|
|
|
|
OECD warns Korea of inequality challenge
South Korea's economic success has
been accompanied by increasing disparities in wealth, which with other social
problems may worsen as the population ages, warns the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development. The proposed remedies do not chime with government
views. - Donald Kirk (Jun 27, '11)
Lone Star, Woori test Korea's credentials
South Korea's ambivalence as to
whether it is an old-style protectionist regime or a new-look global player will
be tested by United States-based Lone Star's latest bid to resell Korea Exchange
Bank (and pocket US$4 billion tax free) and the sale of now healthy Woori bank.
- Aidan Foster-Carter (Jun 23, '11)
Defector mammonism? Pot calls kettle black
A South Korean report claims that
North Korean defectors are too materialistic, that they "obsessively pursue
money and remain alienated". Considering the traumas of life in the North, the
perilous journey out and the shock of being plunged into the South's fast-paced,
high-tech (and very materialistic) society, to belittle defectors just for
saving money to help their families seems a cheap shot. - Aidan
Foster-Carter (Jun 22, '11)
North Korea not quite in the zone
China and North Korea have decided to
develop two new special economic zones on their border areas - on the face of it
a positive step for the impoverished North and its backward economy. If past
such efforts are any indication, though, there is a very strong possibility that
Pyongyang's over-sensitivity will spell doom for the initiative. - Andrei
Lankov (Jun 20, '11)
Unfinished deal between Pyongyang, Beijing
China traditionally demands
three things from North Korea: economic reform,
improved ties with the United States in terms of
the nuclear 
standoff, and better inter-Korean relations. Pyongyang
is working with Beijing on the economic front, but falls short when it comes to
political and diplomatic matters. (Jun 13,
'11)
North Korea draws in US to save face
Anger at
South Korean troops using photos of the Dear
Leader and his heir-apparent for target practice
is reflected in North Korea's 
rejection of overtures from Seoul for inter-Korean talks.
Pyongyang has no need to bridge the gap when instead it can slowly draw United
States human-rights envoy Robert King into a face-saving formula that meets all
its needs. - Donald Kirk (Jun 6, '11)
Pyongyang lets the cat out the bag
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has
egg all over his face after North Korea leaked news of secret high-level
inter-Korean talks in Beijing. Lee and his aides have been steadfast in giving
the appearance to South Koreans that they are not summit-seekers. - Sunny
Lee (Jun 3, '11)
North Korea-China ties sealed in blood
Kim Jong-il's most recent tour of
China retraced areas where Korean troops fought alongside Chinese counterparts
in the Chinese civil war. According to the North's unofficial spokesman,
Beijing's red-carpet treatment of Kim during the journey signals its recognition
of Pyongyang's role in the People's Republic of China's birth, and the
importance of bilateral ties to East Asian peace. - Kim Myong Chol (Jun 1, '11)
North Korea plays it both ways
Even as Dear Leader Kim Jong-il is visiting
the high-tech zone of eastern and northeastern China and enjoying the embrace of
President Hu Jintao, United States human-rights envoy Robert King is in
Pyongyang on a "fact-finding" mission. The North Koreans are clearly pulling out
all the stops to convince both their closest ally and their worst enemy this
time they really want to be good. - Donald Kirk (May 27, '11)
Dear Leader is hard to track
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il made an
uncharacteristic detour during his ongoing visit to China, traveling 3,000
kilometers for three days and two nights by train to the relatively obscure city
of Yangzhou, which just happens to be the home of former president Jiang Zemin.
Apart from that, just what the Dear Leader is doing in the Middle Kingdom
remains a matter of guesswork. - Sunny Lee (May 26, '11)
North Korea takes aim
Pyongyang plans to attract foreign capital in a 10-year
drive to become a "strong and prosperous nation", with the focus on
infrastructure and basic industries. Reforms may suggest a radical turn from the
military-first policy, but security risks and past failures could scare off
investors. - Yvonne Su (May 23, '11)
Food fight looms over North Korean 'famine'
United States plans to send a
fact-finding mission to a purportedly starving North Korea could undermine
Seoul's hardline stance that the "famine" looming is a ruse to divert aid to
anniversary celebrations. The biggest winner from such a mission could be
Pyongyang's well-fed leaders, since it opens a door to a bilateral dialogue that
the North has sought since Barack Obama became president. - Donald Kirk
(May 20, '11)
Lee hangs tough on North Korea
President
Lee Myung-bak has retained hardline Unification
Minister Hyun In-taek - the architect of South
Korea's hardline North
Korean policy - in a cabinet reshuffle. The decision hints that Lee
refuses to veer from a conservative course that some say has "restored national
dignity" but which others believe has taken inter-Korean relations to a new low.
