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.
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 (August 3)
North Korea is much more difficult to understand than the old Soviet regime. “Kremlin watching” was an “inexact science,” but it brought some understanding of the government. “In North Korea today, it’s nearly impossible even to discover where the government and its new leader, Kim Jong Un, operate.”
North Korea is much more difficult to understand than the old Soviet regime. “Kremlin watching” was an “inexact science,” but it brought some understanding of the government. “In North Korea today, it’s nearly impossible even to discover where the government and its new leader, Kim Jong Un, operate.”
Tags: Kim Jong Un, Kremlin, North Korea, Soviet Union
