The Footprint of Mussolini - TL

One thing that could help Kim, is neither the RA nor ITO wanting the other to have the country. Kim might spend the rest of the Cool War playing the sides off against each other.

Perhaps. But like OTL North Korea, he'll be in dire straights once communism falls. The Pyongyang government only hangs on OTL because China sees them as a good strategic ally.

TTL, he won't have anyone coming to rescue him.
 
Perhaps. But like OTL North Korea, he'll be in dire straights once communism falls. The Pyongyang government only hangs on OTL because China sees them as a good strategic ally.

TTL, he won't have anyone coming to rescue him.
OTOH, Korea ITTL is a) united b) a WHOLE lot less paranoid as a consequence c) significantly saner in the leadership d) not recovering from having been a nasty war theatre e) therefore, a lot better off than North Korea has ever been IOTL.
Probably NOT turning into anything particularly prosperous if they stay under Kim, but likely not hellish even under Kim either.
 
OTOH, Korea ITTL is a) united b) a WHOLE lot less paranoid as a consequence c) significantly saner in the leadership d) not recovering from having been a nasty war theatre e) therefore, a lot better off than North Korea has ever been IOTL.
Probably NOT turning into anything particularly prosperous if they stay under Kim, but likely not hellish even under Kim either.

Yes, but it still is nominally communist, which means the not-so-communist USA and neighbors won't be so eager to support it.
 
Yes, but it still is nominally communist, which means the not-so-communist USA and neighbors won't be so eager to support it.
Of course not. But in a world where, after the fall of the Soviet Union, there would be no immediately clear single hyperpower, but a bunch of competing powers, Korea might find some mutually tolerable limited partnerships. And I doubt that anyone is going to worry about them to the point of bothering with invasion and regime change, considering the likely level of general mess elsewhere. Communist Korea, in a world where Communism has failed most of everywhere else, may be no one's friend, but it would also be a very low level threat for everyone. Compare that with the destablising hassle of what to do with it AFTER a regime change (considering that, of course, Koreans would have ideas about it that external powers may not necessarily share).
It also is true that, in actual history, this sort of reasoning was often overruled by every sort of other considerations such as prestige, ideology, sheer idiocy, and so on (as in, a power or combination thereof may decide to interfere in Korea even if this is a move that obviously runs against a rational reckoning of their best interests - or, conversely, that Koreans leaders may take some obviously stupid decision that warrants foreign intervention).
In the current setup - roughly like IOTL for over a century - keeping your rivals out of Korea probably tends to be more important than actually controlling Korea for everyone interested except Japan (not an independent factor here at this point I guess). Rationally, this means that a Communist "we hate you all" Korea is moderately fine and preferable to alternatives for most actors involved unless a) they have some other specific reason to do otherwise b) Communist Korean does something unacceptable for one or more said actors (like, say, a military nuclear program?).
All this, of course, assuming that Communist Korea survives.
 
The Korean Intermission describes the Korean military as second only to the Soviets in the Stalingrad Pact after the Chinese War. Given the poor stare of the Soviet Union that may not be saying as much as it should, but Korea still stands as a much tougher nut to crack than Ezo or the PRC.


Indeed, well said.

As for Communist Korea surviving the initial crisis they seem to have a decent chance. Japan's military will be occupied with liberating the North and dealing with Ainu bunkers probably.

And even if the PRC falls like cheap deck chair to Chiang, occupying such a failing state will be quite a task. And he's not likely to be greeted as a liberator by Koreans and he will want to portray this war as a grand event for the world of the RoC liberating cheering people from a mad regime. With Italy not standing to score many more PR points or any territorial gains Chiang may see this as not only securing his own legacy, but setting his son up to be the next leader of the RA. No need to risk souring that by a potentially bloody war in a geopolitically inconsequential Korea.

And Chiang will not want an ITO or proITO neutral Kroea potentially undermining his rule in the North and Japan won't want a Fascist Korea pointing at them. So as long as Kim offers some concessions, like no sheltering any wanted criminals of the fallen regimes or allowing governments in exile, he can be sorted into a 'for later' pile.

As for internal revolt by ending the grain shipments early Kim has likely begun building himself up as caring more about his people; and dusted off his Juche ideas as a 'new path' to try and sway weary Koreans into staying in line.
 
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But wasn't according to the Korean intermission, Kim is NOT the leader of Red Korea anymore ?

Unfortunately he made a comeback described in "Strong Enough to be Free". With Suslov's support he overthrew and executed the duo who outsted him and purged the Korean Communist Party, labeling them Kruschevites. So yeah helping Kim retake Korea is another thing we can thank Suslov for.
 
But wasn't according to the Korean intermission, Kim is NOT the leader of Red Korea anymore ?
He took back the power as his adversaries commited the mistake of not purging him.

Also, Sorairo wrote that Korea was one of the few failed states of Asia along with Indonesia and Northe CHina.
 
The Korean Intermission describes the Korean military as second only to the Soviets in the Stalingrad Pact after the Chinese War. Given the poor stare of the Soviet Union that may not be saying as much as it should, but Korea still stands as a much tougher nut to crack than Ezo or the PRC.



Indeed, well said.

As for Communist Korea surviving the initial crisis they seem to have a decent chance. Japan's military will be occupied with liberating the North and dealing with Ainu bunkers probably.

And even if the PRC falls like cheap deck chair to Chiang, occupying such a failing state will be quite a task. And he's not likely to be greeted as a liberator by Koreans and he will want to portray this war as a grand event for the world of the RoC liberating cheering people from a mad regime. With Italy not standing to score many more PR points or any territorial gains Chiang may see this as not only securing his own legacy, but setting his son up to be the next leader of the RA. No need to risk souring that by a potentially bloody war in a geopolitically inconsequential Korea.

And Chiang will not want an ITO or proITO neutral Kroea potentially undermining his rule in the North and Japan won't want a Fascist Korea pointing at them. So as long as Kim offers some concessions, like no sheltering any wanted criminals of the fallen regimes or allowing governments in exile, he can be sorted into a 'for later' pile.

As for internal revolt by ending the grain shipments early Kim has likely begun building himself up as caring more about his people; and dusted off his Juche ideas as a 'new path' to try and sway weary Koreans into staying in line.

Man, that would crazy: a Korea divided between fascism and liberal democratic capitalism.
 
What differences would there be between a fascist and a democratic Korea? Both are homogeneous nations.

Very hard to say. What kind of Fascism would Korea adopt at this point? And a Democratic Korea starting here would not be the same as the OTL South Korean democracy developed from the right wing dictatorship.

And we should not just think of this DPRK as a larger version of OTL North Korea. Korea was never divided here, passing from the Japanese colonial rule too the Communist state. Also Kim was evicted from power for a few years, as opposed to an unbroken reign letting him build his personality cult. Also with no Korean War to devastate peninsula economic/infrastructure conditions and demographics will be very different too with Korea's suffering limited to air and naval raids during the Chinese War.
 
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