North Korea and Nuclear Weapons - Essay Example

 North Korea is a country in the Eastern Asia region, and it is found on the Northern sections of the Korean Peninsula. This name Korea emanates from Goryeo, and it is a dynasty that ruled the region during the middle ages (Chang, 4). The demilitarized zone in the Korean peninsula is the boundary between South Korea, and North Korea. Chang (9) observes that South and North Korea dispute the existence of this border and this is because both of these two countries lay a claim to the governance of the entire Korean peninsula. in 1910, Japan annexed the peninsular, and after the end of the second world war, Japan gave away its control to the US, and the Soviet Union. The Soviets and the US divided the region into two, North, and South Korea. In 1950, war broke out in the region, pitting the two Korea’s against each other (Pollack, 51). In 1953, the two states agreed for a cease fire, however, they have not signed a peace treaty to date (Park and Mark, 30). The North Korea government is dictatorial in nature, and built under the Kim family (Szalontai and Changyong, 62). In a bid to protect this regime, North Korea built a nuclear weapon, and conducted a third test on the 12th of Feb 2013. This is despite warnings from the United Nations, United States, and the International community. Park and Mark (36) explain that the intention of pursuing nuclear weapons by North Korea is not known. However, based on the rhetoric emanating from top Korean military leaders, Pollack (50) believe that the aim of building these weapons by North Korea is so that it may act as a deterrence of an attack from the United States, and allies of South Korea. Based on this fact, Park and Mark (36) believes that this nuclear policy by the state of North Korea is aimed at preserving the Sovereignty of North Korea. However, Pollack (31) disagrees with this fact, and denotes that North Korea repeatedly calls for the unification of the Korean peninsula. Pollack (38) therefore believes that the aim of North Korea, into building a nuclear weapon is to use it for purposes of uniting the Korean peninsula by force. This therefore becomes an issue of global peace, and on this note, the major international actors will have to step in. The United States as an ally of South Korea is mostly concerned about its peace and security, and constantly monitors the nuclear activities of North Korea. This is because a nuclear armed North Korea, threatens the stability and peace of the US. On this basis, North Korea has to be prevented at all costs, from developing a nuclear weapon. South Korea on the other is concerned about its existence, and on this basis, it would seek a de-nuclearized Korean peninsula. This is because; South Korea believes that the North Korea can use the weapons for purposes of fulfilling its objectives of unifying the Korean peninsula. Scholar denotes that a nuclear weapon is a very lethal weapon, that if used, it can seriously affect the global peace and security. Szalontai and Changyong (56) observe that a nuclear armed North Korea, is not only a threat to United States, as well as South Korea, but it is also a threat to China, and Russia. Russia and China are also nuclear power houses, and it is their desire to stop other countries from acquiring the weapons. For instance China seeks to achieve a military hegemony on Asia, and a nuclear armed North Korea will most definitely stand in its way. In fact, China supports a peaceful Korean peninsula, and on this basis, a nuclear armed North Korea is an impediment to the existence of peace in the Korean peninsula. To prevent North Korea from becoming a nuclear powerhouse, the United States initiated a policy referred to as strategic patience. Through this policy, the United States and the international community will only engage with North Korea when they destroy their nuclear weapons. In keeping pressure, the United States and allies will impose sanction on North Korea, to prevent them from getting the capability of building ballistic weapons. Szalontai and Changyong (58) observe that countries that are mainly concerned with the North Korean nuclear weapons are China, United States, Russia, and these countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council. On this note, Szalontai and Changyong (63) explain that their concerns are mainly based on maintaining world peace. South Korea is the only country involved in this issue that is not a member of the UN Security council. Its concern is based on the fact that the North Korean regime could target South Korea for elimination, and this is because the two countries are in a state of war (Szalontai and Changyong, 65). This is because the 1953 cease fire agreement was only an armistice, and not a peace treaty, since the issues that made these countries to go to war, were not solved. In conclusion, a nuclear armed North Korea is a danger to the stability of the global peace. This is because the regime of North Korea is dictatorial in nature, and in a dictatorship, checks and balances in the governance structure does not exist. North Korea can therefore use these weapons at ease, to attack South Korea, and hence achieve their goal of unifying the Korean peninsula. Due to the unpredictable nature of the North Korean government, world powers such as Russia, China, and United States are increasingly concerned about the military activities of North Korea. On this basis, the policy adopted by the United Nations is to de-nuclearize North Korea, and hence achieve a Korean peninsula which is free of nuclear weapons. This is as aspect that North Korea cannot agree with, and this is because it will feel very vulnerable without its nuclear weapons. On this basis, the pursuit of nuclear weapons by North Korea is a threat to the global peace and security. Works Cited: Chang, Gordon G.. Nuclear showdown: North Korea takes on the world. New York: Random House, 2006. Print. Park, Kyung-Ae, and Mark Bennett. "Engaging North Korea with Highculture Soft Power: Knowledge Sharing with Pyongyang." Pacific Affairs 87.1 (2014): 29-41. Print. Pollack, Jonathan D.. No exit: North Korea, nuclear weapons, and international security. London: International Institute for Strategic Studies ;, 2011. Print. Szalontai, Balázs, and Changyong Choi. "Immunity to Resistance? State-Society Relations and Political Stability in North Korea in a Comparative Perspective." North Korean Review 10.1 (2014): 55-70. Print. Read More