Opinion - The Korea Times

Second round

By John BurtonUntil recently, North Korea appeared to have kept COVID-19 until control. Like other countries, such as Vietnam, that have reported few cases or fatalities, North Korea recognized early the danger that the pandemic posed and took draconian measures to contain it by closing its borders in late January. It afterwards claimed it was virus-free. But the situation has changed in the last month. Pyongyang said that a North Korean defector who decided to return after three years in South Korea had brought the virus with him when he crossed the DMZ on July 19 and created “an emergency event” in Gaeseong. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called an emergency meeting of the Worker's Party Politburo on July 25 to discuss the situation. Gaeseong was placed in immediate lockdown and the country's Minister of Public Health warned that “a dangerous crisis has occurred in which the virus may have entered our borders.” It was the first official acknowledgement that what Kim Jong-un has called the country's “shining success” in containing COVID-19, with

Aug 17, 2020By John Burton

John Burton

Crisis in 2021?

By John BurtonCould the Korean Peninsula see a renewed nuclear crisis in 2021?The probable election of Joe Biden as the next U.S. president in November will be viewed as unfavorable by North Korea. Biden has historically adopted a tougher stance on North Korea than Donald Trump, whose conciliatory approach to Pyongyang has reduced tensions since early 2018. North Korea may be emboldened to resist further U.S. pressure on the nuclear issue if it receives increased support from Beijing as Sino-American relations continue to deteriorate. Meanwhile, a diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Pyongyang on the nuclear issue before the November election appears unlikely. North Korea is pressing for the relaxation of sanctions before making any concessions on reducing its nuclear arsenal and there is almost no indication that the Trump administration is willing to do that. Biden will thus inherit a stalemate on the nuclear issue if he is inaugurated as the 46th U.S. president in January 2021. Biden's previous foreign policy track record as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Commi

Aug 3, 2020By John Burton

John Burton

It could get worse

By John BurtonThere are many times when I wish I was back in Korea after I left the country for the U.S. in late 2016, but never more so than now. I compare how Korea has been able to contain COVID-19 while the disease appears to be spiraling out of control in the U.S.The difference between the countries that have responded successfully to the outbreak and those that fail is largely due to leadership. Korea and other countries, especially those in East Asia, that dealt with the situation well, recognized early the seriousness of the COVID-19 threat and took decisive actions, from mandating mask wearing to testing. Their response was largely based on their experience dealing with similar disease outbreaks such as SARS in 2003.In contrast, the Trump administration in the U.S. sought to deny that COVID-19 posed any serious danger. This reaction reflected President Trump's reluctance to acknowledge the impact of the disease. He wishes that it would just go away because it threatens his re-election chances this year. COVID-19 has become a highly politicized issue in the U.S., with Trump a

Jul 20, 2020By John Burton

John Burton

Rise of the rest

By John BurtonKorea and several other nations in the Asia-Pacific region ― Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam and Thailand ― have successfully contained the COVID-19 outbreak. The leadership of these middle-sized powers in responding to the pandemic has provoked talk of the “rise of the rest,” meaning countries that can play a more influential and independent global role between the superpowers of the United States and China.Whether they will be able to do so will be tested by the growing Sino-American tensions that have resulted from the pandemic. The middle powers will need to strike a balance between the superpowers if they want to maintain an independent voice in global affairs.The difficulty of achieving a middle way between the superpowers is exemplified by the challenges that Korea faces. On the one hand, Seoul is facing increasing pressure from Washington to pay more for the stationing of U.S. troops in the country. In addition, the Trump administration wants Korea to stop supplying computer chips to Huawei, which the U.S. views as a security threat in the em

Jul 6, 2020By John Burton

John Burton

It's all about sanctions

By John BurtonThe theatrical destruction by North Korea of the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong last week carries a clear message: Pyongyang is frustrated about its apparent inability to get the international sanctions regime against it eased.The crisis has been building for some time. To understand why, it is useful to briefly review the history of the sanctions policy. Although the U.S. has been applying unilateral sanctions against North Korea for decades, it was only in 2006 that the United Nations began applying international sanctions in response to North Korea's first nuclear test.The U.N. sanctions initially applied to technology and materials that could be used to support the North's nuclear program. But as Pyongyang continued to pursue the development of nuclear weapons, new U.N. sanctions were added. By 2016, these expanded sanctions were aimed at not only the North's military sector, but also the civilian economy. A key turning point came in 2017 during the height of tensions caused by an accelerated series of nuclear and missile tests by the North. The U.N. approv

