Today we're going to talk about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea: the only country
in the world named quite-so ironically. You may know it better as North Korea. It's
as democratic as a country ruled by the same family for 70 years can be!
The head of state has been inherited through three generations of Kim's family:
Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, and now Kim Jong-Un. And in keeping with this perfectly democratic
tradition, the leader of North Korea is called, not president, not king, but 'Supreme Leader'.
You know, just like any normal democracy.
So, what can we really say about North Korea that you haven't heard before? Well, it is
one of the most brutal dictatorships in the whole world, where mass torture, execution,
and extreme poverty are common.
And now you might ask, 'Why should we care so much about this country?'
Well, the answer is as simple as, 'NUCLEAR BOMBS!' This is a country that is still
officially at war with South Korea and makes a pastime of threatening Japan and the US
with nuclear annihilation. And while that might have sounded far-fetched at one time,
with nuclear tests happening almost every other year, people are starting to take Lil'
Kim seriously.
But you might still wonder... if North Korea is that dangerous, well, why isn't anyone
stopping them?
So, they've actually tried. Basically every sanction you could think of has been thrown
at North Korea. But instead of that financial pressure forcing reform, North Korea has just
had it's diplomats selling meth out of their embassies worldwide. Two shockers there: One,
yes indeed, there are North Korean embassies. And two, yes, they also sell drugs out of
them.
But there's one country that still calls North Korea a friend - and that's China!
They even have a treaty called the 'Sino-North Korean Mutual Aid and Cooperation Friendship
Treaty'.
'China and Korea are as close from each other as lips are close to teeth' --Mao
Zedong
China, and to a lesser extent Russia, have been the only things propping up the North
Korean regime. So, that gives China a lot of sway over Kim Jong-Un, right? Well, that's
what the international community thought... And that's how China came to be seen as
the only country the world could turn to in order to rein in North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
But not so fast. Things are changing. And China is starting to get rather annoyed at
their little brother's tomfoolery.
So the question today is what's behind the cooling of the relationship between China
and North Korea? And what consequences could this have on the future of the country? Joining
us today to answer these questions is the biggest China expert on YouTube. Yes, dear
viewers, we are talking about Chris Chappell, the host of CHINA UNCENSORED.
Hello Simon and hello to all our friends at VisualPolitik.
So relations between these two communist brothers have deteriorated so much that China and North
Korea are in the middle of a war... of words!
Basically, China said that it would work with the evil imperialists'you know, the USA to
combat North Korea's nuclear program.
Then North Korean state-run media responded that China should really think about how its
'reckless act of chopping down the pillar of [North Korea]-China relations' could
have 'grave consequences.'
And then Chinese state-run media responded with a not so subtle threat to end their alliance.
So why exactly are they stabbing each other in back? Well, we're going to have a look
at that right now!
CHINA FRIENDZONES NORTH KOREA
China and North Korea really make the perfect best friends. They have much in common: They
share a border, they both had communist uprisings, and have installed leaders who have radical
views of Marxism. The People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea really are like the Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez of the international
politics!
'Now China does more than just give North Korea financial aid. China has also made big
loans to the North Korean regime so they can build railroads and highways. And they're
pretty forgiving when Pyongyang can't pay back its debts.
And then there's oil. For decades, China was the main source of dinosaur juice to North
Korea.
Plus, there's military cooperation. China helped train North Korean hackers... hackers
who've now become a threat to the international community, including China.
And what does Beijing get in exchange? Well, North Korea is a cheap labor paradise. In
fact, many products with the 'MADE IN CHINA' label should acutally say: 'MADE IN DPRK'.
'Australian sportswear brand Rip Curl made a public apology this week after it emerged
that some of its ski gear had been made in one of North Korea's state-owned factories'
But hold on a minute, because things are starting to change. The Chinese Communist Party today
is a little less interested in the global spread of Communism, and a little more interested
becoming a global superpower. And North Korea is, well, really cramping its style.
Imagine how hard it is to be cool with America when your good buddy North Korea keeps threatening
to bomb them. But this is not the end of the story. 60 years ago, North Korea and China
were pretty similar. But today, things are quite different...
A lot of North Korean citizens would do whatever it
takes in order to cross the Chinese border. And Beijing is scared of what could become
a refugee crisis similar to that of Syria.
If this wasn't enough, Pyongyang's diplomacy hasn't been all that diplomatic
with its own allies. Here's a little snub courtesy of Kim Jong Un in 2015...
[An all-female North Korean pop band formed by leader Kim Jong Un abruptly canceled a
Beijing concert on Saturday and headed back home to Pyongyang, ]
But, undoubtedly, February 2017 became the breaking point for this friendship.
North Korea launching some ballistic missiles or conducting some nuclear tests is nothing new.
But what is new is the degree to which China is willing to criticize it.
This is happening at a time when Chinese leader Xi Jinping is trying to improve his relationship
with United States. And, of course, according to Pyongyang, this is a stab in the back.
It triggered the war of words between these two countries, with state-run media in both
countries criticizing the other.
But this is not the end of the story! Remember those Chinese trained North Korean hackers
that allegedly hit several Hollywood studios two years ago? Well... if you lay down with
dogs, don't be surprised if you wake up with fleas.
'the wave of so-called ransomware attacks that began Friday have struck China hard (...) If
North Korea is responsible, even unintentionally, it would be the first known attempt by Pyongyang
to digitally pilfer China's coffers at such a scale.
In other words, by keeping things the same, North Korea is about to lose their biggest
ally - the only country willing to defend them in case of war.
And this is a war that, even if it's only for propaganda reasons, a lot of people would
love to start?
PUTIN AND TRUMP COME IN
I know what you are thinking... 'Oh, Simon, this is quite a story! It only needs Vladimir
Putin to become a true VisualPolitik video!' So well... here you go!
'Russia has already taken over the supply of jet fuel to North Korea after China halted
exports two years ago, according to the industry sources in China.'
Russia and North Korea also have a lot of things in common. Apart from sharing a border,
they both have strong, attractive and manly leaders.
And in both countries, human rights are considered optional.
Russia and North Korea just started a ferry service that connects their two countries,
so Russian companies can be regularly stocked with a North Korean slave workforce.
Does that mean Putin and Kim are now besties?...
Well, not so fast, because Kim Jong Un has a rather funny concept of true love.
'North Korea launches a missile near Russian sea'
OK, listen, Kim Jong Un... Dude, this is not the way you make friends! And as you might
imagine, with things like this, Russia may not be too quick to become North Korea's
unconditional ally. So, for the first time in history, the most hated country has run
out of allies...
And this is when Donald Trump steps into the picture!
'Someone is not doing the right thing and I will take full responsibility about it'
This comes at a time when China is trying to work on new trade deals with the United
States. At the same time, Donald Trump is facing a lot of pressure at home.
So the question is, will Donald Trump be taking 'responsibility' for North Korea to improve
his image in the United States? Could this be the end of the North Korean dictatorship?
Well, you can leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Meanwhile, if you want to know all the details about the breakup between China and North
Korea, don't forget to check out my channel, China Uncensored.
China Uncesored is certainly the best channel about politics in China on YouTube and it's
really worth subscribing to. So please head over to their channel and check out their
stuff.
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