- Sunny Lee (May 19, '11)
Middle East front opens for the Koreas
The
relationship of the two Koreas to events in the
Middle East is precariously entwined. The North is
waiting in the wings to add to growing 
sales of military hardware within the club of
international pariah states should the ruling regimes in Syria and Libya
survive. It is precisely the threat of a revival of Cold War "client states"
that will draw South Korea and Israel closer. - Yong Kwon (May 18, '11)
Lee's Kim invite plays to home crowd
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak
knew there was no chance North Korean leader Kim Jong-il would accept his
invitation to attend next year's Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul. Rather than a
meaningful attempt to pressure the North on its nukes or engage in dialogue,
last week's offer was aimed at giving Lee an edge over his rivals ahead of
elections next year. - Andray Abrahamian (May
17, '11)
'Seductive' China to strain Seoul's US ties
Debate in South Korea over
whether Seoul should abandon its traditional alliance with the United States to
bed down with an increasingly influential China has shocked former US diplomats.
While the South can expect Beijing to seek a deeper partnership as Japan's
influence wanes, any choosing of sides by Seoul is likely to become a zero-sum
game. - Sunny Lee (May 11, '11)
Kim Jong-il safe from Osama's fate, for now
South Korean hardliners fuming at
the North's provocations say Kim Jong-il should be taken out in a surgical
strike similar to the operation that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden,
hailing "American justice". But while the US has the capability, it is unlikely
to risk East Asian security unless the Dear Leader becomes a more imminent
threat. Kim is bad, but not bad enough. - Sunny Lee (May 4, '11)
The inevitability of Kim revisionism
Stalinist revisionism teaches that not
all dictators are damned by history, and when it comes to Korean unification,
feelings of frustration and alienation in the North will likely foster misplaced
sympathy towards the old regime. - Andrei Lankov (May 3, '11)
Time to wise up on North Korea
Four "elder" statesmen - headed by former United States president Jimmy Carter
- were not granted the courtesy of a meeting with Kim Jong-il during their
visit this week to North Korea. The Dear Leader did send them a message,
though, which was triumphantly touted by the group as a possible breakthrough
in non-stop North-South confrontation. Wisdom, it seems, does not necessarily
come with age. - Donald Kirk (Apr 29, '11)
Carter heads North amid South's doubts
Jimmy Carter, accompanied by three former heads of European states, is in North
Korea for what is described as a "humanitarian mission". It may well be that,
but South Korea is particularly concerned that the former United States
president is stepping into diplomatic areas in which he has no business. - Sunny
Lee (Apr 27, '11)
Israel and North Korea: Missing the real story
Profiles of a delusional North Korea fanboy in the Israeli press are less
newsworthy than the uncut history of North Korea's dealings with Tel Aviv. The
tale of how Mossad and the Israeli foreign ministry bumped into each other in a
plane from Pyongyang is worthy of high farce. But the real twist is how
Israel's torpedoing of a diplomatic maneuver undermined missile safety in the
Western world. - Aidan Foster-Carter (Apr 21,
'11)
North Korea: Calculus of an existential war
Connections made between North Korea's succession process for heir
apparent Kim Jong-eun and its nuclear and conventional provocations ignore that
the country's policies are rooted in the existential threat posed by South
Korea. Nuclear weapons are a long-term deterrence strategy, and regime change
in Pyongyang will not alter this established military doctrine. - Yong Kwon
(Apr 20, '11)
Koreas edge towards first nuclear talks
South Korea and the United States have agreed in principle to the first stage
of China's "three-stage" plan to restart six-party talks on North Korea's
nuclear program - inter-Korean nuclear talks. However, while Seoul demands the
North apologize for provocations as a precondition, Pyongyang refuses to
discuss nuclear matters with an "unequal partner". - Sunny Lee
(Apr 20, '11)
Doves who'd shoot the messenger
After decades of media silence from inside North Korea, a "constellation" of
new media sources has sprung up that strive for valuable data on the secretive
state. The plucky online agencies now stand accused of being as propagandistic
as the clunky state organs they supercede, with a report claiming they are
"designed to undermine regime stability in the North". - Aidan Foster-Carter
(Apr 18, '11)
America's Plan B for North Korea ... Track II
The United States has been quietly rethinking its North Korean policy after
being backed into strategic paralysis by the South that complicated relations
with China. Low-key engagements with private individuals are now unofficially
preferred to break the impasse, though this will do little to convince
Pyongyang to give up its nukes, as former president Jimmy Carter may soon
discover. - Peter Lee (Apr 15, '11)
China proposes Seoul lead nuclear talks
China has suggested a "three-stage" process for North Korean nuclear
disarmament, with inter-Korean talks followed by a United States-North Korea
dialogue and then resumption of the six-party talks. The plan would entail a
radical shake-up of diplomatic leadership in dealing with Pyongyang, with Seoul
handed a lead role that neither Washington nor Beijing particularly wants. - Sunny
Lee (Apr 14, '11)
Recalled to life in Pyongyang
Reports that two senior officials were executed last month in North Korea - a
finance minister for a disastrous currency reform and a railways minister for a
train explosion allegedly targeting Kim Jong-il - must be approached with
caution. While some disgraced dignitaries do get dispatched, such as the "spy"
who "provoked" the 1990s famine, many emerge alive and well and in the thick of
Pyongyang politics. - Andrei Lankov (Apr 14,
'11)
South Korea revisits Afghan hostage horror
