WI: A smaller North Korea

So, let's say that ( for whatever reason ) Korean War was finished with UN forces holding a line north of Pyongyang, let's say a line Anju- Kaechon- Sisang.

That would have left the North Korea with about 10 mil. of population and somewhere like 82 000 km2. I presume that the capital might be either Kanggye or Sinuiju.

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In comparison, South Korea ( or should we call her just Korea? ) would have something like 65 mil. people with 144 000 km2. So, somewhere 6 to 1 in population and 2 to 1 in territory for the South. Not even mentioning the economical differences.

Anyway, I would like to talk about the consequences of that.

Would this remaining NK be a mere Soviet ( or later Chinese ) puppet? Will they collapse in 1991? Or if Chinese puppet, will they follow Deng's path in 80s or 90s? Will they be able ( or even allowed by the Chinese ) to develop nuclear weapons? Will American troops remain in South Korea? Will Soviet/Chinese troops be in North Korea?

Will South Korea be able to reach some deal with the Chinese in the 90s? Let's say Finlandisation of Korea ( pulling the US troops from Korea ) in exchange for reunification?
 

Bomster

Banned
I saw that this korea would be more of a Chinese puppet. It would barely be a state, for its purpose is not to be a state but to be a buffer.
 
I saw that this korea would be more of a Chinese puppet. It would barely be a state, for its purpose is not to be a state but to be a buffer.

Agreed. Something like Eastern European countries for USSR. But yes, I think that they will most probably be at least officially independent country, because you can't have enough votes at the UN...
 
You already taking a ton of industry and population from North Korea. So this ALT North Korea would be far more likely like a boring and normal Socialist State under Chinese influence. An cross between Cambodia and Vietnam if you will.

If history goes OTL, or close to it, and you have the USSR goes under, and China reform, its either suffer an implosion, or reunite with the South.
 
You already taking a ton of industry and population from North Korea. So this ALT North Korea would be far more likely like a boring and normal Socialist State under Chinese influence. An cross between Cambodia and Vietnam if you will.

If history goes OTL, or close to it, and you have the USSR goes under, and China reform, its either suffer an implosion, or reunite with the South.

This exactly. It's possible, as the OP pointed out, that there's a deal reached with China for the two Koreas to reunite if the U.S. withdrawals from the peninsula.
 
You already taking a ton of industry and population from North Korea. So this ALT North Korea would be far more likely like a boring and normal Socialist State under Chinese influence. An cross between Cambodia and Vietnam if you will.

If history goes OTL, or close to it, and you have the USSR goes under, and China reform, its either suffer an implosion, or reunite with the South.

Yes, that seems as realistic.
 
I also have always wondered if Truman had stepped in and directed MacArthur to hold that narrower neck (as you mentioned "Anju- Kaechon- Sisang"). Then just dig in and fortify the line through the 1950 Winter since the UN took Pyongyang 16 Oct (in OTL). On 25 Oct 50, the PRC troops went over the border so I think you'd have to put out engineers out front and build a DMZ.
 
I also have always wondered if Truman had stepped in and directed MacArthur to hold that narrower neck (as you mentioned "Anju- Kaechon- Sisang"). Then just dig in and fortify the line through the 1950 Winter since the UN took Pyongyang 16 Oct (in OTL). On 25 Oct 50, the PRC troops went over the border so I think you'd have to put out engineers out front and build a DMZ.

It's even a question would the China intervene if the UN troops don't go further north than this line. Or maybe just to send some token force to dissuade the US from going further...
 
It's even a question would the China intervene if the UN troops don't go further north than this line. Or maybe just to send some token force to dissuade the US from going further...

It seems that Mao and Stalin were all for putting in PRC troops and put them on the border in October but with some communication about stopping at the line by the UN forces, Truman administration, and Gen Mac's staff I agree with you they might have just entered the North and not engaged. The North would have held a bunch of mountains with very little infrastructure and the only raw material would have been coal.
 
Agreed. Something like Eastern European countries for USSR. But yes, I think that they will most probably be at least officially independent country, because you can't have enough votes at the UN...

Neither Korea had UN membership until 1991; in this scenario, I imagine this rump N. Korea isn't even internationally recognized. Something akin to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. And as others have suggested, it seems likely the Chinese occupation would end sometime in the 1980s or 1990s if, as in OTL, the PRC made a rapprochement with the West.
 
Would this remaining NK be a mere Soviet (or later Chinese) puppet? Will they collapse in 1991?
North Korea nowadays doesn't have a lot of agriculturally suitable land and going from a quick look at a couple of maps you've just taken away a large chunk of it with that border. I wouldn't be surprised if they were reliant on food aid, either directly or via highly subsidised trade deals, almost right from the beginning of the post-conflict period.
 
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Would this smaller North Korea likely be merged with Yanbian (aka Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture) in some form?
 
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Would China just absorb it? I mean I guess there is some benefit to having a buffer, but for all intents and purposes it would be China that speaks Korean.
 
Would China just absorb it? I mean I guess there is some benefit to having a buffer, but for all intents and purposes it would be China that speaks Korean.
IIRC the PRC was already twitchy enough about the US having troops based in Japan, here they can potentially have them only 500 miles or so from Beijing and if they annex North Korea they'll be sharing a land border with them. A buffer state seems like the best option for the Chinese, or perhaps floating a deal for reunification with the stipulation that since it would officially end the conflict the UN, read US, forces resident will have achieved their objectives and can leave.
 
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