Read The Diplomat, get to know Asia-Pacific
China has been silent on North Korea’s launch of a military satellite, just as it has been silent on the immediate progress of Pyongyang’s missile program. Will nuclear technology be next?
Poisonous mushrooms are quietly developing the shadow of simultaneous foreign security crises. The war in Ukraine has been going on for barely two years and Israel, which suffered civilian casualties in Hamas attacks on October 7, is in the midst of a full-blown war. of vengeance that makes little difference between civilians and combatants. Both conflicts have caused primary waves in foreign politics and economics.
However, as the world’s attention focused on Ukraine and Israel, pre-existing threats within the foreign network were not resolved but worsened. One such disorder is the provocation of the North Korean military.
On the night of November 21, North Korea introduced an army spy satellite. According to North Korean state media, the satellite managed to enter orbit. In the past, North Korea had tried to release a spy satellite in August, but its efforts failed due to a challenge with the rocket’s engine. Neighboring countries are interested in how North Korea solved the challenge in 3 months.
South Korean military officials said Russia technically recommended after the Russia-North Korea summit in September, adding sending engineers to North Korea.
Pyongyang’s release of a spy satellite violates United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea. In response, neighboring countries such as South Korea, the United States, and Japan condemned North Korea’s provocative actions. However, China, which has the longest border with North Korea, remains silent, ignoring the developing threat.
This is in contrast to the past, when China’s Foreign Ministry spoke out about North Korea’s release of a satellite in 2012. This time, the ministry’s spokesperson simply said that China had “noticed” the release of the satellite, and then gave the impression of justifying it. the law adding: “The Korean Peninsula is in the current scenario for a reason. “With only tacit sympathy emanating from China, North Korea is preparing for a new armed provocation.
It’s been about a year since North Korea reportedly closed arrangements for its seventh nuclear control. In April of this year, Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of U. S. forces in Korea, said that the technical arrangements for North Korea’s next nuclear control were complete and that only one resolution was left in the hands of sensible leader Kim Jong Un. If the North succeeds in miniaturizing its nuclear warheads in the next test, there will be an acceleration only in the progression of its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), but also in the progression of its tactics. nuclear warheads.
North Korea’s willingness to use nuclear weapons has also reached a worrying level. In September of this year, its nuclear force policy became law specifying defensive targets and situations for preemptive nuclear strikes. The law states that a nuclear strike will be automatically introduced if leaders, including Kim Jong Un, are deemed to be in danger. The potential use of nuclear weapons due to misperceptions and misjudgments is alarming. This makes ownership of a nuclear arsenal through North Korea, a regime with a closed decision-making structure, a colossal risk to the security of neighboring countries.
China deserves to speak as brazenly as you can imagine on this issue. As the U. S. seeks to thwart Pyongyang’s intercontinental ballistic missile advance from a domestic defense perspective, China is more likely to suffer the repercussions of North Korea’s advance in nuclear weapons. It’s time for China to rethink its strategy toward North Korea, given Pyongyang’s decision to seek military cooperation with Russia.
Regional powers need security threats from surrounding forces to identify a zone free of security threats. However, China has made the strategic mistake of neglecting Pyongyang’s nuclear development, thus turning all of Northeast Asia into a danger zone.
The greatest immediate threat is the exposure of many Chinese citizens to radioactive contamination. In 2018, the South Korean government conducted radiation exposure checks on North Korean defectors from Punggye-ri, where the nuclear control site is located. It showed genetic mutations in five out of ten other people who checked it. The point of radiation exposure was detected in those Americans, especially above the usual threshold of cancer risk.
Hong Kong media reported that radiation levels were highest in China’s Jilin province, located 70 kilometers from Punggye-ri. According to experts, the surface around Punggye-ri would likely have weakened, especially after six nuclear tests conducted in the past 25 years, leading to increased radiation leaks.
In the longer term, emerging military tensions in Northeast Asia due to North Korea’s armed provocation will be an impediment to China’s cooperation with the foreign community. The United States will use its large containment network against the China-Russia-North Korea coalition in the Indonesian region. Pacific region to save itself from the provocations of the Pyongyang army. China may be left isolated, with an engine of economic expansion potentially stalled, especially as the theory of NATO expansion in Asia gains momentum and Sino-US relations gain momentum. The hegemonic festival is intensifying.
