North Korea's Latest Threats

Once again, this post is a bit overdue, but nevertheless, it is one I wanted to share:

Last Monday, North Korea announced that it will no longer follow the guidelines of the ceasefire with South Korea. This followed a severance of communication between Pyeongyang and Seoul. These actions were done in retaliation to the increased sanctions and culminated in the joint military drills between the ROK (Republic of Korea = South Korea) and USA. 

The rhetoric coming from the North has also been very critical of President Park, the first woman president of the South, using rhetoric referring to her inferiority compared to a male leader. It is the first few weeks of her presidency: the woman who took the role of first lady after her mother was assassinated during her father's administration. It is quite an interesting contrast of leaders. On one side you have a young third generation Kim leader who is still trying to prove himself to his fathers generals. On the other side you have Ms. Park, who has grown up in politics yet has much to prove to her people as the first woman president of South Korea.

While these actions are very hostile for relations between the Koreas, this is not the first time that the North has severed communication or treaties with the South. There is a continuous trend of the DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea = North Korea) developing contrived "hostility" in order to maintain its presence in the international news and to maintain some level of control over the behaviors of its neighbors.

For the North, global attention is its only way to continue to have some relevance in the world. Without the economic or political influence to shape global events, they revert to developing threatening rhetoric to keep the spotlight on themselves. It makes sense as an impoverished nation surrounded by three of the worlds largest economies to strive for attention in order to maintain some control over these three superpowers actions.

Another reason for establishing these hostilities is a direct reaction to the continued military presence of the US in the ROK. The military drills conducted by the joint army every spring angers the North annually. The Cheonan sinking three years ago followed one of these joint drills. Again, threats and minor provocations are used by the North to maintain a presence in the dialogue in the region.

So what does South Korea think? Is there a feeling of fear of an eminent attack?

The answer is a resounding no.

While the rhetoric is present, no one is really concerned about the latest threats. Everyone sees it as propaganda to internally unite the North and to keep a presence on the world stage. The Korean sentiment and reaction to the latest from the North can be summed up by the ROK defense minister:

'Seoul’s Defense Ministry dismissed the threats, saying it is not detecting any signs of a new nuclear test or missile launch.

“North Korea is seen to be uniting its people internally through a series of political and military activities and externally pressing South Korea and the U.S. through threats to shift their North Korea policy in the face of Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises and U.N. sanctions,” ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a briefing. (Korea herald)'

For South Korea, as long as North Korea is a political state, there will always be a possible threat. It is a part of day to day life here: an awareness of what is to the north, but an understanding that as long as South Korea is economically and politically dominant on the world stage, it would be impossible for the North to lead a campaign against the South. This is one quality I appreciate about South Korea: There is a graceful acceptance of the neighbor to the North, but there is also a strength to not allow this hostile neighbor to inhibit life in the South.