Blue Star Chronicles

There are indications that there will be more North Korea nuke tests. At the same time, China warns the U.N. not to use force to enforce the sanctions they approved in response to North Korea’s recent prolific nuclear-bomb test and missile launches. All of this is making Japan and South Korea very nervous. Read about it below, see photos and a video.

More North Korea Nuke Tests?

It comes as not great surprise that North Korea is defying the world and planning a third round of nuclear bomb tests. They have just gotten chastised by the U.N. for nuke tests and missile launches they conducted in May. The U.N. sanctions, Resolution 1874, are still being drafted, but were passed unanimously, including the support of China and Russia, just this past Wednesday. I’m sure that scares the Pyongyang regime to no end. They are likely to get a letter telling them just how naughty they are being, in the vein of the usual toothless U.N. resolutions.

Susan Rice, US ambassador to the UN, has said that the sanction have to signal to North Korea that there is a price to be paid for defying the U.N. and performing more nuclear testing. The sanctions include tighter arms embargo, more financial restrictions and tougher inspections of cargo suspected of containing banned missile or nuclear related items.

Actually, North Korea is using the sanctions as their excuse for furthering their defiance and threats against the rest of the world. They call U.S. attempts to impose blockades as an ‘act of war’ and has now vowed to weaponise all of its plutonium.

The recent dramatic increase in North Korean nuke tests is naturally sending chills up the spines of South Korea and Japan. South Korea is bracing for the probably provocation from the north. They have deployed troops to Yeonpyeong and Baekryeong islands, islands off the disputed sea border with North Korea as a precaution.

There are a few reasons for North Korea’s most recent defiance. They are unpredictable at best, but the escalation in their showcasing in front of the world is partly in preparation for a transfer of power from Kim Jong-Il to his youngest son, Kim Jong-Un. In our world, it may seem like an odd way to transfer power from one generation to the next. However, this is how the elder Kim’s father introduced him to the North Korean people as a great warrior and it’s likely that Kim is doing the same for his own son. Another reason is testing the new American President. This gives the communist dictatorship more power in the eyes of their people. They can represent the weak response from Obama as a victory over the great American power - enhancing their own power over their people.

Yet another reason for this posturing is to get a ransom out of the rest of the world. They do have demands. The North is demanding that firms in Kaesong, South Korea raise the wages for its 40,000 workers from $75 per month to $300 per month. Some feel this demand is an attempt to put Kaesong out of business. Kaesong has been an attempt for a reconciliation between the two Koreas and to help the North that has been impoverished by a communist government. In 2008, South Korean paid 26 million dollars to Pyongyang (not the workers). Some feel that North Korea is concerned that the workers there are getting exposed to the South Korean lifestyle. By making these demands, they can blame Seoul for closing the plants rather than having to appear to be refusing that opportunity for their workers themselves.

Regardless of the reasons for Kim Jong-Il and his repressive regime rattling sabers, the problem remains the same. South Korea, Japan, Taiwan are all in immediate danger. There are rumors that North Korea has the capability to deliver nukes to the United States, Alaska to be specific.

Pyongyang doesn’t seem to have much to fear. Obama made a statement that he’s going to ‘take a very hard look’ about how to respond should they continue to destabilize the region. That undoubtedly has Kim shaking in his high heeled boots. There was a weak response out of Washington that it has no intention to respond to more North Korea nuke tests and even went so far as to express fear that they were actually attempting to sale their nuclear technology to rough states.

In addition to Washington’s weak response, China has come out and warned the U.N. not to use force when implementing the sanctions against the North Korean regime.

It really seems that North Korea has nothing to fear from the U.N. or the U.S. and a lot to gain financially and from the propaganda value of the nuke tests.

North Korea Nukes - Cartoons