A rise in insurgent attacks on South Korean military bases in Afghanistan comes
as details emerge of a 2007 hostage crisis involving 23 South Korean
missionaries kidnapped by the Taliban, during which two were killed. While
Seoul has reneged on its pledge to withdraw troops over the volunteers'
release, South Korea's often overzealous Christian volunteers are still barred
from the country. - Sunny Lee (Apr 11, '11)
Pre-succession purge rocks Pyongyang
Dear Leader Kim Jong-il has hastened purges of anyone suspected of plotting
against his son, Kim Jong-eun, as the clock ticks down on a handover expected
to be complete by 2012. Unfortunately for Kim, his son is reportedly so
unpopular that the process could decimate his security forces. This could
explain why the heir apparent was unexpectedly passed over at this week's
Supreme People's Assembly. - Donald Kirk (Apr
8, '11)
Seoul agonizes over feeding the North
International pressure - such as from former United States ambassador to South
Korea Donald Gregg - is increasing on Seoul to restart food aid to the North
amid reports of a looming famine. However, others argue that aid is simply
funneled to the elite, and anyway, hardliners suspect Pyongyang is exaggerating
the crisis. - Sunny Lee (Apr 6, '11)
Japan riles Korea with textbook timing
Japan's decision to approve textbooks asserting sovereignty over the disputed
Dokdo or Takeshima islands appears unfortunate. Sympathy over its earthquake
and tsunami was easing enmity among Koreans towards their former colonial
ruler. Yet Tokyo had little choice; it had to harden its stance on territorial
issues in response to Russian and Chinese provocations. - Donald Kirk
(Apr 5, '11)
Lee's summit gamble on North Korea
South Korea President Lee Myung-bak's appeals for a one-on-one summit with Kim
Jong-il could be explained by fears his legacy will be defined by the Cheonan
crisis and a deterioration in inter-Korean relations. However, Lee may struggle
to convince his hardline conservative supporters to accept talks in the face of
Pyongyang's refusal to admit any role in the sinking. - Sunny Lee
(Mar 31, '11)
North Korea laments Gaddafi's nuke folly
South Korea's enduring confusion over how to retaliate decisively to the
sinking of the corvette Cheonan one year ago this week appears to
validate North Korea's remarks that maintaining its nuclear weapons program has
helped it avoid the uncertain fate of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who did
give up his nukes. - Donald Kirk (Mar 28,
'11)
A silver lining in dark Japan?
The tragedy in Japan has caused many Koreans to reconsider a long-held
resentment of their former colonial rulers, with Korean pop stars leading a
charge of sympathy and generosity. While the younger generation's memories of
atrocities such as the World War II-era "comfort women" are cultural rather
than personal, many feel Japan must reciprocate aid with greater concern for
issues that still frustrate Koreans. - Andray Abrahamian
(Mar 25, '11)
Kim Jong-il: A reluctant leader
When the Kim Jong-il show ends, the world may look back on the Dear Leader as a
brutal tyrant who starved his people while dining on imported caviar and
Italian wine. This only tells half the story. A younger Kim struggled to fill
his father's oversized boots and, far from leading alone, keeping the regime in
power has required constant management of simmering factions. - Sunny Lee
(Mar 24, '11)
Narco-capitalism grips North Korea
While the state-sponsored production of narcotics in North Korea is in marked
decline, the collapse of the Stalinist economy has led to private businesses
taking over, with workshops producing crystal-meth, or Ice, springing up along
the border with China. In another transformation, substances once produced for
export only are seeing a surge in domestic consumption. - Andrei Lankov
(Mar 17, '11)
Seoul's bungling spies face backlash
A spy debacle in which South Korean agents allegedly broke into the hotel room
of an Indonesian presidential delegation to steal information on an arms deal
has led to demands that the National Intelligence Service reform to "serve the
people". However, this could prove challenging for a body whose primary purpose
has been oppressing, torturing and incarcerating political rivals for military
dictatorships. - Sunny Lee (Mar 17, '11)
Cyber-attacks add to North Korean arsenal
Recent denial-of-service attacks on South Korean bank and government websites
show that North Korea is adding increasingly sophisticated cyber-warfare to its
armory of nuclear weapons and missiles, its conventional bargaining chip since
the 1990s. The North is schooling hackers, and according to one military
defector more than 30,000 people are engaged in acts of electronic sabotage. - Yong
Kwon (Mar 16, '11)
Lee versus Lee: A phoney war in Seoul
Biting criticism of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's economic policy by
Lee Kun-hee,
the boss of the country's biggest chaebol, seems churlish given
President Lee's similar career path and support for big business. The snap
likely derived from Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun's support for a proposal
that large businesses share their excess profits with smaller companies. - Aidan
Foster-Carter (Mar 15, '11)
Don't let Kim be misunderstood
The world needs to first understand the riddle that is Kim Jong-il - and
abandon its wholesale demonization of him as a lascivious, delusional maniac -
before it can fully comprehend his country. Often Kim's contradictory remarks
and bizarre passive-aggressive behavior are so confusing exactly
because they aim to be. - Sunny Lee (Mar
15, '11)
War games on Nightmare Range
United States forces have an apt name for the the barren land where annual
exercises are now taking place with South Korean troops. Tension is palpable,
despite the war games, and "fight-tonight" readiness is maintained with good
reason: In the words of one observer, the Korean Peninsula is now as dangerous
a place as it has been at any time since conflict ended in 1953. - Donald Kirk
(Mar 11, '11)
GRIM UP NORTH
Why the Kim regime will falter ...
