North Korea / U.S. relations

In a way, North Korea is old news. However, I read a comment on a friend's site that inspires me to write about the issue. This particular friend thinks we shouldn't be involved in North Korea's affairs and that if they want to test the Taepodong-2 missile, then it is none of our concern.

Not all that long ago (within the last six months), I wrote a short paper on the six-nation talks with Pyongyang and the ramifications North Korea's nuclear program has on international affairs. I do not have that paper handy at this exact second, but I can make a few statements relating to these and the recent failed missile test.

Here are the facts:

• In 1985, North Korea signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty;
• In 1992, the first IAEA inspectors review North Korea's nuclear program but are limited in their inspection by the state;
• In 1993, the IAEA declared that it would no longer will provide assurances that North Korea did not have nuclear weapons;
• In 1994, North Korea signed the Agreed Framework which stipulated it would dismantle its nuclear program;
• In 1998, North Korea launched a Taepodong-1 missile over Japan;
• In 2002, a uranium-enrichment program was discovered in North Korea and Kim Jong Il kicked out IAEA monitors, in violation of that 1994 treaty;
• In 2003, Jong Il withdrew North Korea's participation in the non-proliferation treaty and made claims that the country now had weapons-grade plutonium and would actively work on a "nuclear deterrent;"
• The six-party talks began in August 2003 to resolve the nuclear issue with North Korea - countries involved are China, South Korea, Russia, the U.S., Japan and North Korea;
• The fourth round of Six-Party Talks in 2005 resulted in a Joint Statement that commits North Korea to "abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning, at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to IAEA safeguards" in exchange for economic aid;
• In 2006, North Korea test-launches six missiles, one of which is the Taepodong-2 (fails).

Other fun facts:

• North Korea is one of the few surviving communist states, although Kim Jong Il claims they follow their own Juche politics;
• 2005 was the 11th year running that North Korea experienced a food shortage - China is experiencing a large-scale problem with illegal immigration as North Koreans are crossing the borders in search of food;
• North Korea depends upon humanitarian assistance to feed its people;
• The bulk of North Korea's finances, instead of being used to treat the issue of mass malnutrition (which would be mass starvation and famine if there were no international food aid), is spent on the military (North Korea has the fifth-largest army in the world) - military spending is estimated at 20%-25% of its GNP;
• Kim Jong Il has total control of the country (contrary to the idea of Juche politics), often being referred to as a dictator, but within North Korea holding the official titles of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the National Defense Commission, and Supreme Commander of the Korean Peoples' Army;
• North Korea has supplied Iran and Pakistan with weapons;
• North Korea is officially atheist and all other religions are zealously suppressed;
• Amnesty International and other international organizations accuse North Korea of having one of the worst human rights records of any nation.

I have not editorialized any of the content above, but I cannot see how anyone can look at the facts and still believe that the U.S. can maintain an isolationist stance in today's world. We are all connected through commerce and with that benefit, there are many responsibilities.

Kim Jong Il has labeled the U.S. as imperialists and uses propoganda to paint a picture of American aggression. He sees our country as the biggest threat to North Korea's sovereignty and, as a result, to his rule. We cannot ignore the fact that North Korea views us as public enemy number one, and it is in the name of national security that we must remain involved in the affairs of this country.

North Korea is unstable and ruled by a totalitarian platform. Access to the country is incredibly limited and there exist many questions about even the true structure of their government. The majority of information we have on the country's government, human rights abuses, etc. comes from Jong Il's propoganda and the stories of North Koreans who crossed the border into freedom.

In the 1990's, famine killed an estimated 3.5 million people and international food aid has prevented that situation from reoccuring since. However, most people still suffer from malnutrition and food is diverted to the military that is intended for civilian relief. And despite all the assistance, experts in 2005 predicted another food shortage to occur shortly.

If not for reasons of national security, then the U.S. should be involved in North Korea's affairs for humanitarian reasons.

And in fact, we are present for both. The treaties and agreements set forth in the past with North Korea have often been an offer of economic and food aid to the country in exchange for the cease of their nuclear ambitions. Light-water reactors, to be used for energy creation, have been offered.

And yet the facts still remain. North Koreans are being brutalized at the hands of their government. Kim Jong Il is setting up the U.S. as North Korea's biggest enemy. North Korea has nuclear ambitions and it is unclear whether they already have or have the capability to make nuclear weapons. And the North Korean government continues to test short- and long-range missiles with the capability to strike the U.S. (not to mention surrounding countries, such as Japan, with whom North Korea has a long history of enmity).

What about this situation would impel you to NOT care about what happens in North Korea? Ignoring the problem will not make it go away. In fact, it is exactly that isolationist stance that can come back and bite you in the bum. U.S. history gives us plenty of examples of what happens when the U.S. remains aloof. Too many lives have been squandered because we didn't want to be involved. I cannot stress enough what a mistake that would be in the case of North Korea.