North Korea Unleashes Yet Another Threat

Feb. 10, 2005:
For the first time in public, North Korea admits it has nuclear weapons. At the same time it pulls out of disarmament talks indefinitely, blaming U.S. hostility.

For years, we have assumed North Korea had a nuclear warhead. The poor, starving country has been feverishly working on feeding it's nuclear program rather than nourishing it's 22 million people. Perhaps by starving the citizens and feeding its 1.2 million troops instead, North Korea figures any kind of war will not affect its citizens because they'll already be dead or half-dead from hunger.

Less than three years ago, North Korea violated a nuclear agreement with the U.S. by activating its nuclear program again.

Earlier this year, the country supplied arms to an Islamic group with ties to al-Qaeda:

Jan. 5, 2005:
Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun says North Korea sold 10,000 rifles and other weapons to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The group is based in the Philippines and allegedly has ties to al-Qaeda. The newspaper cites Southeast Asian security sources.

As a result of their assistance to at least this one Islamic group, North Korea has managed to injure themselves even more.

Not only have they recently assisted that group, but in the past they have provided military assistance to terrorist countries:

The country's largest industry is military production and it exports its ballistic military technology to such countries as Iran, Libya, Syria and Egypt.

After doing these things, North Korea expects the United States of America to just automatically "trust" them. They make demands on the U.S. of A. and in return they will supposedly, for the third time, halt their nuclear weapons program.

In 2003, North Korea offered to freeze its nuclear weapons program if the U.S. removes it from a list of countries friendly to terrorists, lifts sanctions against the country and resumes shipments of oil and aid.

*knock, knock* Hello? North Korea?
YOU'VE MADE THAT PROMISE BEFORE.

And you backed out.

So why should we trust you again? What's the big credible thing about you we should be considering when you make such demands of us?

"North Korea still is... one of those seven terrorist-sponsoring states. North Korea is not entitled to join the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, IMF, whatever international organizations," he says. "Because of these pending political and military issues, North Korea is not entitled to get foreign capital and technology."

North Korea probably should have thought about those sorts of consequences before rushing forward rashly with all their threats and missile "testing" and intimidation tactics and refusal to STOP nuclear weapons processing when told to do so by more than one source at more than one time. The biggest weakness of North Korea's leadership is their stubbornness and impatience. Each rash decision they have made has harmed their country more and more. Too proud to accept that they need assistance, they injure themselves to resist what they perceive as "dependence".

The Asian mindset can really be irritating in that way: stubborn & proud. How do I know? I have a parent who is Asian. Sometimes when I have wanted to help her out of the love in my heart, she would turn me away because she had a suspicion that I wanted something from her. Or because she had a suspicion that she would have to "owe" me. It is very irritating to deal with that mindset. I simply love her and that is what compels me to help and do for her. I do not need to ask anything from her and do not want anything in return from her, except her love. If she cannot give that, then why would I want anything else? There is nothing more important to me than that only. I help and do out of my love for her. Beyond that, there is nothing else. No obligations. No payments due. Nothing is owed. That cannot be love if those things existed. Because see, love is unconditional.

How does that apply to North Korea? The South Koreans only want to re-establish relationship with the North. The South has provided assistance to help its sibling to the North, only to feel slighted with the lack of "love" the North seems to be showing in return.

"North Korea doesn't appreciate our help," says one man. "They never say thank you, they just cause trouble. We should get rid of them."

This is the kind of sentiment some of the South express as a result of the cold shoulder the North seems to be returning. Instead of feeling returned response of "love" (if you will) from the North, they're finding themselves trying so hard to get the North to soften to the point that they have forgotten that the North can be a serious threat to them.

"The sunshine policy was implemented with the belief that if we provide peaceful assistance, economic assistance towards North Korea, then they will change their attitude and become more friendly with the South," says Park Jin. "The intention was benign, but the result was the opposite. Instead of softening North Korean attitude, actually it has softened the South Korean perception of North Korean threat, which I call backfired."

North Korea's leadership - particularly Kim Jong Il - needs to stop being so selfish and fearful and learn to open up to friendship. These things of stubbornness, selfishness, pride, and fear continue to push North Korea more into isolation but with more injury. If it caves itself in to a point that is too injurious, then it will become too blind to its own pain to be restored and will lash out at others.