"North Korea to collapse in 12 weeks as China ‘cuts fuel supply’ to Kim Jong-un"

dailystar.uk

Petrol prices in Pyongyang have shot up by 83% in just three days, foreign residents claim.

At some gas stations, only diplomats and international organisations are being served.

And if Kim uses liquid rocket fuel in his missiles, they could be affected too.

Kerosene, which is derived from the crude oil China supplies, is often used in liquid rocket fuel.

Its unclear whether China has already slashed supplies or just threatened to do so, diplomatic sources say.

But given that the North gets most of its crude oil from its old ally, the effect could be devastating.

One expert at South Korea's IBK Bank said an oil embargo would leave the North "paralysed".

"If China cuts off oil, North Korea would not survive on its own for three months," said Cho Bong-hyun.

"This could increase the possibility of North Korea's collapse and could have an adverse impact on China as well."

Though China doesn’t report oil shipments to the North, the South estimates it supplies 500,000 tonnes of crude oil a year.

US president Donald Trump has been pressuring China to rein in the North, and experts say an oil embargo is Beijing’s ace in the hole.

However, Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said it may be a short-term move.

"Cutting off oil for an extended period of time is probably the toughest punishment that China could impose," she said.

"It is possible that it might reduce the flow, stop deliveries for a week or two, but not cut it off entirely."

Whether the embargo is real or not, China’s state-run media has made clear to Kim it’s a possibility.

The Beijing-based Global Times reported: "The upcoming nuclear test could potentially be hazardous to Northeastern China.