>>509893543 (OP)They are a success story, but to say that there was no suffering involved would be a lie. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Since they themselves started saying it, the "Arduous March" actually took place after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and they suffered greatly from the shortage of daily necessities that they had relied on the Soviet for, but they endured the poverty and famine, and succeeded in developing nuclear weapons, maintaining their independence. That is a true achievement, proving that nuclear weapons are the ultimate "fuck you" weapon for those who wish to remain isolated.
Additionally, their relationship with China has historically been very complex, and they remain critical of China and they seem to prefer Russians.
Interestingly, the late Joseon Dynasty, which was caught between the great powers as a buffer zone, also had a period when it favored Russians.
When I see Westerners insensitively talking about cooperation between NK and Chinese, I can't help but imagine Park's angry expression wearing a comically large military cap. They hated Americans, but they also didn't want to become a puppet state of China. Geopolitically, they had to make a desperate effort to avoid that fate.