Kim Jong Il is dead.

[mrstickball]

Mr Khan said:
It's really too late for them to try to turn the country around. They survive off the unwillingness of their neighbors to make a huge mess (which even though North Korea would likely be handily defeated, it would indeed be a huge mess for everyone in the region, from refugees to having to, you know, feed all those starving people), and the fact that their own people are trying so hard to stay alive that they don't have the time or energy to revolt. The most Jong Un can hope for is the continuation of this tenuous balancing act

Eh.

I think he could fix things, vis-a-vis letting South Korea reunify with them. The only way they can recover is with South Korean leadership and international aid. God knows that as soon as they demolish the DMZ, I am finding the nearest aid agency and either sign up to help or sending a bunch of money.

Outside of that scenario, there is little he can do quickly to fix things - except maybe instill massive reforms and try to bring in a Chinese-style capitalist system, and eventually transition to a full capitalist system under his leadership.