What’s Next For North Korea
A vulnerable nuclear arsenal is only one threat in the wake of the death of 17-year dictator Kim Jong Il. North Korea’s chief benefactor China, is worried about a failed state on their borders and a refugee crisis.
This time of year, the river between North Korea and China – the principle route for escaping refugees — is frozen and passable. “The leadership in Beijing is huddled up and thinking about what they have to do in order to prevent some sort of immediate collapse,” said Evan Osnos, China correspondent for The New Yorker, based in Beijing.
“There is no other country on the planet right now that has the kind of influence on North Korea that China does,” said Osnos, pointing to the vast aid packages of arms, fuel and food aid, that China has shipped to its precarious client state over the past few decades.
Other North Korea watchers are more bullish on the stability of the state. “I would be surprised if this gets out of control in any serious way,” countered Stephen Bosworth, Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, former Special Envoy to North Korea.
Listen to the whole interview (more)