The End Of North Korea After The Cold War

Bethel Legesse

March 23, 2015

English 10 B Hon. Pd. # 3

Mr. Williams

Dealing with North Korea

Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, North Korea has been subjected to sever UN sanctions (Rich, Alex K., and Gerson Moreno-Riano 1). But the question of whether continued sanctions against North Korea will bring about the dismantlement of its nuclear weapons program is still a matter of debate. While some argue that increased sanctions will pressure North Korea into taking action in relation to its nuclear weapons program, others feel strongly that a different tactic is imperative in order to attain a peaceful solution for the conflict at hand (ProQuest Staff 1).

In recent

years, North Korea has proven to be a country which has been a source of much controversy, particularly regarding its possession of nuclear weapons (Rich, Alex K., and Gerson Moreno-Riano 1). The former president of the country, Kim Jong-Il, alienated many parts of the world, including the United States, which he claims imposed unfair sanctions on North Korea through the United Nations (1). Although, North Korean-US relations improved for a while, after the country made a deal with the United States in 1994 to cease production of nuclear weapons, in exchange for resource such as fuel, they again deteriorated following Kim Jong-Il’s 2002 announcement that, despite his promise, North Korea had maintained its nuclear weapons program (1).

In 2005, Kim Jong-Il once again promised to dismantle his country’s nuclear weapons program on account of the six-party talks made by representatives from the United States, North Korea, China, South Korea, Russia and Japan (1). Just over a year after its second pledge, North Korea performed its first test of a nuclear bomb (1). The United Nations Security Council immediately imposed sanctions that banned the sale of nuclear materials to and from North Korea and tightened the country’s trade regulations (1).

The aforementioned North Korean failures to take action on agreements made during peace talks are a big part of the pro-sanctions argument. Proponents argue that sanctions will pressure the North Korean government to comply with the demands of the international community (ProQuest Staff 1) in a visible and viable manner. They also believe that it is one way to bring North Korea back into the six-party talks (“Sanctions, North Korea Talks “Mutually Reinforcing,” U.S. Says.” 1).

The argument for increased sanction is that “…the resumption of the Six-Party Talks…would be ‘just a PR [public relations] activity’ unless North Korea is willing to end its provocative behavior and ‘come to the table with a seriousness of purpose on the denuclearization issue.’” (“U.N. Sanctions Against North Korea Should Be Tightened” 1) and although, “…no one can predict what ultimately will convince North Korea that it is in its best interest to return to the multilateral discussions, [if] properly implemented, sanction are ‘one tool, among others, of getting North Korea back to the nuclear discussions,’” (“Sanctions, North Korea Talks “Mutually Reinforcing,” U.S. Says.” 1).

Contrariwise, opponents contend that experience shows that sanctions have little or no effect on the policies of the North Korean government (ProQuest Staff 1) because, while more sanctions can act as a deterrent against North Korea, they only delay the resolution of the conflict (Cole 1). “...sanctions and punishment have dominated America’s approach toward North Korea…But sanctions have barely hurt the ruling elites…and have not changed regime behaviors. [Instead] It is the North Korean people who have been suffering from these punitive measures.” (Zhu 1) as a lack of resources due to imposed sanctions leave them to fend for themselves. For these reasons, opponents argue that alternative measures should be taken to bring about a lasting solution.

Following his death in December 17, 2011, Kim Jong-Il was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-un, who continued to abide by the official ideology of North Korea, Juche (Rich, Alex K., and Gerson Moreno-Riano 1). The Juche ideology essentially requires that the state allow individuals to have independence and self-reliance in all aspects of life and that policy embrace the needs and desires of the public (1). Some opponents propose that, “anything that plays into the national psyche of Juche, or “self-sufficiency”, would help dispel the national sentiment of being embattled” (Cole 1). One proposed way of doing this is by engaging North Korea in areas other than nuclear issues, such as talks about furthering economic relations that can help build its economy and ultimately help its people become self-sufficient(1).

In recent years it has become clear that the growing nuclear power of North Korea could lead to a nuclear arms race among neighboring countries leading to an imminent nuclear war whose fallout will not just affect the countries involved in the war but, the entire world as a whole.

Therefore, finding a peaceful and permanent solution to the North Korean threat is crucial for the maintenance of order and stability in the Korean Peninsula and, ultimately, the world. Whether the increment of sanctions issued against the nation will be able to bring about the desired lasting effect is still ambiguous, but based on evidence regarding past use of this strategy, which shows little or no effect, it is safe to assume that it will take more than just banning the export and import of goods to and from North Korea to get it to dismantle its nuclear weapon

program.

Works Cited
Cole, Michael J. “Obama Must Throw North Korea a Curve Ball--A Helping US Hand.” Christian Science Monitor. 10 Apr. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.
Kaufman, Stephen. “Sanctions, North Korea Talks “Mutually Reinforcing,” U.S. Says.” Washington File. 08 Jul. 2009: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.
Kaufman, Stephen. “U.N. Sanctions Against North Korea Should Be Tightened.” Washington File. 29 Nov. 2010: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.
ProQuest Staff. “At Issue: Korean Peninsula.” ProQuest LLC. 2015: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.
Rich, Alex K., and Gerson Moreno-Riano. “North Korea: An Overview.” Points Of View: North Korea (2015): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.
Zhu, Zhiqun. “West Must Try a ‘Third Way’ to Change North Korea.” Christian Science Monitor. 12 Jun. 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.