Although data on North Korea's economy are mostly guesstimates, reports of
looming famine, possibly spurring a revolt, have become a spring ritual for
international media, activists and aid groups. While the North is destitute,
hunger is less prevalent and mobile phones, DVD players and computers are more
common. It's the pervasive spread of these technologies - rather than food
riots - that could bring down the regime. - Andrei Lankov
(Mar 10, '11)
... and why it will never die
Hopes that political unrest in the Arab world will see the Kim Jong-il regime
toppled is the West's daydreaming, says Pyongyang's unofficial spokesman, since
Kim's "children" would never rebel against an accomplished, iron-willed
statesman who has guided the North into space and nuclear clubs and is steering
it towards prosperity. In the words of American media itself, planet Kim will
keep spinning for centuries. - Kim Myong Chol
(Mar 10, '11)
Korea's pulpit bullies take aim at Islam
Clerics from South Korea's intense Christian lobby have pressured the ruling
party into backing down on tax relief plans for sukuks (Islamic bonds),
with talk of a "life-and-death" fight against "economic jihad". Though the
bonds could boost South Korean investment in the Middle East, particularly
plans to build nuclear power stations there, political parties are pandering to
the "bigot vote" ahead of next year's elections. - Aidan Foster-Carter
(Mar 8, '11)
Seoul reflects on nuclear taboos
In the face of regular North Korean threats of a holocaust and an ongoing
failure of peace efforts, calls among South Korean conservatives for the US to
redeploy tactical nuclear weapons there are growing in intensity, along with
talk of developing a nuke stockpile domestically. Support for the redeployment
plan has arrived from an unlikely quarter - the White House's coordinator for
arms control and weapons of mass destruction. - Donald Kirk
(Mar 7, '11)
Fog lifts on Myanmar-North Korea
barter
Shipping records from Myanmar seen by Asia Times Online show that North Korean
ships have been docking regularly at Myanmar's Thilawa and Yangon ports for
almost a decade, confirming long-held suspicions they have been engaging in
barter trade, probably exchanging military hardware for Myanmar's rice. Where
cash was preferred, counterfeit dollar bills have surfaced elsewhere. - Bertil
Lintner (Mar 3, '11)
North Koreans: Still hungry. Who cares?
After North Korea's worst winter in 66 years, amid reports of widespread
starvation, the national ethos of Juche (self-reliance) has a chilling
new sub-text: you're on your own. While it's hard to see past Pyongyang's
nuclear bluster, and aid will be pilfered by the regime, the West perhaps needs
reminding that the North Korean people are not the enemy. - Aidan Foster-Carter
(Mar 3, '11)
Korean tensions reach new heights
Verbal ire from North Korea directed at the South for its joint annual war
games with the United States has been heightened by the South's military
sending helium balloons across the border laden with aid and propaganda.
Pyongyang has called the balloon sorties "psychological libel", perhaps
bristling at leaflets mentioning uprisings in the Arab world. - Sunny Lee
(Mar 2, '11)
Myanmar, North Korea in missile
nexus
Newly exposed North Korean-staffed facilities in Myanmar for producing
long-range Scud-type missiles could spark an arms race in Southeast Asia. This
indicates that as the regime in Naypyidaw increasingly draws on its clandestine
assistance in know-how and hardware, North Korea has usurped China as Myanmar's
main military partner. - Bertil Lintner (Mar
1, '11)
North Koreans out of revolutionary loop
While a heady mix of economic stagnation and the creeping relaxation of
Stalinist control could one day see Kim il-Sung Square emulate Egypt's Tahrir,
continuing isolation means the average North Korean has no clue how
impoverished and regimented his or her life is. As long as Pyongyang keeps the
people unaware of better alternatives, rebellions will struggle to catch light.
