December 4, 2004
Written by C.N.
North Korea Stirs Up Trouble Again
Originally posted Dec 2002
North Korea is threatening half the world with its nuclear weapons. First, North Korea admits that it has been working on building nuclear weapons, then it kicks out all U.N. inspectors, and then it says that it will no longer abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty that it signed earlier, in which it pledged not to sell any or help other countries develop nuclear weapons. All the while, its leaders spit out hostile rhetoric toward the U.S. and threaten, in no uncertain terms, to unleash its entire cache of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons against the U.S., South Korea, and even Japan, if provoked.
This is a complicated issue for sure. Cynics point out that North Korea is merely using the U.S.’s preoccupation with Iraq to blackmail the U.S. into giving it more energy and food aid. Similarly, many in the Bush administration enjoy pointing out Kim’s antagonistic rhetoric as further examples of just how deranged he is. Others point out that the U.S.’s policies against North Korea since the end of the Korean War has left Kim Jong Il little choice but to take a hostile and aggressive stance toward the west in order to ensure North Korea’s survival.
As a recent episode of ABC News Nightline so acutely pointed out, the U.S., South Korea, and Japan all know that North Korea is capable of such madness. If provoked, North Korea will certainly retaliate like there’s no tomorrow by unleashing its entire chemical, biological, and nuclear arsenal and turning cities like Seoul, Tokyo, and perhaps even Honolulu into seas of fire, poison, and death. Deaths could easily top one million and may even approach five million. It will be nothing less than a human catastrophe of epic proportions.
If this scenario becomes reality, North Korea knows that eventually it will lose and that the U.S. and its allies will bomb them into oblivion, then invade, and ultimately take over the country. That’s exactly why North Korea is willing to take out as many people as possible before that happens. I don’t know what’s the best way to defuse this situation and to get both sides to back down, but I think it’s clear that the international community needs to play a strong role in mediating this potential crisis and that we should not leave it up to the oppressive and totalitarian regimes on either side — Kim Jong Il or George W. Bush.
Author Citation
Copyright © 2001- by C.N. Le. Some rights reserved. 
Suggested reference: Le, C.N. . "North Korea Stirs Up Trouble Again" Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian America. <https://www.asian-nation.org/headlines/2004/12/north-korea-stirs-up-trouble-again/> ().
Short URL: https://www.asian-nation.org/headlines/?p=9
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