US, N. Korea must not raise tension unnecessarily high
The ongoing cyber warfare between the United States and North Korea resembles a squabble between children. Each side denies that it has made any attacks, while accusing the other of conducting hackings and other disruptive activities ― with little hard evidence. It's time for both countries to stop this inconclusive battle and seek an exit.
It might have been best had staff at Sony Pictures not attempted to supplement their poor creativity and imagination by devising a plot about insulting and murdering a foreign leader ― however hateful he is. Or, things would not be so serious now if the North had laughed it all away as a cheap box office ploy. And both countries had still chances to prevent the dispute over a third-rate comedy from going out of control when Sony decided to withdraw it.
From North Korea's standpoint, therefore, none could be more resentful than U.S. President Barack Obama, who all but forced the filmmaker to reverse its decision and push ahead with the screening of the movie under what it saw as a pretext for defending freedom of expression. Still Pyongyang went too much when it made racial attack on the U.S. leader. Such low insults from the reclusive regime, while hardly new, demean its speaker rather than the target. Washington did well to refrain from making counterattacks and prevent further escalation of emotional tit-for-tat.
That said, what draws our interest are reports by some U.S. media outlets that the U.S. administration can hardly jump to a conclusion the cyber attacks on the Hollywood entertainment company were made by North Korea, citing there could be numerous hackers, governmental or individual, around the world capable of disrupting the filmmaker's website, with some of them even pointing out it could be the work of an insider.
In the international court of public opinion as well as in domestic courts, it is unreasonable to conclude that a country is guilty until it proves itself innocent. North Korea's proposal for a joint probe was not practicable, because a suspect cannot be allowed to investigate itself. Given the difficulties of finding culprits in the complicated world of cyber warfare, one solution could be forming an international probe team of third parties which can look into the matter and come up with objective judgments. Both Washington and Pyongyang are advised to consider this idea.
Regrettably, the cyber warfare has made the already bad relationship between the U.S. and North Korea worse, coming on top of nuclear, missile and human rights problems. America's further estrangement of the isolated regime comes in stark contrast to its embrace of Cuba. North Korea is apparently different from Cuba, Myanmar or even Iran in that Pyongyang is believed to already have at least several nuclear bombs. Washington's refusal to treat Pyongyang as such ― while putting forth somewhat unrealistic precondition of denuclearization ― gives the impression that the U.S. has little intention to engage with the North, at least for now.
It comes as a relief against this backdrop that Seoul offered to hold ministerial-level talks with Pyongyang next month to discuss "all inter-Korean issues," in response to the North's recent show of intentions for better ties.
We hope, and believe that North Korea will accept this proposal. The two Koreas can ill afford to waste 2015, the 70th anniversary of national liberation and division, because of the strategic interests of other nations.
The ongoing cyber warfare between the United States and North Korea resembles a squabble between children. Each side denies that it has made any attacks, while accusing the other of conducting hackings and other disruptive activities ― with little hard evidence. It's time for both countries to stop this inconclusive battle and seek an exit.
It might have been best had staff at Sony Pictures not attempted to supplement their poor creativity and imagination by devising a plot about insulting and murdering a foreign leader ― however hateful he is. Or, things would not be so serious now if the North had laughed it all away as a cheap box office ploy. And both countries had still chances to prevent the dispute over a third-rate comedy from going out of control when Sony decided to withdraw it.
From North Korea's standpoint, therefore, none could be more resentful than U.S. President Barack Obama, who all but forced the filmmaker to reverse its decision and push ahead with the screening of the movie under what it saw as a pretext for defending freedom of expression. Still Pyongyang went too much when it made racial attack on the U.S. leader. Such low insults from the reclusive regime, while hardly new, demean its speaker rather than the target. Washington did well to refrain from making counterattacks and prevent further escalation of emotional tit-for-tat.
That said, what draws our interest are reports by some U.S. media outlets that the U.S. administration can hardly jump to a conclusion the cyber attacks on the Hollywood entertainment company were made by North Korea, citing there could be numerous hackers, governmental or individual, around the world capable of disrupting the filmmaker's website, with some of them even pointing out it could be the work of an insider.
In the international court of public opinion as well as in domestic courts, it is unreasonable to conclude that a country is guilty until it proves itself innocent. North Korea's proposal for a joint probe was not practicable, because a suspect cannot be allowed to investigate itself. Given the difficulties of finding culprits in the complicated world of cyber warfare, one solution could be forming an international probe team of third parties which can look into the matter and come up with objective judgments. Both Washington and Pyongyang are advised to consider this idea.
Regrettably, the cyber warfare has made the already bad relationship between the U.S. and North Korea worse, coming on top of nuclear, missile and human rights problems. America's further estrangement of the isolated regime comes in stark contrast to its embrace of Cuba. North Korea is apparently different from Cuba, Myanmar or even Iran in that Pyongyang is believed to already have at least several nuclear bombs. Washington's refusal to treat Pyongyang as such ― while putting forth somewhat unrealistic precondition of denuclearization ― gives the impression that the U.S. has little intention to engage with the North, at least for now.
It comes as a relief against this backdrop that Seoul offered to hold ministerial-level talks with Pyongyang next month to discuss "all inter-Korean issues," in response to the North's recent show of intentions for better ties.
We hope, and believe that North Korea will accept this proposal. The two Koreas can ill afford to waste 2015, the 70th anniversary of national liberation and division, because of the strategic interests of other nations.