- Andrei Lankov (Mar 1, '11)
Libya still golden for Korean evacuees
South Korea, among the biggest investors in construction projects in the Middle
East, may have more to fear than most as it evacuates its nationals from the
violence in Libya. For Koreans joining the 100,000 people to have already fled,
however, the future in Libya is still golden. And for one company in
particular, the human strife is a distraction from other upheavals. - Donald
Kirk and Syed Tashfin Chowdhury (Feb
24, '11)
Scent of freedom in North Korea
Reports that the "Jasmine revolutions" of the Middle East and North Africa have
reached North Korea are dominating headlines in the South, with "riot zones"
identified and purges apparently underway. The Hermit Kingdom's massive
isolation makes the accounts of a democratic uprising seem flights of fantasy,
but they nonetheless give Pyongyang some common ground with China. - Sunny Lee
(Feb 24, '11)
Crying wolf in Pyongyang
The CNN program "Six Days in North Korea", filmed during New Mexico Governor
Bill Richardson's trip to Pyongyang following the North's shelling of
Yeonpyeong Island, reached an apotheosis of silliness when its presenter
claimed to hear the distant explosions of South Korean artillery in the Yellow
Sea, some 231 kilometers due south. However, the timing of the visit may have
eased tensions, and it indeed bore all the hallmarks of picturesque trips by US
diplomats in the past that have intermittently raised hopes. - Donald Kirk
(Feb 23, '11)
The pleasure's all the Dear Leader's
Kim Jong-il's advancing age has raised questions over the fate of the "pleasure
squad", a group of handpicked young schoolgirls, actresses and even official's
wives that entertains and services the Dear Leader and his entourage at
debauched parties. Psychologists point to the sex slaves as evidence of
misogyny and an oversized libido, but Kim likely found the girls just as useful
as political tools. - Sunny Lee (Feb 22, '11)
North Korean excesses under fire
New evidence emerged this week that North Korea has constructed a second
missile launch site, fueling concerns that it is only a matter of time before
it can aim a weapon of mass destruction at a target near or far. Close to home,
South Korean activists were targeting Kim Jong-il's birthday excesses as others
in the North struggle through their coldest winter in years. - Donald Kirk
(Feb 18, '11)
Rocker Kim sets tongues wagging
Confirming his status as a hardcore fan of Eric Clapton, a son of North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il was spotted this week at a concert in Singapore of the
British guitarist. The rare sighting of Kim Jong-chul has reignited speculation
over why he was not chosen as heir apparent to the Dear Leader, overlooked in
favor of his younger brother Jong-eun, about whom even less is known. - Sunny
Lee (Feb 17, '11)
Sums wrong for Korea pact
The South Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement, which may soon be ratified
by the US Congress, will kill jobs, shun international conventions and allow
the US judicial system to be bypassed. It will devastate Korea's countryside
and erode its healthcare coverage. There is a better way forward. - Christine
Ahn and Albie Miles (Feb 16, '11)
Dear Leader faces unhappy birthday
Amid dire predictions for Kim Jong-il's failing health and internal strife over
economic hardships, North Korean celebrations for the Dear Leader's 70th
birthday on Wednesday are likely to be muted. Lavishness befitting such a
usually auspicious age could be off the menu any way since officially he's a
year younger after adjusting for "divine coincidence". - Sunny Lee
(Feb 15, '11)
A Korean breakdown, not breakthrough
The heroes versus villains drama playing out in Cairo's Tahrir Square is
relevant for South Korea, with its history of angry mobs trying to instigate
change. However, in the South there is the ever-present fear of a jealous,
nuclear-armed neighbor, impoverished and spoiling for vengeance, and the rapid
and predictable breakdown of military-level talks this week keeps tensions as
fraught as ever. - Donald Kirk (Feb 11, '11)
Russia emerging from the cold
Ahead of a United Nations Security Council meeting this month to discuss the
North Korean nuclear issue, Russia - after many years of playing a relatively
background role - is emerging as a key player, especially as China refuses to
follow the hard line of the United States. - Sunny Lee
(Feb 10, '11)
US blind to Egypt's North Korean axis
For decades, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been firmly on the side of
the United States in the Arab world - and totally on the side of North Korea.
