Friday, March 22, 2013

China Sees Spate of Defections from N.Korean Soldier


This is potentially very significant.  As we have discussed many times, when small units defect it is an indicator of the potential breakdown of the military chain of command and security apparatus; e.g., the coherency of the military.  It is an indicator that the suppression phase of Bob Collins'  seven phases of collapse may be failing.  But we should recall the definition of north Korean regime collapse – the loss of central governing effectiveness of the Kim Family Regime and the Party along with the loss of coherency and support of the military and security services.  When one or both of these conditions occur we could see the rapid break down of the regime and all the possible consequences that could result.  This of course begs the questions:  How prepared are we for dealing with regime collapse?  What preparations can and must be conducted immediately to ensure the ROK/US Alliance is in the best position to deal with the potential "fallout?"
V/R
Dave

China Sees Spate of Defections from N.Korean Soldiers
Twelve armed North Korean soldiers apparently defected across the border to China's Jilin Province earlier this month but were captured by Chinese troops and sent back to the North.

Late last month, two North Korean soldiers shot and killed their senior officer and fled to Jilin Province, prompting experts to suspect something unusual is going on in army units stationed along the border with China.

The 12 North Korean soldiers stationed with a border unit defected across the Chinese border in two groups but were sent back after being captured by Chinese troops, a diplomatic source in Beijing said Thursday.

Another source in the Chinese town of Yanji near the border with North Korea, said the other two North Korean soldiers shot and killed their senior officer and crossed over the border into Changbai, Jilin Province, causing Chinese troops nearby to scramble into emergency mode.
North Korean soldiers in a training /[North] Korean Central News Agency

The spate of defections may be related to food shortages. International aid to the North has dropped sharply since it launched a rocket in April last year, affecting the food situation for soldiers as well as ordinary people. With food rationing concentrated in Pyongyang and military units along the border with South Korea, troops on the border with China are apparently subsisting on corn and potatoes they grow on their own. 
(Continued at the link below)

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