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.