In the interests of shaky peace in the Middle East, America long turned a blind
eye, even when Kim Jong-il started selling scud missiles in Cairo. - Donald Kirk
(Feb 8, '11)
BOOK REVIEW
One man's Korean war
Yin Yang Tattoo by Ron McMillan
This novel follows the sexual and drunken exploits of Scottish photojournalist
Alec Brodie as he is sucked into the shady attempt of a bankrupt South Korean chaebol
to save itself through a corporate scam involving the Hermit Kingdom. As a work
of expatriate escapism, the book is a great success. But as a cautionary tale
it may fall a little short. - David Simmons (Feb
4, '11)
Where few men have gone before
From stolen glimpses of deserted Pyongyang back streets to exclusive shots of
tanks preparing to roll into Tiananmen Square, Scottish photojournalist Ron
McMillan has had a unique, lens-eye view of turbulent decades in China and
Korea. McMillan sees the plight of the North Korean people as one of the
saddest stories he has covered, blaming their tragedy as much on great powers
as on the Kim dynasty. - David Simmons (Feb
4, '11)
Lee's Pyongyang clock is ticking
While the United States and China have agreed that talks are needed to subdue
tensions on the Korean Peninsula, a path apparently favored by the suddenly
amicable North, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak cannot afford to follow
suit for fear of an angry domestic backlash. The stalling game cannot go on
forever, though. - Sunny Lee (Feb 3, '11)
Seoul torn over pirates
The five Somali pirates captured from a South Korean freighter in the Arabian
Sea last month are being exceptionally well looked after in a Korean prison -
even being supplied thermal underwear. Seoul's problem is what to do with them
- put them on trial or use them as bargaining chips in another hijacking
incident. It's becoming a hot political issue. - Donald Kirk
(Feb 2, '11)
North Korean art stirs Muscovites
A rare exhibition of contemporary North Korean art in Moscow evoked a sense of
familiarity and at times nostalgia among Russian visitors. Yet while the
elaborate embroideries inspired awe, buying into the images of heroic workers
and chubby children feeding monkeys ice-cream required a willing suspension of
belief. - Leonid Petrov (Feb 1, '11)
Did South Korea target the right pirates?
While the South Korean navy's successful assault against Somali pirates boosted
domestic morale following provocations by the North, it did little to tackle
the root cause of this rising threat to Seoul's economic lifelines. While
al-Qaeda or fundamentalists are blamed for turning young Somalis into pirates,
a more likely motivator is the looting and destruction of maritime resources by
European nations. - Yong Kwon (Jan 31, '11)
Lee battles lame-duck stigma
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak still has half his term left and a solid
approval rating, and is basking in the glow of a recent rescue drama involving
Somali pirates. So why are the media calling him a lame duck? The answer may
lie in the finicky consumer habits of South Koreans, who see the president as
just another product. - Sunny Lee (Jan 26,
'11)
US forces North Korea's hand on uranium
South Korea has triumphantly welcomed a joint statement by the United States
and China expressing concern over North Korea's uranium-enrichment program,
which follows an American scientist's eye-popping sojourn to the North's new
reactor. While Pyongyang has no intention of giving up its nukes, Seoul knows a
joint stance could break the long-running cycle of provocation, talks and aid.
- Donald Kirk (Jan 25, '11)
Long live BRIC, hello MIST
Former Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O'Neill came up with a great wheeze in
coining the BRIC acronym to point investors to a potentially great growth
story. Now he has lassooed a few more country initials into a catchy
concatenation that may serve the same purpose, whatever the reality behind his
MIST fabrication. - Sreeram Chaulia (Jan 25,
'11)
North Korea set on third nuclear test
North Korea - to some observers at least - is set on a third nuclear weapons
test. With South Korea ready to take off the gloves, a test could be a safer
option for Pyongyang to get the attention it craves from the United States and
China than another form of provocation that might lead to a conventional fight.
- Sunny Lee (Jan 21, '11)
For Hu, style is the substance
The empty verbiage dumped on the world on the occasion of Hu Jintao's state
visit to the United States reflects that the trip is a victory lap prior to the
Chinese president's retirement. Yet useful observations can still be extracted
from the rhetoric - and by winding back the clock to the last time Hu went to
Washington. - Peter Lee (Jan 21, '11)
Seoul wants Obama to get serious
South Korean officials are scarcely hiding their misgivings as Obama prepares
to receive Hu at the White House with all bells and whistles on Wednesday.
Their basic message is that they want the United States and China to get
serious about ridding North Korea of its nukes. - Donald Kirk
(Jan 18, '11)
Eyesight to the blind
The United States axis with South Korea and Japan is laboring to cope with
China's support for North Korea, which President Barack Obama last year
characterized as "willful blindness". As China's President Hu Jintao visits
America, Washington is in the "charm stage" - and letting it appear that new
understanding with China means more to America than Korean aspirations or the
anxieties of Japan. - Peter Lee (Jan 18, '11)
Don't ask, don't tell
Whereas South Korean and United States forces are well-prepared for any fallout
should North Korea collapse, contingencies for dealing with China's response
are non-existent. If the subject was taboo in US Defense Secretary Robert
Gates' visit to Beijing this week, that's because China won't risk losing
influence with Pyongyang over an event it thinks has slim chance of happening,
and it doesn't trust the US. - Sunny Lee (Jan
13, '11)
North Korea's end is nigh - or is it?
