Bordering on ASB here, but for the DDR I have a possibility (for those of you reading my thread, this will not be happening there):
After Honecker resigns and Krenz takes the reins, he rebuffs suggestions to give quarter to the protestors and instead opts for the "Chinese solution" that (according to some) he favored. Gorbi stays true to his word that the Soviets won't help the NVA oppress people, but a quick lockdown of the borders and a few public acts of repression make the Soviet presence essentially unnecessary. When Hungary and Poland get their waves of reformation in 1990, Krenz uses them (and the resultant economic and social upheavals) to illustrate what might have been had he not acted. East Germany is considered an unstable element in the heart of Europe to this day, but because of still warm (though not necessarily USSR-level) relations with Russia its allowed to continue existing as-is. The UN hasn't the heart for another European war, much less one that could trample on the Bear a bit.
For DPRK: Songun never happens. As a result, everyone gets fed (mostly) adequate amounts and the North's economy keeps running at at least a subsistence level. Kim il-Sung and later Kim Jong-il, taking cues from Chinese leadership, start making baby steps toward opening the Hermit Kingdom to (mostly Chinese) foreign investment, improving the economic situation a bit. With a more pragmatic foreign policy centered on keeping hard currency flowing, the touchy issues like DPRK nukes and random acts of provocation don't happen, or at least not nearly as much. While their economies remain rather disparate, the Koreas agree to unification in steps, contingent upon political liberalization in North Korea and achieving near-parity economically with IMF help.