What sort of conditions could turn a civil war in North Korea, prior to the 2000's, into a distinct possibility? I've read a few years back that Kim Jong-Il was depressed at the death of his father and the pressure put on him to be an effective heir that he was considering suicide for some days around 1994, until one political officer entered his room, saw him with a gun in his hand, and dissuaded him from doing it. What if he had shot himself there and then, depriving North Korea of a clear leadership? Could the ensuing political power jockeying among the military and the party bureaucracy, especially right after a severe famine, escalate into civil war?
What sort of factions could spring forth from chaos in NK? Obviously there'd initially be Juche cliques led by respective warlords vying for power, but i'd expect the war to gradually drag more actors into it as it goes on... Could a neighbouring state decide to intervene militarily to protect its interests in the area? How would South Korea and the US react? How about China, and Russia for that matter?
What sort of factions could spring forth from chaos in NK? Obviously there'd initially be Juche cliques led by respective warlords vying for power, but i'd expect the war to gradually drag more actors into it as it goes on... Could a neighbouring state decide to intervene militarily to protect its interests in the area? How would South Korea and the US react? How about China, and Russia for that matter?
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