North Korea's young despot, Kim Jong-il: It
is thought that his regime's
third nuclear test, which may have been a miniaturized, uranium-based
device that could fit on the head of a rocket, was timed to send Obama
a message: It's time for America to sign a Korean War peace accord.
Nuclear Test to
Send Obama Message on State of the Union Eve (Asahi Shimbun,
Japan)
"The third
nuclear test, coupled with the North's successful missile launch in December, was
designed to deliver a stronger message to Washington than anything it sent
before. Conducting it on the eve of Obama’s State of the Union address adds even
more of a punch. ... To add more meaning to the timing of this third nuclear
test, February 16 is the birthday of Kim Jong-un's father,
the late leader Kim Jong-il."
On the eve of President Barack Obama's State of the Union
address, North Korea's Feb. 12 underground nuclear test is meant to send a
strong message to the United States.
Since Jan. 22, after the U.N. Security Council adopted a
resolution tightening sanctions and condemning Pyongyang’s December long-range
missile launch, the North has used strong and defiant rhetoric, with its
youthful leader Kim Jong-un, expressing his “firm
resolve.”
If the North’s real purpose for conducting a nuclear test is
to demonstrate its nuclear capabilities to the world, it could have held it in
January, after the adoption of harsher U.N. sanctions. But it waited for weeks
to see how the United States would respond to its intention to conduct a
"higher-level" nuclear test.
Although the North has made clear it won't come to the negotiating
table to seek a denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, it has signaled a
readiness to join talks aimed at securing peace and stability there.
[Editor's Note: In January, after Pyongyang's successful
three-stage missile test and new U.N. Security Council sanctions, the Kim Jong-un regime, through its government mouthpiece
the Korea Central News Agency,
said: "The DPRK has come to the final conclusion
that denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula will be impossible without the
realization of global denuclearization, as it has become clear that America's
policy of hostility toward the DPRK remains
unchanged."]
The North Korean regime now seeks a U.S. guarantee of its
long-term survival through replacement of the 60-year-old armistice which ended
the 1950-53 Korean War with a permanent peace deal.
But Washington has not responded.
The third nuclear test, coupled with the North's successful
missile launch in December, was designed to deliver a stronger message to
Washington than anything it sent before. Conducting it on the eve of Obama’s State
of the Union address adds even more of a punch.
Posted By
Worldmeets.US
Pyongyang remembers President George W. Bush's harder line,
when he labeled North Korea, Iran and Iraq an “axis of evil” in his 2002 State
of the Union address.
[Editor's Note: The only mention of North Korea in President Obama's address is contained in this paragraph: "Of course, our challenges don't end with al-Qaeda. America will continue to lead the effort to prevent the spread of the world’s most dangerous weapons. The regime in North Korea must know that they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations. Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only isolate them further, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defense, and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats."]
Too add more meaning to the timing of this third nuclear
test, February 16 is the birthday of Kim Jong-un's father,
the late leader Kim Jong-il.
Missile launches and nuclear tests are stratagems that Kim Jong-un adopted from his father, and by succeeding in both,
the young leader may have also intended to boost the prestige of his regime.
And while the North's economic dependence on its main ally China
is deepening, Beijing failed to keep Pyongyang from proceeding with this test
of a miniaturized nuclear device. China has consistently opposed the North’s
nuclear weapons program.
But Japan, the United States and South Korea cannot expect
China to go out of its way to cooperate on reining in the North’s atomic
activity. A rising military power in the region, China has escalated its
standoff with Japan over the Senkaku Islands in the
East China Sea, a long-running sovereignty dispute.
Beijing isn't fully on good terms with Washington, either.
China is unlikely to do anything more than try and arrange
further talks between the North and United States, which it regards as the
appropriate response. After all, the United States is considered the most
influential of all nations on the fate of the North. and in any case, Pyongyang
must have factored in China's response before proceeding with its nuclear
detonation.
The “success” of the missile launch and the use of a
“miniaturized and lighter nuclear device” allows the North to pose more of a
threat to the region and the United States.
Meanwhile, South Korean President-elect Park Geun-hye will take the oath of office on Feb. 25. The
North’s nuclear test can be seen as a slap in the face before the Park Administration
even has a chance to form.
Prospects for progress in bilateral ties are grim now as
Park suggested assistance on condition that the North opts out of nuclear testing.
*Dr. ShunjiHiraiwa is a professor of
Korean studies at KwanseiGakuin
University.
