NK bellicose rhetoric defers arrival of spring

Spring has apparently come as it is already the second week of April, but nobody really feels like it has. It may be because of the drastic temperature fluctuation between day and night. However, it seems that the lingering cold is not all that makes people feel the unseasonal chill at this time of the year. The recent volatile political situation being unfolded in and around the Korean peninsula is seemingly responsible for blocking people from feeling the arrival of spring.

It is needless to say that North Korea is in the center of the recent political clamor. Since the ascension of Kim Jong-un as its top leader, the North has been preoccupied with enhancing the fame of its new leader by means of military adventure that has long been repeated since his grandfather’s regime. The launching of the long-range missile, which the North has persistently claimed to be a satellite, was the first thing to show before the world. A series of their conduct seems timed with the inauguration of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

To their delight, the test-fired missile was estimated by western military experts to have advanced in terms of accuracy and range compared to the previous one. The success of their long-range missile launching gave them a new burst of energy and paved the way to conduct their third nuclear test, which the North has declared to be highly successful. The North also boasted of having gained the ability to miniaturize their nuclear bomb, an indispensable technique in making long-range nuclear missiles, through the test.

Since then, Kim’s exposure to NK media has greatly increased, showing his visits to military units. He has started to make bellicose rhetoric against the U.S. and South Korea, saying that they are ready to hit any target in the United States with their long-range missiles. In addition, he even scrapped the armistice agreement that ended the three-year Korean War, which started in 1950, and declared that “we are in a state of war against the South” with a clear intention of creating a strong sense of crisis in the region.

However, his repeated saber-rattling does not seem to have been successful in attracting attention from the U.S. and other countries as much as they wanted. Kim even performed an action of signing a document allowing the missile attacks against the unspecified targets. The North also asked the foreign diplomatic missions residing in Pyongyang to leave the country, saying that a war is imminent. But to their dismay, none of them complied to the request.

So, it directly targeted the South and partially blocked the passage to the Kaesong industrial complex. The Southerners in the complex are free to leave the complex for the South, but no one from the South is allowed to enter the complex, making it impossible to supply raw materials needed for continued operation of the factories there. The partial blockade has been imposed for seven straight days as of Tuesday (Apr. 9). It is unprecedented for the North to block entry into the complex for such a long period.

Actually, the complex is a goose laying golden eggs for the North. It brings them about $100 million a year. If it ends up being closed, the North will have more to lose than the South. Yet, it further declared Monday (Apr. 8) to withdraw the North Korean workers from the complex. However, the North stopped short of kicking people from the South out of the complex, which would mean complete closure of the facility. They appear to have left room for a last-minute breakthrough to bring the situation back to normal.

A series of recent NK verbal provocations are nothing other than a brinkmanship policy with a view to extort concession from both the South and the U.S. NK top leader Kim Jong-un is reportedly waiting for a telephone call from U.S. President Obama. Kim is obviously waiting for Obama’s goodwill gesture aimed at placating his anger with a promise of gift packages in return for his quietness. But, Obama turned a deaf ear to such reports and instead conducted a show of force by bringing in U.S. top-level aircraft B-2 Bombers to the Korean peninsula. It was to show him the formidable U.S. power the North Korean forces would have to face in time of unwarranted provocation.

It is well known that the South has given the North an astonishing amount of cash and materials under the governments of Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Noh Moo-hyun in the name of the “Sunshine Policy.” The gracious policy was extended with a hope of having the North stop the nuclear weapon’s program by offering lavish cash and other gifts. However, they betrayed the kind offer by developing nuclear bombs. What is especially pitiful for the North is the fact that it has lost its credibility from the South and others in the international society. Even more regretable is that they seem oblivious to the fact that they are being discredited.

Kim Jung-un should understand this and stop the current meaningless confrontation as soon as possible. He has to listen to what is being said about North Korea in the international society and change his war mongering attitude into a mode of dialogue with the South. His change of attitude will also enable the people in the South to fully enjoy the upcoming spring.