North Korea has 25 million people with an average annual per capita income of $640 or $1.75 per day. After accounting for the ruling elite and the military, 90% of North Koreans exist on less than $1.40 per day.
Although the highest elevation in North Korea is only 9,003 feet, 80% of the country consists of mountains and uplands. Except for the western coastal plain, there are few natural lines of communication. There are only 450 miles of paved roads, poorly maintained. 3200 miles of railways transport 86% of freight. Less than 2% of freight is moved via water.
North Korea’s power grid is obsolete and failing. 70% of energy production is from coal.
The Korean Demilitarized Zone remains one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world. During the winter months, the weather along the Yalu River, which is the northern border of North Korea, experiences subzero Fahrenheit daily mean and daily low temperatures.
When (not if) the government of North Korea collapses, it is likely to occur during the winter, and it will result in one of the largest humanitarian disasters the world has ever seen. Due to hunger, disease, lack of winter survival clothing, and transportation infrastructure, most of the population will be faced with dying in place.
There have been no lack of simulations, war games, exercises, and table tops to plan for this. Most have come to the conclusion that even given a large multi-national coalition response, there are insufficient logistics and transportation resources in the rest of the world to provide a timely and effective response.
And people think Pyongyang is like the rest of the country. Pyongyang is pretty much the “Show City”, where you have to be in with the right people to even live there. The rest of the country is backwards as can be.