Kim Jong-un orders 600,000 out of Pyongyang

Absolutely no way this would happen. China would lose this buffer they want, by your own acknowledgement. They would be first in line to help handle the situation

It's tough to say what would happen if hostilities broke out. I don't think you can say there's "absolutely no way" anything within reason would happen. It would be an extremely chaotic and unpredictable situation.

Here's my educated but far from expert opinion:

An unprovoked attack on Seoul from the North would be universally condemned by the international community, including China. ZERO countries would come to North Korea's defense after such a wanton act of aggression and I don't think the Chinese would be first in line to handle the situation. It would be the Republic of Korean troops currently stationed on the DMZ (with loads of US air support) who would handle the situation and ultimately reunify the country.

My guess is that the Chinese would strike a deal with South Korea whereby:

  1. South Korean forces (with US assistance) would reunify the Korean peninsula south of the Yalu River.

  2. SK & USFK would respect the territorial integrity of China and the current border between North Korea and China.

  3. US forces would slowly drawdown and eventually leave Korea after a complete reunification. With the North Korean threat gone (and it is a real threat btw) there would be no need for a US military presence on the peninsula. Thus ending China's perceived need for a buffer state.

Who knows? I'm just a guy in my pajamas typing away on Reddit at 1am. More than anything, I just hope somebody finds a peaceful solution to this issue. Whatever happens, it's going to be interesting.

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