The following paper will analyze the
historical factors that led to the North Korean nuclear threat.
The production of plutonium and nuclear bombs by North Korea
has become a defensive strategy to protect themselves from all
external influences of other countries and also, it allows
North Korea to protect its sovereignty which is something that
had never been done before.
The entire subject can be summarized as a conflict
between the politics of Washington which argues that North
Korea is deliberately producing nuclear weapons, and those of
Pyongyang discussing that the United States is focused on world
domination relating back to their failure on taking over during
the Korean War. In order to better understand the current
situation, it is paramount to analyze the crisis, its
causes, and victims.
North Korea is located in North Eastern Asia and is
surrounded by South Korea, China, and
Russia. Japan is locates 100 miles South East of the country
divided by the Korean Strait. The country’s population is
twenty-five million and its main form of government is
communism. North Korea was created after the national
liberation of Japanese control in
1945.
In this year it was territorially divided from South
Korea due to political differences and the support of foreign
countries. The United States and Japan supported a democracy
for the South, while Russia and China supported a communist
government.
The most important point of analysis to understand the
North Korean situation begins by observing the Korean society
and the role of this group in its history prior to the 1945
territorial division. Throughout the nineteenth century Korea
was invaded by Russia, China, and Japan in various occasions.
For many centuries these countries took advantage of the weaker
country and tried to impose their culture and
governments.
The Korean society seemed to be very passive in
relation to all other Asian countries who were constantly
concerned about the situation of Korea.
According to author Young Whan Kihl, at the time when
Japan controlled the country they imposed a strong militarist
rule that totally disfranchised and exploited the Korean
people.
This rule lasted for thirty-six years, contributing to
increased nationalism which led to anti-Japanese activities in
order to keep alive the dream of Korea’s independence. In
this time of confusion and chaos, and with the final partition
of Korea made by the allies in 1945, the homogeneity of the
country including traditions, values, and a very rich culture
were being divided.
The division of Korea by the thirty-eight parallel was
seen as a temporary limit for the inhabitants of the country.
They were more aware of the issue of independence and the
rebirth of a new country than with the fact that their own land
had been divided into two.
Only when the United Nations began to organize
separate elections for the two states did the idea of a divided
Nation invade the thoughts of the society.
At the same time, with the possibility of a Cold War
between the United States and the U.S.S.R., Korea was seen as a
strategic military location in the world. For the first time in
Korea’s history, a newly divided country had to work
separately in order to achieve a common solution for this new
conflict. Thus, North and South Koreans did not pay attention
to the problem of reunification. By 1953, offensives from both
countries began and allied forces to each of the Koreas further
pushed the conflict for territorial earnings. In summary, North
Korea, China, and the Soviet Union were at war against South
Korea, the United States, and Japan.
The nuclear threat arose when the North Korean
government began to develop a large nuclear facility in the
city of Yongbyon along with three smaller facilities that were
producing plutonium, the main component for the construction of
atomic bombs.
The country admitted to have nuclear weapons and to be
working on building up its arsenal. The primary reason for the
North Koreans to begin this development was to deter South
Korea, the United States, and Japan from invading their
country.
Since this moment, drastic measures all around the
world were taken in order to control the continuous development
of this threat not only for Asian countries but also for those
Western powers that used to take advantage of North
Korea’s weak military and government. Ambassador Jamsheed
Marker stated that for president George W. Busch, North Korea
had become part of the "axis of evil" and together with the
United Nations the United States proceeded to apply sanctions
to North Korea which were perceived by the government of
Pyongyang as "an act of war".
A powerful argument of why North Korea had engaged
into nuclear development could be that they had obtained a
strong means for non-aggression against those countries who at
one time threatened them with invasion.
The production and usage of nuclear weapons might not
be an appropriate manner in order to gain international
recognition or support as North Korea has done, but we must
also consider that this strategy is a final resource
implemented by a moribund government which screamed repeatedly
for international help but was never heard.
There is a direct connection between the mentality of
people during the Korean War and the present nuclear
controversy. Looking back at the Non Proliferation Treaty
(N.P.T.), leaders of the United States argue that if North
Korea is allowed to act fraudulently on the N.P.T., it will be
impossible to contain the spread of nuclear weapons around the
world. However, past U.S. actions raise serious questions about
the sincerity of this argument.
According to Dr. Martin Hart-Landsberg in his
Technology Review analysis for nuclear proliferation, Israel,
India, and
Pakistan, all known to have nuclear weapons, have refused to
sign the N.P.T. or allow inspections to their nuclear
facilities. South Africa, another
country that had weapons but decided to halt production in
1990, did not sign the treaty until 1992. In none of these
cases the United States has looked for tough international
action and furthermore, there is no actual proof that North
Korea is actually producing nuclear weapons.
After observing these examples, we could say that the
United States is simply focusing on the North Korean case
because of resentment towards the loss of the war in the
1950’s when the Pyongyang government resisted falling
under American forces.
As is common knowledge, there are many countries in
constant violation of the N.P.T. but it does not seem that the
United Nations is being reciprocal to them as them are to North
Korea.
Even though North Korea violated the N.P.T. by not
allowing inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency
(I.A.E.A) and also by continuing production of plutonium, The
United States has also violated the treaty in a more
considerable manner.
According to the treaty, the nuclear weapon states
(China, England, France, Russia, and the United States) may not
threaten non nuclear weapon states at any moment and
furthermore must protect them from any other nuclear weapon
state who wishes to attack them at any given time.
The United States has repeatedly threatened North
Korea with nuclear attack which provides with a solid proof of
being in direct violation of the Non Proliferation
Treaty.
North Korea and its government have facts such as the
one just mentioned to be used as an excuse for their nuclear
arms build up and to be seen internationally as the country
which is being oppressed by the United States.
Lately, United Nations’ officials have been
organizing the next session of talks with North Koreans. In
this conference the countries of North Korea, South Korea, The
United States, Japan, Russia, and China would be invited in
order to bring their input to the table and be able to consider
their points of view. It is easy to observe how the Pyongyang
government is not convinced about the commitment of the
countries involved in resolving the problem because almost
immediately after the U.N. announcement, the government of
North Korea through an unidentified spokesperson for the
foreign ministry, created doubts about their country’s
participation in the future six-party talks aimed at resolving
the nuclear crisis.
In conclusion, the reasons or excuses exposed by the
influenced countries throughout the last fifty years have been
valid in its majority.
The subject now relies on a strong, impartial
international institution like the United Nations which can
arrange for mandatory talks to make both parties follow a
structured policy to reach a solution. The defensive strategy
adopted by North Korea by producing nuclear weapons as a way to
deter international influence in their own sovereignty, is
certainly the reciprocal and only option for them to be able to
compete in the global markets.
Bibliography
Demick, Barbara and Sonny, Efron "N. Korea says it
may seize reactor." St Petersburg Times, 7 November
2003, sec. A.
Hart-Landsberg, Martin, "Who is Threatening Who",
Technology Review 97 (1994): 72.
Marker, Jamsheed, interviewed by author, 6 October
2003.
Sigal, Leon V, Disarming Strangers: Nuclear
Diplomacy with North Korea (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton
University Press, c1998).
Whan Kihl, Young, Korea and the World: Beyonf the
Cold War (Oxford: Westview Press, c1994).
Fabio Fermi
November 15th 2003