South Korea is awash with reports that North Korea is about to collapse, and
all that South Korea and the United States have to do is remain "patient" and
the peninsula will be reunited. The gloom-and-doom scenario fits with Seoul's
desire for regime change in Pyongyang, but all the hype could be little more
than wishful thinking. - Sunny Lee (Jan 12,
'11)
Testing times for Japan-South Korea
ties
Increasingly convergent interests over China's territorial muscle-flexing and
North Korea's provocations have seen Japanese-South Korean ties improve. While
the countries are eyeing their first-ever military pacts, obstacles remain in
lingering South Korean resentment of Japan's colonial rule, simmering island
disputes and the risk of pushing Beijing closer to Pyongyang. - Kosuke Takahashi
(Jan 11, '11)
Push could soon turn to shove
Despite recent signs of lessening tensions on the Korean Peninsula, there are
ominous omens for 2011. Like the serial blackmailer it is, the North will keep
cultivating crises to maintain its pressure on Seoul and the United States. But
a recent shift to a more bellicose stance in the South runs the risk that
Pyongyang's provocations might just start a shooting war. - Andrei Lankov
(Jan 11, '11)
North Korea's missiles aimed far Iran
A new ballistic missile that graced North Korean heir-apparent Kim Jong-eun's
coming-out parade is more than just a new part of an impressive arsenal - it's
Pyongyang's largest source of foreign currency to pay for the lavish lifestyles
of its elite. American intelligence services are convinced missile exports have
reached both Iran and Myanmar, with implications for security in the
Asia-Pacific and Europe. - Bertil Lintner (Jan
11, '11)
The two Koreas: Talking peace,
with menaces
Reading between the lines of the dialogue offers passed between the two Koreas
provides a window into the real state of relations. While slights of the Lee
Myung-bak administration were plentiful in Pyongyang's overture, Lee's response
- denuclearization demands and an attempt to undermine the Kims - was equally
loaded. - Aidan Foster-Carter (Jan 10, '11)
Misunderstandings may prove fatal
Washington's responses to Pyongyang have repeatedly shown a fundamental lack of
understanding about what the North Korean regime really is, and what it wants.
Treating the North like a Chinese puppet, or lumping it in with non-state
terrorist groups like al-Qaeda are both mistaken approaches, and could lead to
dangerous errors of judgment. - Yong Kwon (Jan
7, '11)
North Korea goes gunning for aid
As United States nuclear envoy Stephen Bosworth swings through Asia, a request
for massive aid from the US is the motivation for North Korea's call for no
preconditions on the resumption of six-party talks. The call - more of a demand
than a proposal - may harden the China-North Korea standoff against the US,
Japan and South Korea, as Tokyo joins calls for Pyongyang to prove it's acting
in good faith. - Donald Kirk (Jan 7, '11)
Kim Jong-eun has Obama blinking
The provocative war games and live-fire drills launched in late 2010 by South
Korea and the United States were a face-saving response to the North's
artillery strike, but they did not have the desired effect, says Pyongyang's
unofficial spokesman. North Korea's imperious reaction to the bungled response,
eloquently sketched by heir-apparent Kim Jong-eun, has shown the world who the
real warmongers are. - Kim Myong Chol (Jan 6,
'11)
Korea nuke talks bid boils down to trust
Getting all the countries to agree on resuming six-party talks over North
Korea's nuclear program is the tricky part for United States envoy Stephen
Bosworth. China and Russia have signed up, Japan is open. Yet despite likely
preconditions from the North and the South, the key to reviving dialogue,
according to the architect of a seminal 2005 roadmap, is an end to Pyongyang's
deep distrust of America. - Sunny Lee (Jan 5,
'11)
The war that wasn’t in Korea
In New Year messages, Pyongyang and Seoul called for "defusing tensions" and
"dialogue" after November's shelling of a South Korean island led to dire
predictions of a nuclear Korean war. Yet the "incident" remained just that, and
all parties now seem focused on reverting to business as usual. - Donald Kirk
(Jan 3, '11)
The most dangerous man in Korea
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's dream is to unify the peninsula under
the banner of the democratic, capitalist South, while replacing Japan as North
Asia's topmost United States ally and reaching out to the sizable Korean
minority in China's northeastern provinces. That makes him the most dangerous
man in Korea. - Peter Lee (Dec 22, '10)
The day the guns went silent
North Korea's promised fiery response to South Korea's live-fire exercises on
Monday came to nothing, not altogether a surprise given Pyongyang's penchant
for talk above action. However, although the situation on the peninsula is
contained for the time being, North Korea can't be expected to continue with
its "nice guy" game. - Sunny Lee (Dec 21,
'10)
Japan gets tough with new defense policy
Japan has announced plans to adopt a new, more aggressive defense posture over
