North Korea

Er, they've always been isolationist. Having no immigration and a tiny movement of peoples each year is very much isolation. They want an external source of aid or treasure that they can rely on, and they can get that without Kim Jong Un going to Russia to watch a parade. In the Cold War era, they relied on aid from their "fraternal socialist allies", in the 1990s they told everyone they were starving and needed urgent aid, and now they are leaning on Chinese and Russian fears of increased American and Japanese freedom of action in East Asia.

edited 5th Jun '15 12:23:26 PM by Achaemenid

Due to the MERS outbreak, Pyongyang requested for Seoul's assistance to help the inter-Korean zone.

...is it possible that NK could be gravely affected by MERS?

It's possible.

When you say gravely affected, what do you mean?

A MERS epidemic spreading across a country with extremely limited medical capabilities would be horrible enough on its own, but they'd also likely refuse the international medical aid they'd need to deal with it.

Indeed. They asked for assistance in putting infrared cameras to monitor personnel working there.

Some of it. They'll take drugs and money but not an actual foreign medical presence.

edited 6th Jun '15 2:27:49 AM by Achaemenid

Cite for the above

Cheeky doublepost to highlight this news item:

North Korea, in letter to U.N., claims U.S. targeted it with anthrax

This came from a (admittedly rather worrying) mistake where the US sent live anthrax samples to a number of places, including South Korea. So, err, the US is actually targeting the South then? Not like any got popped through Jong Un's letterbox.

Dude's still got his 'eek a ghost!' haircut.

edited 12th Jun '15 10:11:38 AM by betaalpha

Probably more like "I was spying on Rebel Korea and these letters we stole from them had Anthrax!"

Or they are blaming MERS cases on it?

If I see it anywhere, I'll remember you predicted it first.

Seems Pyongyang is mining the DMZ...to stop their own soldiers.

And then the guys laying the mines escape with their friends in tow.

Or charge for the safe passage on anyone trying to flee.

edited 14th Jun '15 2:33:03 AM by AngelusNox

A soldier defected to the South by crossing the DMZ

BBC: North Korea says it faces worst drought in a century

...So apparently BEST KOREA gets natural disasters too after all.

"Gib monies plox" is what they mean there. They have form in this area - they lied about the extent of the 1990s famine in order to get more aid.

Irony if this is a Cry Wolf scenario in that this time it is as bad as they say....

Well some parts of South Korea are reporting drought conditions as well.

Going back to the one Korea idea I talked about some time ago.

I know I emphasized applying it towards China, but it doesn't have to be just for China, of course; it can be enforced towards any country having relations with South Korea. If ROK asked the international community to select one Korea between itself and DPRK, most of the countries would choose South Korea. South is pretty popular for reasons such as its economic strength and pop culture, whereas North is poor and vilified due to its nuclear tests and misdeeds.

It doesn't have to be implemented right away, but ROK could hold onto it and consider it as a potential card to play in the future. For one thing, it would send a message to North that despite all its shouting, it's South that holds most of the cards and that concessions would be rewarded for good behavior and not bad. And while at it, South could point to ISIS as an example demonstrating that being armed and aggressive doesn't necessarily make others pander to you.

edited 19th Jun '15 12:15:24 AM by Trivialis

It's quite possible North Korea won't care if that actually happened.

Also refusal to recognise doesn't actually have that big of an effect. The U.S doesn't recognise Taiwan, but still tries to keep it safe, neither Japan or South Korea recognise the North as a state but they still interact with it (Japan often in ways that the south doesn't like). Short of North Korea getting removed from international organisations it would have no effect other than a symbolic middle finger that knowing North Korea might well be responded to with rockets.

North Korea claims it has cure for MERS, Ebola and AIDS