North Warea

Any “explosion-affected persons” still around after Nagasaki or Hiroshima might have gone through a relapse this past weekend. North Korea, the isolated state under Kim Jong Il, launched a test missile yesterday which they claim was intended to put a satellite into orbit. The missile was launched from ____ in North Korea, flew over the Japanese basin, and crashed into the Pacific Ocean. The missile test was widely claimed to be a failure by rocket experts. It makes me wonder how fast the missile raced over the Japanese spectators as it flew above their heads.

Because news rarely comes out of North Korea the international media has always held a close observation over it. When the media announced the long range ballistic missile they were planning to test every neighboring country rose up in protest. The voice heard from Seoul in South Korea was the loudest. The two countries have been feuding with each other since they were divided after World War II. Both act stubborn with each other concerning any form of diplomacy and it is unlikely that, in my opinion, a uniting of the two countries will ever take place.


Propagander

The South Koreans I’ve met usually have a common attitude towards North Koreans: pity towards them. It’s not their fault though that they think this way. Propaganda plays an integral role in shaping our opinions; this is true whether we’re ready to accept it or not. The media portrays North Korea as a sheltered nation under the shrewd ruling of one dictator, Kim Jong Il. The only facts and findings we are fed about this nation pertain to its shaky relations with other countries and its nuclear operations (that must be halted).

North Korea is one of the most impoverished nations in the world. Its people starve everyday worse than some of those in African countries. The sanctions and trade limitations posed on North Korea right now are so binding that it’s unlikely it will ever recover from its 1980's economic collapse. The only bargaining chip the North retains is its nuclear card: as if to say “give us your lunch money or else I’m going to beat you up after school!” Since this scare tactic began South Korea and the US have provided economic assistance to North Korea. In exchange for aid the North has accepted a cease-fire at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the North and South and also to pursue nuclear disarmament. North Korea is a nation highly dependent on other nations and it will try to continue this cycle as long as uranium is in its possession.

This past missile incident is no different: they’re just trying to scare us into giving them more lunch money again. It's not rocket science.

~Anthans