Yet more bad news. This seems to be the week for it.
I refer to North Korea's second nuke test, of course. It's interesting how blase the people in Korea are about their not-so-friendly northern neighbor. But I guess they've been living with the threat of war for over 50 years now. It's a bit like the boy who cried wolf, but instead of wolf, he says "war". They've heard it all before.
South Korean people generally long for reunification with North Korea. Some Korean people believe that NK would never go to war against SK because their common ancestry. Others believe Kim Jong Il is pretty much the Devil in high hair and sunglasses.
During the Kim Dae Jun administration, things were looking up. President Kim had his Sunshine policy, which was basically a policy of gradual northern engagement. This policy continued under the next president as well. However, the failure of the sunshine policy can be laid firmly at the feet of the north. SK gave and gave and gave, and NK took and took and took, and gave very little back in turn. Eventually, SK got tired of this never-ending generosity, and the current president, Lee Myoung Pak, was elected pretty much because he would be more rigid against NK.
Wither North Korea? Who knows? But I can say this: the USA has an open-minded and liberal leader who would no doubt love to put a negative relationship in the positive column. If NK wants to change its relationship with the west, now is the time. But I suspect this will go the same way as the defunct Sunshine Policy. Like a feral cat, North Korea seems incapable of real trust and friendship, and seems to only snarl at an open hand.
And yet, neither can they continue upon their present path of militarism and starvation forever. Their country has an expiration date that is fast approaching. Kim Jong Il and his government would be wise to change their minds before somebody else changes it for them.
I always saw the Sunshine Policy as a failure. It just encouraged North Koreas bad behaviour by ignoring their bad actions. While it is a great idea to engage in disccussion with your enemy(?) and try to bring a non-violent solution you can't ignore when they act badly. It seemed like North Korea would act out and then still be rewarded.
ReplyDeleteI kind of look at it as how you deal with a child. Your child acts out. You tell them to stop and still give them candy. They act out again. You tell them to stop but still give them candy. The child will eventually understand that they can do whatever they want and not only will they still get candy you might give them more hoping it will make them act better. Kind of reminds me of the separtists in Quebec.
I agree with you that North Korea will continue to act badly. It is what they have been conditioned to expect. Act badly and get what you want. It is going to take some time, and actual strong stands against their bad behaviour, before North Korea starts to understand the times they are a changing.