is it Korean War II?

No, of course not.

The first Korean war technically never ended.

Hi, welcome to China Uncensored.

I’m your host Chris Chappell.

North Korea is trolling China.

Maybe even more than I do.

North Korea, a.k.a. the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,

a.k.a.

The True Korea

just launched a test of 4 missiles—

three of which landed within 200 miles

of the Japanese coast.

Shooting missiles into the water!

That’s cause for celebration!

And believe me,

you don’t want to be the guy that breaks off a hug

prematurely with Kim Jong Un.

The North Korean missile launch

was designed to be as provocative as possible.

It comes as the US and South Korea

engage in annual military drills,

known as Foal Eagle.

A foal is a young horse.

You know, foal eagle.

Previous drills were named Puppy Toucan,

Porcupette Swan,

and of course, Goose Gosling.

Kim Jong-un,

North Korean leader and winner of his fraternity's

most outstanding brother award,

said earlier this year that he was in

“the final state in preparations”

for the first test of an intercontinental missile

that could strike the US.

Not on Donald Trump’s watch!

But it’s also a sign that for China,

North Korean relations are going south.

First, it comes during the not-to-be-politically-overshadowed

National People’s Congress.

It’s one of the biggest political events of the year,

as you can see from these extremely engaged delegates.

Hostess for the event are literally jumping for joy!

It’s an annual tradition.

I mean, what young woman wouldn’t be excited

to serve tea to an old horny toad?

But there’s another unintended consequence

of North Korea’s missile test

that has the Chinese regime up in arms.

"We should quickly finish the deployment of THAAD

and acquire a defense system against North Korea's

nuclear missiles."

Yes, THAAD!

China hates THAAD.

No, THAAD isn't the name of Xi Jinping's

least favorite fraternity brother.

THAAD stands for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense,

a missile defense system the United States

wants to build in South Korea.

What's that Shelley?

I see.

As of now,

it's a missile defense system that the US is

already building in South Korea.

Now you would think,

North Korea has promised to turn Seoul

into a sea of flames,

why would China be upset about South Korea

having a missile defense system?

Is it because it would be a provocative act

that might further escalate tensions

on the Korean Peninsula?

Well, partly.

But having a US-built missile defense and radar system

so close to China

might really cramp the Chinese regime's style—

if they ever decide to launch missiles anywhere.

And so they’ve been doing everything they can

to get South Korea to back down.

I mean, not that China is worried or anything.

As my favorite state-run media says,

the Chinese military could always blind or destroy THAAD

if it had to.

Yes, peaceful means are always preferred.

Otherwise we will crush you.

But what if we could crush you...peacefully?

You see, China is South Korea’s biggest trading partner.

A quarter of all Korean exports go to China,

almost double the United States.

So China could put a lot of economic pressure on South Korea

if it starts doing things the Chinese regime doesn’t like.

Not that they would, of course.

That’s just silly.

I mean,

just let one of the drones from China’s Foreign Ministry

reassure you!

"We welcome foreign companies,

including South Korean companies,

to invest and operate in China.”

See, nothing to worry about.

“At the same time,

these companies must operate in accordance

with the law and compliance."

Oh no, never mind, they’re in trouble.

One in particular is in a Lotte trouble.

THAAD is going to be constructed on a golf course

in the country’s southeast

owned by South Korean mega conglomerate, Lotte.

When I was in South Korea last year,

I saw the Lotte name everywhere.

It’s involved in candy manufacturing,

fast food, retail, heavy chemicals,

IT, construction, entertainment,

and hotels, to name a few.

And the Chinese regime has been striking hard

at its operations in China

to retaliate against Lotte.

First, my favorite state run media,

the Global Times made a threat:

“Since China cannot change Lotte’s decision,

Chinese society is also firmly determined

to let Lotte pay the price for its support

of the deployment of THAAD.”

Now, nearly two dozen Lotte retail stores in China

have been shut down.

And Lotte isn’t alone.

The Chinese regime knows how to wage economic warfare

to get what it wants.

“We saw on Friday some of those shares,

including Hotel Shilla,

which gets 70% of its duty free sales from Chinese tourists,

tumbled more than 10%.

So it's a pretty significant impact,

especially for the parts of the South Korean economy

catered to Chinese tourists.”

So the Chinese regime is restricting tourism.

And launching cyberattacks.

Over in Japan,

an increasingly aggressive North Korea

has not gone unnoticed either.

"This launch has clearly indicated

that North Korea poses a new level of threat."

And that new level of threat

is part of the reason why Japan

has also been considering building a THAAD system

in Japan.

And the Chinese regime would love to see a

better defended and more

militarily active Japan.

So North Korea’s repeated missile and nuclear tests,

and China’s inability to rein them in,

are ruining the Chinese regime’s ability

to apply pressure on its neighbors.

Just a few weeks ago,

China announced it would stop buying coal from North Korea

til the end of the year.

Coal exports are considered a lifeline to North Korea,

one of the key things propping up the regime.

90% of North Korean trade comes from China,

and coal is its biggest export.

But as these most recent missile tests show,

that didn’t stop North Korea’s aggression.

It’s strange, you know.

North Korea and China used to be like...

well, Mao Zedong said they were

“as close as lips and teeth.”

But now it seems like someone might have bitten their lip.

Who’s to blame?

Well, the old horny toad.

Former leader Jiang Zemin fully supported North Korea.

And Jiang’s toadie, Zhou Yongkang,

continued to maintain the close relationship.

And he was even there for both Daddy Kim and Baby Kim.

But with China’s factional power struggle,

Jiang Zemin and Zhou Yongkang are on their way out,

and Xi Jinping is taking charge.

That’s changing China’s relationship with North Korea.

But sadly,

Xi can’t just put the genie back in the bottle.

So what do you think of the Chinese regime

pressuring South Korea to reject

its new missile defense system?

Leave your comments below.

And speaking of economic pressure,

consider supporting China Uncensored on Patreon.

Viewer support is what makes this show possible.

Once again, I’m Chris Chappell.

See you next time.

Mark Twain once said,

“Clothes make the man.

Naked people have little or no influence

on society.”

That’s why I always wear a suit.

Always.

But I didn’t always use to have such great taste in threads.

Until I met Monsieur Brunold.

Hello, Chris!

With 10 years of experience,

Monsieur Brunold selects only the finest materials

for his bespoke suits,

made at his own factory in Europe.

The perfect fit for the perfect suit

for the active man,

whether you’re skiing, mountain climbing…

Or Uncensoring China.

So if you would like to look as good as my friend Chris here,

come visit our Manhattan location.

And the best part is,

he won’t just make you look good,

he’ll teach you everything you need to know

about how to dress.

And as a special bonus to China Uncensored fans,

we’ll include a free custom shirt

with the purchase of a custom suit.

So if you want to stand up to the forces of evil

while looking really good,

come visit Monsieur Brunold next time you’re in New York.

Details are below.