The security and political situation in Northeast Asia has never been so volatile. While Kim Jong Un refuses to rein in his
bellicosity, the United States, with its allies South Korea and Japan, continues to up the rhetoric. That the North Korean regime is irresponsible is a given. It is for the international community to act and bring Pyongyang to its knees.
The UN Security Council has been able to clamp debilitating sanctions on Kim’s reclusive regime by virtue of UN Security Council Resolution 2375 that aims to crimp trade with Pyongyang. The resolution bans export of oil and import of textiles from the country already struggling with sanctions imposed by the West over its missile and nuclear programme.
Annual military exercises organised by US and South Korea had further exacerbated tensions on the Korean Peninsula as Kim threatened to bomb sworn enemy United States, bringing the US Pacific territory of Guam in the spotlight. North Korea also tested a missile that flew over Japan, riling another close ally of Washington.
As the Korean Peninsula appears to sit on a powder keg, battlelines seem to have been drawn. US President Donald Trump has even hinted at doing something unexpected towards North Korea as the world speculates about another war. Trump even once told his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that by talking to North Korea he was wasting his time.
Reports yesterday added another dimension to the sensitive situation on the Peninsula. It was revealed that North Korean computer hackers have stolen hundreds of classified documents from South Korea that have details of wartime operational plans involving the United States. A lawmaker for South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party has said hackers had broken into the defence network of Seoul and stolen 235 gigabytes of data. Operational Plans 5015 document was for use in case of war with North Korea and includes details of planned attacks on Kim.
Increased tensions across the 38th parallel are not new, but this time it is close to crossing the critical level. US deployment of more of the missile interceptor system, THAAD-Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, in South Korea created a stir in the region with regional power China and Russia objecting to what they believe is the spread of Washington’s influence. It is believed that US has supplied tactical nuclear weapons to be deployed in South Korea which has primed itself for an expected attack by Pyongyang.
Extensive evacuation drills in Japan and North Korea schools prepare children for bomb air raids and other war-like situations. Amid the vitriol flowing between Pyongyang and Washington, the North Korean issue is apparently not within control of the United States. A reckless president in the White House is exacerbating the situation. War or not, the US President’s office must not relinquish its role of global leadership of a world where leaders like Kim sometimes hold it to ransom.
