Korean peninsula: It can only get worse

(October 13, 2006) CONGRATULATIONS is in order…not to Pyongyang, but to the people of North Korea who, because of their leader, maybe are looking at a better future ahead of them as countries around the world unite to force Kim Jong-Il to the negotiating table or force him out for good. I have nothing against countries asserting themselves, but the situation in North Korea only worsens the conditions in the region, making everyone fear that another Korean war may erupt – this time, much worse, as it could involve Japan, whose military was once the mightiest in Asia.

Unless Kim stands down, we could expect retaliatory moves that could hurt the North Koreans more, who are already suffering from famine judging from the secret video footages smuggled into China as shown recently by CNN. We have heard of a naval blockade, as intimated by President Bush, who wants that all means of transport going out and into North Korea be inspected. The Bush administration fears that North Korea could proliferate the use of nuclear weapons more by selling the technology to other countries that are against the U.S. foreign policy.

Korea must learn from its main ally China, once a nation detached from the rest of the world, which has become the fastest growing economy after opening its doors to capitalism, foreign investment and global trade. All other countries in the former Soviet Union are also trying their best to strengthen their democracies; they have since been competing with the rest of the world, not in arms race, but in arts, sports, technology, and are promoting cultural exchange. It only has to look at South Korea, the 10th biggest economy in the world, as it competes with Japan in technology and manufacturing.

By keeping itself isolated from the rest of Asia, it deprives itself of the immense human prowess Asians are known for. Surrounded by tigers, North Korea has chosen a path that only results to backwardness, stagnation, disease and ignorance to most of its people. Alas, even Vietnam, which has also suffered the same fate as North Korea, is now a destination for tourists and a target of opportunity by Fortune 500 CEOs, whose end result are jobs and economic advancement.

Why Kim would rather compete in arms race is beyond me. Any normal person would say that

nuclear weapons only annihilate people. It’s a waste of time, energy and effort since it is just a means to destroy the human being, while putting its scientists at risk with the threat of getting exposed to radiation. It only hurts the environment, especially when a leak occurs as what happened in Chernobyl.

With its claim that it has indeed “successfully” tested a nuclear bomb, even if it pales in comparison to the size that obliterated Hiroshima in the Second World War, North Korea boasts of being one of the elite countries that have nuclear weapons in its arsenal. They’re years away on technology as far as arming a warhead and launching it on a missile, U.S. said, but with atomic bomb as a threat, an invasion may not be as likely as what the U.S. did to Iraq that “had weapons of mass destruction.” This leaves the U.S. in a quandary on how to deal with Kim.

Indeed, the latest threat to world peace has put President Bush in a very awkward position, who used the military in bringing down Saddam because he had “ties to terrorists that attacked America, and because he was developing and amassing WMD.” It may not be the same case with North Korea, however. Not only is Bush not using these same reasons as a way to deal with Kim in order to justify another invasion, Pyongyang even issued a warning against the U.S.

Many Americans think the war in Iraq was a mistake. Simply because apparently there were no WMDs after all. More than 2,000 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq that is now facing a de facto civil war. We cannot afford another conflict– in billions of dollars and human toll. And while North Korea may be on its way to perfecting its nuclear armament, others like Iran could use it as a tool – become another nuclear armed nation – so that the U.S will leave it alone. If that happens, I guess the whole world will become a ticking bomb.(RFL)

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