Led That Horse to Water Before . . . .

The New York Times has a great historical perspective on Kim Jong-Il’s show-tours of Chinese factories and industrial zones. And astonishingly, all of the show-tours seem to have come to naught. Beyond the question of will is the question of means.

Economists cite other crucial differences that may curb North Korea’s efforts to pull off Chinese-style market reforms. While China used its large agricultural sector to expand its industrial base, the North’s economy is already largely industrialized, albeit with hulking, Stalinist factories that are all but useless.

“Its industries have collapsed, so full-fledged reforms are impossible without massive foreign investments,” said Yang Moon Soo, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Graduate School of North Korean Studies here.

That investment won’t come until the North gives up its nukes and makes some degree of progress on human rights. This is another must-read.