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North Korean nuclear test a smoke screen By Michael C. Guilmette Jr. Originally published on Oct. 12, 2006, in the Niles Daily Star. Well, it looks like they’ ve gone, and done it — or so we’re to believe.
Leaders the world over have united to condemn the test, and President Bush said the U.S. “reserves all options” to deal with a nuclear threat from North Korea, and the media is all a tizzy about the story. Frankly, I don’t buy it. North Korea — or as they prefer, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — and its Chia Pet of a dictator, Kim Jong-il, simply cannot be trusted to tell the truth, even in this instance. It’s true that North Korea desires having nukes, but I find it hard to believe a country that can’t feed its people or light its cities would be able to build something as complicated as a nuclear device, even with outside help. What’s more, the North was supposed to abandon their nuclear program in accordance with the 1994 Agreed Framework deal made with the Clinton Administration. The United States was to build a light water nuclear reactor and provide fuel oil shipments in return, but that apparently wasn’t enough for the belligerent regime. Some in the intelligence community are saying the bomb may have fallen short of expectations, but I think the North Koreans simply dug a hole, packed it with conventional explosives, touched it off and called it a nuke test. Now, why would they do that? The answer is obvious: For attention. Even though he is in his 60s, Kim Jong-il is still every bit the spoiled brat his father and former ruler, Kim Il-sung, raised him to be. His regime continues to demand direct talks between the United States and North Korea, believing this will give the nation an equal stature on the world stage. Equal, that is, if we ignore the dreadful condition the northern half of the Korean peninsula is in. Clinging to their failed communist ideology now that they are no longer propped up by the Soviet Union has plunged North Korea into ruin. Their nuke may have been a dud, and their dreams of the military conquest of South Korea are a distant memory, but they are still a dangerous threat, especially to the South Korean people. The North’s days are numbered, but instead of just collapsing, the 1.2 million-man Korean People’s Army may decide to cross the 38th Parallel in one last blaze of glory. Having looked across the demilitarized zone that separates the Korean people, as well as having seen the prosperity enjoyed by the South Korean people in Seoul and the rest of South Korea, it is sad to see so many people being held in bondage by a mad tyrant and an outdated form of government. Reunification, when it does eventually happen, will not be easy. In fact, it will make the German reconciliation look like a Sunday picnic. Generation after generation of North Koreans have never known freedom, going from the brutal Japanese occupation of the early 20th century to nearly 60 years of communist rule. While South Korea has flirted with military strongmen as leaders, its government today is a vibrant democracy. The South Korean people are healthy, well-educated and successful, while their northern compatriots are brainwashed servants of the central authority who are compelled to worship Kim Jong-il’s cult of personality. What’s worse, if reunification comes as a result of military action, it will destroy what little the North Koreans have left. Despite the difficulties, the North Korean regime must fall onto the rubbish pile of history. It is a disgrace to see people forced to live the way the North Koreans do in this modern age. The cost will be high for all involved, but those in the North can wait no longer. • Guilmette is managing editor of the Niles Daily Star. He may be contacted at mguilmette@leaderpub.com. |
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Copyright © 2006, Michael C. Guilmette Jr. |
On Monday, the despotic North Korean regime announced to the world they have tested a nuclear device. Indeed, seismic sensors detected a large explosion in the northeastern corner of the isolated communist nation.
