North Korea will become a capitalist country soon?

[Bifrost]

About a couple of months ago Korea changed its economical system from coupon based (typical for communist society) to a currency based economical system (typical for capitalist society).
About a couple of days ago the general secretary of the DPRK's communist party comrade Kim Chen Ir (spelling?) met our president Mr. V.V.P. with a project of a new railroad connecting Russia with North Korea - this railroad can connect Europe with DPRK and South Korea, and it can give both sides (Russian and Korean) great income. Comrade Kim Chen Ir particularly mentioned great profit for both sides. The most interesting: Leaving our contry, at a railway station he made a hint about some great changes in Korea we'll be able to hear about in a nearer future.

Now, lets see what happened to DPRK in last few months:
1) the new currency system replaced the old communist system of coupons
2) on the meeting of Russian president V.V.P. and the general secretary comrade Kim Chen Ir (about a couple of months ago) the Korean side recorded its agreement to meet the representative of the USA with the mediation of Russia.
3) DPRK became an "opened state" for South Korean citizens
4) commercial suggestions to Russian government
5) a weird phrase about some surprising changes in North Korea

Maybe North Korea will become a capitalist country soon?

 

[amadeus]

Not under the dictatorship, they won't.

Kim Jong Il is temporarily softening his position until the threat of U.S. military action subsides. The fat bastard will keep the crappy system the way it is and continue to oppress his people, so long as he keeps himself close to the Communist Party in China.

Of course, if a U.S.-ROK team decided to strike facilities in North Korea, China would take a diplomatic stand against the U.S., but would not follow through with it.

Keeping decent relations with the United States is more important than a flimsy alliance with an alcoholic womanizer.

 

[G-Man]

I don't see how the railroad connects... While the country is communist, international economics are still capitalistic - and ofcource some of that profit will go to comerade dictator

 

[Greadius]

Currency is not a tool of capitalism unless the market determines the price levels. Currency has existed in almost all economic systems (especially large scale), the fact that they denied the need for it for five decades should show how dilusional they are to the realities of economics and their counrty. Its not a step in the right direction, perhaps a shuffle at best. If it took them 50 years to learn that coupons don't work, they're a long ways off from picking up capitalism, and even further off on making a transition.

 

[Bifrost]

And what if he dies accidently? I think its a great opportunity for "underground" Korean organizations to make a revolution.
Or maybe the Korean leader changed his mind about being a communist leader - he must understand the advantages of capitatism, because he travelled to some capitalist countries

 

[nixon]

No, honestly don't think so, not without some kind of armed clash between North Korea and South Korea, or the United States.
The Korean peninsula is a dangerous minefield, one day everything's looking fine, the other day North Korean "fishing vessels" violate South Korean waters, which eventually leads to an armored naval encounter between the two.

One wouldn't hope for too much, in this area, it's one step at a time. What I don't like is the mixture of Russian and American interests, something which could lead to a strained relationship, it's not being hostile against Russia or my own country, one's talking about the conflicting geopolitical interests each country has. Russia seeks economic deals with North Korea, Iran and Syria etc, we label them as members of the famous "Axis of Evil"

One's simply indicating this potential problem, which could play a much bigger role in the near future, i.e. a U.S. invasion of Iraq.

I do think though, that it would be wise of Russia to cease its military agreements with North Korea and particularly Iran. Iran has become a major destabilizing factor, a status which remains to be as long as Iran is aided and is still pursuing the weapons of mass destruction.

 

[Greadius]

Originally posted by Bifrost
Or maybe the Korean leader changed his mind about being a communist leader - he must understand the advantages of capitatism, because he travelled to some capitalist countries

He must understand the advantages to others, and disadvantages to him. With the status quo, he lives like a king and is dictator for life. Beyond intrinsic motivations and human decency, what does he have to gain by bringing these benefits to everyone else. He is not accountable to the people, their suffering is not his problem.

 

[Bifrost]

Originally posted by nixon
I do think though, that it would be wise of Russia to cease its military agreements with North Korea and particularly Iran. Iran has become a major destabilizing factor, a status which remains to be as long as Iran is aided and is still pursuing the weapons of mass destruction.

Every country has a right to defense. We dont supply them with a mass destruction weapons, but we cant reject the contracts they offer us.
You ruined our economics during the cold war with your trade limits and sanctions. You think we can reject profitable deals while we have 63 place by economical development in the world?
We dont supply them with nuclear or bacteriological weapons, but every country has the right to trade the armaments they produce, as any country has the right to have its own army

 

[Globber]

More likely, he'll allow a small amount of economic freedom to reap the rewards of any profit and to keep the people happy enough to govern

 

[nixon]

Originally posted by Bifrost


Every country has a right to defense. We dont supply them with a mass destruction weapons, but we cant reject the contracts they offer us.
You ruined our economics during the cold war with your trade limits and sanctions. You think we can reject profitable deals while we have 63 place by economical development in the world?
We dont supply them with nuclear or bacteriological weapons, but every country has the right to trade the armaments they produce, as any country has the right to have its own army

Personally, I think that Iran is a much better example. The country gets pumped with Russian arms, and Russia supplies Iran with the single components to create a nuclear reactor, something which adds more destabilizing points to the region. Imagine Iraq and Iran with WMD, it may turn out ugly one day, with Russia as the main supplier of the Irani WMD program. I know that you're struggling hard to boost your economy, it really needs the maximum profits it can possibly get, but dealing with an obvious terrorist supporter like Iran is not good.

 

[Bifrost]

Yeah... The border between the peaceful atomic power plants and nuclear armament is rather thin, but I thought that any modern country is able to produce nuclear armament itself without any help, so whether we didnt supply them with reactors' parts they could make it themselves. And by the way "reactors" are used at power plants , I think that Building an atomic power plant on the territory of North Korea has no connection with supplying Korea with nukes? Or I am wrong?

 

[stalin006]

mmmmh.......u got me thnking abut cuba....how old is fidel castro?

 

[amadeus]

74.