North Korea without China

Say North Korea sides with the Soviet Union during the Sino-Soviet Split and China doesn't back them after the Cold war ends

Could North Korea survive but even more worse conditions

Would North Korea try to join the South or invade
 
Say North Korea sides with the Soviet Union during the Sino-Soviet Split and China doesn't back them after the Cold war ends
OOC: this is a DBWI right?

IC: Well given the PRC survived their Great Leap forward (三年自然灾害) reasonably intact I could see the DPRK doing the same (surviving economic collapse and famine). What happens afterward will be interesting, since unlike Mao, old Kim didn't really have that much time left after a clusterfuck of such scale, so we could see reformers taking the reins because there might not be a chance for Kim (or his successor) to do a grassroots crackdown.
Would North Korea try to join the South or invade
How suicidal would they feel? I don't think a country even in the most desperate straits will commit national suicide like that. However if they do collapse (or the reformers get in power) I could see a gradual reunion with the ROK (at this point they have the example of the integration of East Germany as to the perils of sudden integration).
 
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Well, time for a quick and dirty history lesson then:

-during the cold war, when the sino-soviet split occurred the DPRK did side with the soviets for the most part (while they did play both the USSR & PRC against each other they did side with the former more than the latter)
-the PRC was/is "backing" the DPRK (though more like a sugardaddy to a cracy crackwhore kind of relationship) in terms of trade (like this was/is a major point of contention among USA & Japan trying to get the PRC to stop at various points. The PRC being one of the few countries willing to buy DPRK coal) and food aid. Not to mention the PRC has consistently declare that they will defend the DPRK in the event of them being attacked first (in theory). However it was far less of a backing than most think, more like barely tolerating them and liking the alternatives even less. The entirety of the 90s was the DPRK in a freefall due to no one really backing them.
 
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