North Korea faces deeper isolation, economic woes
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is taking advantage of the 10th anniversary of the death of his father Kim Jong-il to tighten his grip on power. The North held a memorial event for the late Kim in Pyongyang, Friday; and also marked the current leader's first decade of rule, calling for the people's "absolute trust" in him.
Nothing could better reflect Kim's real intention than the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party. "All people and soldiers should have absolute trust in the general secretary, have their fate and future completely entrusted to him and guard his safety and authority," the newspaper said in a front page editorial which occupied the whole page with a large picture of Kim Jong-il who died Dec. 17, 2011.
There is no doubt that the commemoration was aimed at justifying the hereditary succession and urging devoted loyalty to Kim Jong-un. In a word, the anniversary was nothing but the North's attempt to perpetuate the Kim dynasty. The Kim regime has been marked by a reign of terror that included the relentless purging of his political enemies such as his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, who was abruptly executed for being a counter-revolutionary in December 2013. It also reportedly played a certain role in the assassination of Kim's half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, in Malaysia in 2017.
On Thursday, the United Nations adopted a resolution on North Korean human rights, accusing Pyongyang of systematic and gross human rights violations for the 17th consecutive year. Also, the same day, the United States decided to keep North Korea on its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The decision came after the Biden administration imposed its first sanctions on the North for its human rights abuses Dec. 10, blacklisting North Korean Minster of the People's Armed Forces Ri Yong-gil and its Central Public Prosecutors Office.
More worrisome is the North's continued development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Kim regime conducted four of the country's six nuclear tests, possibly including one for its first hydrogen bomb. Kim's pursuit of a nuclear arsenal may have strengthened deterrence against the U.S., but it has deepened his country's isolation from the international community. It has also resulted in economic woes, coupled with the devastating fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Responding to peace overtures by President Moon Jae-in during and after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Kim seemed to make efforts for national reconciliation by having inter-Korean summits. Kim also held two summits with then U.S. President Donald Trump, which were brokered by Moon, to discuss denuclearization. However, negotiations have remained stalled since a no deal summit in Hanoi in February 2019.
To the dismay of the international community, Pyongyang has still refused to return to talks with Washington, repeating its demand for sanctions relief and the withdrawal of a U.S. policy of "hostility" toward the North. It has only rebuffed Moon's peace initiative and U.S. President Joe Biden's outreach to solve the nuclear issue through dialogue and diplomacy.
Kim should keep in mind that he could face unpredictable consequences unless he gives up his nuclear ambitions. He cannot guarantee his regime's security with his nuclear arsenal. The North Korean economy shrank 4.5 percent last year due to crippling sanctions and the pandemic. The isolated country may face an economic collapse if it keeps wasting money on the nuclear program. The Kim regime should return to dialogue and take the path of denuclearization before it is too late.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is taking advantage of the 10th anniversary of the death of his father Kim Jong-il to tighten his grip on power. The North held a memorial event for the late Kim in Pyongyang, Friday; and also marked the current leader's first decade of rule, calling for the people's "absolute trust" in him.
Nothing could better reflect Kim's real intention than the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' Party. "All people and soldiers should have absolute trust in the general secretary, have their fate and future completely entrusted to him and guard his safety and authority," the newspaper said in a front page editorial which occupied the whole page with a large picture of Kim Jong-il who died Dec. 17, 2011.
There is no doubt that the commemoration was aimed at justifying the hereditary succession and urging devoted loyalty to Kim Jong-un. In a word, the anniversary was nothing but the North's attempt to perpetuate the Kim dynasty. The Kim regime has been marked by a reign of terror that included the relentless purging of his political enemies such as his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, who was abruptly executed for being a counter-revolutionary in December 2013. It also reportedly played a certain role in the assassination of Kim's half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, in Malaysia in 2017.
On Thursday, the United Nations adopted a resolution on North Korean human rights, accusing Pyongyang of systematic and gross human rights violations for the 17th consecutive year. Also, the same day, the United States decided to keep North Korea on its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The decision came after the Biden administration imposed its first sanctions on the North for its human rights abuses Dec. 10, blacklisting North Korean Minster of the People's Armed Forces Ri Yong-gil and its Central Public Prosecutors Office.
More worrisome is the North's continued development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Kim regime conducted four of the country's six nuclear tests, possibly including one for its first hydrogen bomb. Kim's pursuit of a nuclear arsenal may have strengthened deterrence against the U.S., but it has deepened his country's isolation from the international community. It has also resulted in economic woes, coupled with the devastating fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Responding to peace overtures by President Moon Jae-in during and after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Kim seemed to make efforts for national reconciliation by having inter-Korean summits. Kim also held two summits with then U.S. President Donald Trump, which were brokered by Moon, to discuss denuclearization. However, negotiations have remained stalled since a no deal summit in Hanoi in February 2019.
To the dismay of the international community, Pyongyang has still refused to return to talks with Washington, repeating its demand for sanctions relief and the withdrawal of a U.S. policy of "hostility" toward the North. It has only rebuffed Moon's peace initiative and U.S. President Joe Biden's outreach to solve the nuclear issue through dialogue and diplomacy.
Kim should keep in mind that he could face unpredictable consequences unless he gives up his nuclear ambitions. He cannot guarantee his regime's security with his nuclear arsenal. The North Korean economy shrank 4.5 percent last year due to crippling sanctions and the pandemic. The isolated country may face an economic collapse if it keeps wasting money on the nuclear program. The Kim regime should return to dialogue and take the path of denuclearization before it is too late.
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