The New North Korean Problem: History and Responsibilities in the Age of Kim Jong Un

Abstract

The world community, with South Korea, China, and the United States in the lead, must take a more proactive approach in dealing with the collapse of North Korea. The death of Kim Jong Il and the succession of his young, inexperienced son Kim Jong Un, has left North Korea in a potentially dangerous situation that brings it perilously closer to an internal collapse. Little is known about the internal workings of the North Korean economy based on the secrecy of the Kim regime yet analysts speculate that millions in the nation are starving. Based on complete media control and minimal exposure to the outside world, the citizens of North Korea may view any external involvement as an invasion. Additionally, North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear weapons program and missile technology. In the event of collapse, the possibility of this deadly technology falling into terrorist hands is a potential outcome that the civilized world cannot risk. Based on these threats and others, it is imperative that the three main stakeholders in the region take significant diplomatic and military approaches to prepare for the collapse.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 29, 2012
Accession Number
ADA601102

Entities

People

  • William S. Chairsell Iii

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Collapse
  • Communities
  • Governments
  • Information Operations
  • International Security
  • Korean War
  • Marine Corps
  • North Korea
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Political Ideologies
  • Political Movements
  • Security
  • South Korea
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Weapons
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Educational Psychology
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies