The Economist (April 6, 2013)
“Even by its own aggressive standards, North Korea’s actions over the past couple of weeks have been extraordinary.” The time has come “to get tougher with the nastiest regime on the planet.”
Tags: Aggression, Extraordinary, North Korea, Regime, Tough
BBC (March 21)
“Disruption that paralysed the computer networks of broadcasters and banks in South Korea appears to have been caused by a virus…. two South Korean banks, Shinhan Bank and Nonghyup, and three TV stations KBS, MBS and YTN, all reported that their networks had suddenly shut down on Wednesday afternoon.” The cyber-attack originated from an internet address in China, leading many to guess North Korea is ultimately behind the attack. To disguise its identity, the North has been known to route cyber-attacks through China.
Tags: Banks, China, Cyber-attack, North Korea, South Korea, TV stations, Virus
Time (March 15)
North Korea continues to ratchet up the tension. “In keeping with the dynasty’s tradition of erratic behavior, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to bombard a South Korean island with 5,000 residents, further raising alarms in Seoul and the U.S., which is beefing up its own missile defenses against possible attack from Pyongyang.”
Tags: Attack, Defense, Kim Jong Un, Missiles, North Korea, Seoul, Tension, U.S.
New York Times (March 6)
“China’s decision to join the United States in proposing tougher sanctions on North Korea is a welcome step,” but unlikely to prove decisive. Other measure should simultaneously be taken. “China and the United States should be working covertly to disrupt the North’s nuclear program, as the Americans and Israelis did with Iran’s…. Dealing with North Korea has never been easy, but neglect certainly will not help contain its nuclear and missile capabilities.”
Tags: China, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Nuclear missile, U.S.
Financial Times (February 12)
“China must halt North Korea’s folly….For nearly two decades, North Korea has regularly scared the world with its determination to become a fully fledged nuclear weapons state. Yesterday it took another decisive step on that road.” North Korea’s third underground nuclear test should result in a clear line. Beijing “needs to respond to this week’s test with punitive measures that force Pyongyang to rethink its nuclear folly.”
Tags: Beijing, China, North Korea, Nuclear test, Pyongyang
The Guardian (January 24)
“Just as we were lulled into a false sense of security about North Korea, congratulating Kim Jong-un on a surprisingly good first year in power, we are jolted back to reality…. Yesterday’s blood-curdling statement from the country’s powerful national defence commission was back to “songun” or military-first policy with a vengeance. The ice age is not coming to an end under a younger leader who has shown signs of interest in economic reform. Or at least not as swiftly as some imagined.”
Tags: Economic reform, Kim Jong Un, Military, North Korea, Songun
Businessweek (January 23)
Is North Korea’s cycle repeating itself? “It starts with a long-range rocket launch. The United Nations punishes the act with sanctions. And Pyongyang responds by conducting a nuclear test. It happened in 2006, and again in 2009.” Before deciding whether to complete the cycle that began with a December 2012 test, Kim Jong Un will probably wait to evaluate the emerging foreign policies of incoming South Korean President Park Geun-hye and President Obama’s second term. He may be inclined to break the cycle because ordering a nuclear test “would risk additional sanctions at a time when Kim wants to revive the economy.”
Tags: Kim Jong Un, North Korea, Nuclear test, Obama, Park Geun-hye, Rocket launch, Sanctions, South Korea, U.N.
Los Angeles Times (December 18)
“North Korea’s first successful rocket launch is a truly dangerous development. Although the North Koreans have previously detonated two nuclear devices, until now they have not demonstrated any ability to deliver them…. We can no longer afford to ignore North Korea.”
Tags: Dangerous, Launch, North Korea, Nuclear, Rocket
The Economist (December 15)
“Thankfully, North Korea is still a long way from putting nuclear warheads on a missile. It has between six and 12 nuclear devices, but they may not be small enough to put on a rocket. The technology relies on liquid fuel, which makes preparations for a launch both more hazardous and easier to spot than solid fuel. Above all, shooting a rocket up is one thing; mastering the re-entry technology that a military ballistic missile requires is quite another.”
Tags: Missile, North Korea, Nuclear warheads, Re-entry, Technology
Wall Street Journal (December 13)
“The North Korean nuclear threat to U.S. security is no longer theoretical, even if it will still take time for Pyongyang to build a warhead small enough to fit on its new missile. The only way to prevent a Korean nuclear threat to American territory is by working toward regime change, not another short-lived deal with the North.”
Tags: Missile, North Korea, Regime change, Security, U.S.
