you know nothing about history. I bet you never read history books

[@亲爱的爸爸]

don't know why some westerns know so little about 😂

[@elisecooper1942]

Not sure if this is true or not but I did hear North Korea deals with Republic of Ireland. I read in the news that N. Korea was sending to them commercial box trailers by ship and when Ireland open one of them they found dead bodies in them. So sad for the people, probably the ones who disobeyed or tried to escape.

[@kieranh2005]

It doesn't help that they're still practicing Lysenko-ism.

[@UTAU53Yui]

"prison camps for those caught foraging for food" I'm sorry, what??

[@nicwolf1370]

Those rolling verdant hills cry out for sheep, goats or cattle. But they'd be raised for cash to buy grain, and since the DPRK doesn't really trade it won't happen. They're so desperate for calories and self-sufficiency they are missing out on actually being able to feed themselves.

[@hablom1977]

It's better to keep the people hungry so they don't have the energy to revolt...

[@xavieryates9782]

It would be good to have some reliable data on the levels of overall health in North Korea. I was wondering simply because, here in the West, I believe that we have all become spoiled by overabundance, the result of which has been extremely detrimental to our overall health. Also, it was noted that as result of the shortages in food supplies during WWII, a very clear increase in population health was noticed, even in the face of near-famine (in some cases). I’m aware that, most likely, the overall population health of North Korea may not be a priority for the government, but I simply want to know if this [relative] lack of availability of food has somehow had the side effect of increasing overall health there.

[@alpcns]

It hasn't. Even defectors from their (colossal) Army - receiving the best foods - are riddled with parasites and diseases, with evidence of them eating tree bark and grass. Just ask any doctor treating refugees and defectors. There's a reason why these tyrannical systems fail. Even China has fake foods and toxic foods, as well as food shortages.

[@xavieryates9782]

@@alpcns Thank you for responding. Sure, if there’s veritable (i.e. objective) hard data on it, I would have to yield to it. Of course, given the undeniable bias of those who oppose North Korea (which, although perhaps well-justified would still generate a bias anyway) would somehow find its way towards manipulation of objective data. It’s just that, because of my background in Mathematics, I tend to be a bit of a purist when it comes to data and the application of logic [to it] to derive an objective truth. Any scientific approach worth its salt MUST consider any elements that might pollute the objective data, that’s all. In today’s world we find that, unfortunately, governments and economic interests indeed manipulate data to fit their corresponding agendas, and this is what I wholeheartedly reject. We should deal in only the objective, unaltered, and complete truth that untouched data brings us.

[@alpcns]

@@xavieryates9782 You're most welcome - and absolutely correct. Of course only objective, accurate and complete data will do for (real) science. Maybe it's useful for you to contact refugees (Yeonmi Park comes to mind) and/or others. I used to work and live in South Korea and Asia/Pacific for many years, and know many Korean people in general, including some refugees. So if I can help it will be my pleasure.

[@xavieryates9782]

@@alpcns Thank you. I lived in Beijing for 3.5 years, but never visited Korea. We are all at the mercy (mostly) of the media in this case, except, of course, people who have actually been in direct contact with refugees, like yourself. Of course, when people visit North Korea, they are given ‘the tour’, are always accompanied by an assigned guide/guardian, and can only visit certain places, not others. This much I do know, but exactly to what extent this famine goes, I, personally have little knowledge of, so I’ll take your account on board and take it from there. Of course, I agree that, at least usually, totalitarian regimes do tend to fall into oppression, and usually end up imploding one way or the other. That being said, I also spent some time in the Middle East (Oman, which is a Sultanate), and most, if not all of those countries are definitely not democratic, but at least in a large number of cases their sovereigns are well-loved by the people and there is extremely little discontent. For example, Oman had a Sultan, who was indeed very protective (genuinely) of his people and was loved immensely. It is a dictatorship (like most of the Middle East), but that does not mean that it is a bad one. In the meantime, here in the West, what we call ‘democracy’ is nothing but a show; a large body of corrupt politicians in collusion with big businesses to squeeze money out of people into their own pockets and those of the companies they answer to. It’s a complete disgrace.

[@alpcns]

@@xavieryates9782 I agree with much of your observations. It's a sad state of affairs in the West these days. It's also an interesting coincidence that you have experience in the ME as well, where I used to work a lot too about a decade and a half ago (yes, I'm old). Anyway, I wish you much success in your scientific research endeavors, and if I can be of help in any way I'll be happy to do so. Thanks for the nice correspondence!

[@BOSS-ef4ev]

Because usa embargo on them. I feel bad for the children in north korea. Usa should apologize to north korean regime and it people

[@1pcfred]

We should apologize because they attacked and tried to conquer their southern neighbor? I don't think so!