Jun 22, 2020By John Burton

John Burton

N. Korea's cruel dilemma

By John BurtonNorth Korea is confronting the same dilemma that more advanced countries are facing when it comes to COVID-19: whether the cure will prove more damaging than the disease.When COVID-19 broke out in China in January, North Korea responded rapidly by shutting down its borders with its bigger neighbor. Officials in Pyongyang feared their country was extremely vulnerable since the pandemic could quickly overwhelm their creaky health care system, so they decided to lock down hard and fast to contain the virus from spreading quickly.Those draconian measures appear to have succeeded. Although most analysts are skeptical of North Korea's claim that it has suffered no COVID-19 cases, it appears that it has kept the outbreak under control. Ports are gradually opening and children are starting to return to school.The economic costs of closing down the country are considerable. Some economists are predicting the growth rate could contract by 6.5 percent this year, its worst performance since 1997 at the end of the great famine.Due to strict border controls, trade between China and N

Jun 8, 2020By John Burton

John Burton

Play ball

By John BurtonIn early May, ESPN, the American sports broadcaster, started showing six Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) games a week for sport-starved fans in the U.S. who had been denied the opportunity of watching local baseball games due to COVID-19.Suddenly, Americans are rooting for the current winning streak of the NC Dinos, even though few could locate the team's home of Changwon on a map. They are also discovering the sibling rivalry of the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins who share the same stadium in Seoul.The live KBO broadcasts normally start in the pre-dawn hours U.S. time but are repeated in the afternoon to allow U.S. baseball fans to get their daily fix. The ESPN baseball commentators are based at their homes in the U.S. and watch the games remotely on a televised feed from Korea. The intimate broadcast set-up also creates the feeling for viewers of sitting in the stands and overhearing the conversation of knowledgeable fans as they keep one eye on the game.It is this conversation that accompanies the games that provides lessons for American fans not only about the qui

May 25, 2020By John Burton

John Burton

Media frenzy

By John Burton“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” the 19th century American humorist Mark Twain once said after his obituary was mistakenly published in a newspaper. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un can now say the same thing.On April 20, Daily NK reported that Kim had undergone heart surgery due to “excessive smoking, obesity, and overwork.” The Seoul-based website, which is published by a group of North Korean refugees, is used as a tip sheet by journalists and analysts for developments in the secretive country. But its content is often of variable accuracy.Nonetheless, the report set off a media firestorm when international news agencies picked up the story and distributed it around the world. Why the story was believed by many was that on April 15, Kim had missed an important ceremony honoring the anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung. His absence led to speculation about his health.Once the Daily NK report was released into the global media bloodstream, it took on a life of its own. CNN reported that the U.S. had received intelligence that

May 11, 2020By John Burton

John Burton

Korea's medical advantage

By John BurtonWhen Korea recently airlifted test kits for the coronavirus (COVID-19) to the U.S. government as well as the state of Maryland, it was important for two reasons. The first was that it was another example of Korea's growing “soft power.” The second was that it highlighted that Korea is becoming a global provider of medical supplies.The latter may become a crucial factor in the wake of the pandemic. If the fight against COVID-19 has been described as a “new world war,” then medicine and equipment are the principal weapons. What the pandemic has revealed is that some countries, such as China, have become medical arsenals, while others, such as the United States, have revealed surprising vulnerabilities. With a global shortage of medical supplies, some countries have imposed restrictions on their exports. Other countries have decided to build up their own medical supply chains to achieve self-sufficiency in critical items. The world may soon witness a situation similar to the global arms race where some countries become leading sources of medical goo

Apr 27, 2020By John Burton

John Burton

A crucial election

By John BurtonAmericans normally don't pay much attention to foreign elections. But, for several reasons, they should when it comes to Korea's National Assembly elections on Wednesday.Interest should focus on the way the election will be conducted, one of the first to be held worldwide since the World Health Organization declared the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic in March. Although Korea appears to have gotten its COVID-19 outbreak under control, there are fears that crowded voting places could trigger new infections.Similar concerns have forced many U.S. states to postpone from spring to summer the primary polls to select presidential and congressional candidates for the country's general elections in November. There are even increasing worries that the November elections will be disrupted by the virus crisis.The U.S. should study how Korea's National Election Commission is handling this situation. It is requiring voters to wear face masks and will check them for fevers, while providing hand sanitizers and vinyl gloves to prevent infections. Social distancin

Apr 13, 2020By John Burton

John Burton

Read more

Second round

Crisis in 2021?

It could get worse

Rise of the rest

It's all about sanctions

N. Korea's cruel dilemma

Play ball

Media frenzy

Korea's medical advantage

A crucial election

Top 5 stories