hankyoreh

) The day before Day of the Sun

During an interview with the Associated Press on Apr. 14, North Korean Vice Minister Han Song-ryol said that the North “will go to war” if the US makes that choice. He also said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will carry out a sixth nuclear test at a time of his choosing. Han’s comments, coming as they do just before the Day of the Sun on Apr. 15, which celebrates the birthday of North Korean founding leader Kim Il-sung, do sound mostly like a bluff designed to show that the North will not bow to pressure from the outside. But the US media is reporting that there are indications of a North Korean nuclear test, and even security experts are drawing upon the analysis of satellite imagery to conclude that North Korea has completed preparations for a nuclear test. The situation on the Korean Peninsula appears to be gradually turning into a game of chicken.

One could say that the immediate reason that tensions are so high is the reappearance of the USS Carl Vinson, an American aircraft carrier, and the provocative messages about “a preemptive strike on North Korea” and “military options” by the administration of US President Donald Trump. The US recently deployed two destroyers capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles to waters near the Korean Peninsula. The deployment is designed to show that the US could shoot down any missiles that North Korea may fire. While the US of course claims that it will act with extreme prudence, there is always the possibility of an accident occurring. After the attack on Syria, the US dropped a GBU-43, regarded as the most powerful conventional bomb, on an Islamic State base in Afghanistan on Apr. 13. This can also be interpreted as a show of force aimed at North Korea.

But North Korea’s provocative actions and actions such as preparing for a nuclear test or a long-range missile launch will only further aggravate the tensions and the conflict. The fact is that, since North Korea began developing nuclear weapons for its own survival, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia have become much more dangerous, and hopes of peaceful co-existence have decreased. The North Korean leadership needs to learn that threatening bluster and nuclear and missile tests that fail to receive the support of the international community cannot guarantee the North’s safety or its development.

A military clash on the Korean Peninsula would have disastrous consequences not only for North and South Korea but also for all neighboring countries. That is why we will never agree with hardliners who are willing to go to war and who see war as inevitable. The brinkmanship of the US and North Korea, which appear to be engaged in a battle of nerves, is tantamount to taking hostage the entire populations of North and South Korea. The regime under North Korean leader Kim Jong-un must not engage in any more provocative action that aggravates the situation. We hope that he will bear in mind that a hardline policy does not guarantee safety.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]