[@BOSS-ef4ev]

@@1pcfred not only that, the fucking usa government sanctioned Vietnam even though they were the one who invaded vietnam and killed vietnamese children

[@1pcfred]

@@BOSS-ef4ev hold on there Ho Chi Minh we did not invade Vietnam. We were just minding our own business in the Tonkin Bay when we were attacked. Or at least we think we may have been? No one is quite sure today. In any event that began our involvement in the Vietnam Conflict. Which I will add was going on before we arrived. Our only goal was to bring peace to the region. We just have a funny way of achieving peace. We think if we just beat one side up enough they'll decide to stop fighting. It did work in Vietnam too.

[@karenbaird7402]

Could waste from fish farms be used to replace petroleum based fertilizer

[@joriankell1983]

Aquaponics. Yes, they could. But they won't.

[@jiggythibs]

I'm no expert and might be wrong in my analysis. However, don't you think that the embargo that has been placed soon after the Korean war by the United Nations refraining import of fertiliser and other agricultural machinery have had an impact on crop yields in DPRK? Since fertiliser can be use as explosive they have been restricted for over 70 years. Couldn't this although be a reason why crops aren't doing well. Therefore, what is the extent of the impact of the politic of our countries in North Korea's situation?

[@雷-t3j]

North Korea has a really easy option out of this: join with the south. If the North Korean leadership actually cared about their people they would realise that the best thing they could do is admit failure and let their half of the country take advantage of the success of the other. They probably wouldn't even need to give up the nukes, because they aren't exactly in the friendliest neighbourhood and the Republic of Korea isn't going to be waving them around to annoy everyone. Even if they didn't join with the south they could reform and work with the other countries in the world, and they would be accepted. Even the actions of our own countries are ultimately still the responsibility of North Korea; they know what they would need to do to get out of the situation they're in.

[@mathiasbartl9393]

NK seems to be quite capable of producing explosives, so that can't be it.

[@zacharyyan4898]

6:30 classic “beggars can’t be choosers” mentality

[@Aka.Aka.]

Not being embargoed by the entire world will surely help with this..... Also in case someone talks about nukes, the US has 7,000 nukes while NK has less than 10, they are only keeping it because they're scared that the bloodthirsty americans will turn them into afghanistan.

[@1pcfred]

Nah we're good with how things are now. They can sit there and starve. What does the USA have to do with Afghanistan? We went there looking for certain individuals to bring justice to them. With the blessings of the Afghan government I may add.

[@sarasarita8855]

@@1pcfred "what does USA have to do with Afghanistan" invading their lands and letting Afghanistan in chaos and then imposing sanctions so now the afghans are starving. Ah yes, Murica, the land of the free who loves interfering and ruining other countries 🇺🇸🦅

[@1pcfred]

@@sarasarita8855 the USA did not invade Afghanistan. We were there with the blessing of what passed for a government there. We asked them to turn over the Al Queda members and they said they couldn't but we were welcome to come get them ourselves. So we did. What sanctions did we ever impose? Afghans are starving because they are a poor country. They were poor before we got there and they're still poor. That has nothing to do with us. What do you expect in an iron age society? It's not like they were living in Tomorrowland when we got there. You know what you call a piece of sandpaper in Afghanistan? A map!

[@sarasarita8855]

@@1pcfred oh god… "we were in the blessing of what passed for a government there" no y all literally invaded it. And spent 20 years while Al Qaeda was literally in Pakistan. I don’t know why the f#ck a country that is thousands of kilometers far away wants to establish "DeMoCrAcy". Oh nevermind, I know why, opium fields isn’t it ! That’s the first thing y all protected while you were in Afghanistan 🥰

[@1pcfred]

@@sarasarita8855 the US is capable of and does grow all of the opium it legally uses. So spare me the poppy myth.

[@baronvonjo1929]

I love the idea of a united Korea. But the more you look into the more it seems like a impossibility. Plus I hear most young South Koreans do not want this as they see it as more competition in a already competitive work culture. But think of South Korea. With all its K pop and fashion sense reuniting with North Korea. North Koreans would definitely feel weirded out I would think.

[@mindyschocolate]

South Korea would literally be supporting North Korea. That country is so poor and screwed up South Korea would take major economic hits trying to bring North Korea up to its level. Young people won’t want that.

[@darren8608]

it happened once with Germany, i assume it could work with Korea as well

[@flupsiupsi]

@@darren8608 East Germany had economic ties to the west, producing for example white-label washing machines and cameras and the like for the west german market. The border was also far less hermetic than the 38th parallel, and living conditions were somewhat similar in both countries despite the contrasting esthetics. Unfortunately the "reunification" of germany was a neocolonial takeover, and thirty years after, almost all positions of power in east germany are occupied by people born in the west, and an average east german owns half as much wealth as an average westerner today. Perhaps a realistic scenario of a reunified Korea would see NK become an ultra-low-wage, no-regulation, free-trade zone for international investors.

[@togowack]

There will be a United Korea, and they will become an economic superpower; they were separated for this reason, there were enough powerful countries already. In prophetic circles we believe Korea will start the final nuclear war by attacking China.

[@planescaped]

A civilization with the title of "Eternal Leader" for the guy in charge makes me lol.

[@Benbobr]

How did I find these great videos just now 😮