the next five years. The policy shift comes amid rising regional tensions,
triggered by Sino-Japanese territorial disputes, the sinking of a South Korean
warship in March and North Korea's bombardment of a South Korean island last
month. - Kosuke Takahashi (Dec 20, '10)
Seoul fires off a warning
South Korea went ahead with live-fire artillery drills on Monday that North
Korea says could spark all-out conflict on the peninsula. This is unlikely, but
tensions have certainly been raised a few notches and it is becoming
increasingly difficult for either side to back down. - Donald Kirk
(Dec 20, '10)
COMMENT
A three-handed approach to Pyongyang
North Korea's thoughtful, proactive strategy of provocation-for-compensation
could be met by a resolute tripartite task force of the United States, Japan
and South Korea. By jointly undermining Pyongyang's weapons programs and
drawing more attention to its atrocities, the powers could paint the North as
an affront to humanity, leading all the democratic world to support any action
bringing about its end. - Sung-Yoon Lee (Dec
17, '10)
US double talk on Myanmar nukes
Classified cables released by WikiLeaks show there are two versions of United
States perceptions about Myanmar's nuclear ambitions. One scoffs at claims the
junta is trying to acquire a nuclear weapons capability with North Korea's help
and this is crafted for public consumption. Quite another narrative making the
rounds among Washington's security establishment casts US engagement efforts in
a new strategic light. - Bertil Lintner (Dec
15, '10)
When North Korea’s threats become reality
In the looming second Korean war, South Korea and its United States ally will
find the modernized, nuclear-armed North a very different prospect, says
Pyongyang's unofficial spokesman. Ready to prove his military worth,
heir-apparent Kim Jong-eun is just a click away from turning metropolitan
centers of the US into seas of fire, a scenario that seems dangerously more
plausible after the artillery strike on Yeonpyeong Island. - Kim Myong Chol
(Dec 14, '10)
North Korean motives on the line
As a flashpoint for tensions on the Korean Peninsula, interest in the Northern
Limit Line is intensifying. It's no dispute that the maritime border - never
recognized by North Korea - is where all the military action is. But after
artillery rained on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, it's the North's
motives - a response to provocation or perhaps a pre-planned strike to build up
Kim Jong-eun's heroic status - that are in doubt. - Sunny Lee
(Dec 13, '10)
Pyongyang stretches deterrence limits
Pundits in the West have called for South Korea to meet fire with fire over the
North's shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, while the South's military feels it has
missed a chance to demonstrate its capabilities. However, as the equilibrium of
deterrence on the peninsula is so finely balanced, too aggressive a posture
could lead to miscalculation and a war in which millions of Koreans would die.
- Andray Abrahamian (Dec 7, '10)
Dear Leader's designs on Uncle Sam
The WikiLeaks cables on North Korea present a picture of an economy that is
becoming haltingly integrated with China's market-driven behemoth, belying
claims in the same disclosures that China is disengaging from its neighbor. The
flip side of North Korea's ambivalent relationship with the Chinese is its
seemingly futile desire to establish relations with the United States. - Peter
Lee (Dec 3, '10)
China to dump North Korea, really?
To the untrained eye, the latest bout of WikiLeaks suggests Beijing is likely
to abandon its ideological brethren in Pyongyang. To analysts, a wiser view is
not to take the fruits of the diplomatic grapevine at face value. Though
frustrated, China is not about to dump a "spoiled child" - at least not anytime
soon. - Sunny Lee (Dec 1, '10)
 SINOGRAPH
Fall guys in Beijing need better PR
In the court of international opinion, whenever North Korea creates a problem,
China - as Pyongyang's major backer and economic benefactor - is held
responsible. To some scholars, that is a too simplistic reading of the
provocations that have brought the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war. Still,
Beijing could use better public relations. - Sunny Lee
(Nov 29, '10)
Asian dominoes haunt Obama
The ripples from the crisis between North and South Korea add to a tide of
reverses that threatens to undermine Barack Obama's patient foreign policy.
Signs that Israel could use the distant conflict to pressure acquiescence for a
strike on Iran stand in line with events in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen to
suggest the specter of ''falling dominoes'' haunting the American president. - Victor
Kotsev (Nov 29, '10)
|
|
|
ATol Specials
|
 |
|
Kim Comes Out
North Korea's nukes and what they mean
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
All material on this
website is copyright and may not be republished in any form without written
permission.
Copyright 1999 - 2011 Asia Times Online
(Holdings), Ltd.
|
|
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong
Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
|
|
|
|