North Korea’s provocations are already having an effect. Seoul and Pyongyang signed the military agreement on September 19, 2018 to end mutual hostilities and identify a buffer zone. However, on November 22, a day after North Korea introduced a military spy satellite, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol approved the suspension of the clause renouncing reconnaissance and surveillance activities around the inter-Korean border.
Moreover, if proponents of nuclear weapons gain ground in South Korea and Japan in reaction to North Korea’s nuclear threat, and a “nuclear domino effect” is unleashed, China will eventually become the ultimate common victim. Beijing deserves to acknowledge that Pyongyang has already crossed the red line and take a proactive stance to avoid North Korea’s military threats.
Understand Asia-Pacific’s biggest issues with a subscription to The Diplomat.
Poisonous mushrooms grow silently behind the shadow of simultaneous foreign security crises. The war in Ukraine has been going on for nearly two years, and Israel, which suffered civilian casualties in Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, is engaged in a deepening war of revenge that makes little difference between civilians and combatants. The two conflicts sparked primal waves in foreign policy and the economy.
However, while the world’s attention was focused on Ukraine and Israel, pre-existing threats within the foreign network were not resolved but worsened. One such disorder is the provocation of the North Korean army.
On the night of November 21, North Korea introduced a military spy satellite. According to North Korean state media, the satellite managed to enter orbit. North Korea had previously attempted to release a spy satellite in August, but its efforts failed due to a challenge with the rocket’s engine. Neighboring countries are interested in how North Korea solved the challenge in 3 months.
South Korean military officials said Russia technically recommended after the Russia-North Korea summit in September, adding sending engineers to North Korea.
Pyongyang’s release of a spy satellite is a violation of United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea. In response, neighboring countries such as South Korea, the United States, and Japan condemned North Korea’s provocative actions. However, China, which has the longest border with North Korea, remains silent, ignoring the developing threat.
This is in contrast to the past, when China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke out about North Korea’s satellite launch in 2012. This time, the ministry’s spokesperson simply said that China had “noticed” the launch of the satellite, and then appeared to justify this act by adding: “It is not for nothing that the Korean peninsula is developing in the current situation. “With only tacit sympathy emanating from China, North Korea is preparing for some other armed provocation.
It’s been about a year since North Korea reportedly closed arrangements for its seventh nuclear control. In April of this year, Gen. Paul LaCamera, commander of U. S. forces in Korea, said that the technical arrangements for North Korea’s next nuclear control were complete and that only one resolution was left in the hands of sensible leader Kim Jong Un. If the North succeeds in miniaturizing its nuclear warheads in the next test, there will be an acceleration only in the progression of its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), but also in the progression of its tactics. nuclear warheads.
North Korea’s willingness to use nuclear weapons has also reached a disturbing level. In September of this year, its nuclear force policy became law specifying defensive objectives and situations for preemptive nuclear strikes. The law stipulates that a nuclear strike will be automatically triggered if the leaders, Kim Jong Un added, are deemed to be in danger. The potential use of nuclear weapons due to misperceptions and misjudgments is especially alarming. This makes North Korea’s ownership of a nuclear arsenal, a regime with a closed decision-making structure, a colossal risk to the security of neighboring countries.
China deserves to speak as brazenly as imaginable on this issue. As the United States seeks to thwart Pyongyang’s ICBM advance from a domestic defense perspective, China is more likely to suffer the repercussions of North Korea’s advance in nuclear weapons. It is time for China to rethink its strategy toward North Korea, given Pyongyang’s decision to seek military cooperation with Russia.
Regional powers need security threats from surrounding forces to identify a zone free of security threats. However, China has made the strategic mistake of neglecting Pyongyang’s nuclear development, thus turning all of Northeast Asia into a danger zone.
The greatest immediate threat is the exposure of many Chinese citizens to radioactive contamination. In 2018, the South Korean government conducted radiation exposure checks on North Korean defectors from Punggye-ri, where the nuclear control site is located. It showed genetic mutations in five out of ten other people who tested it. The point of radiation exposure was detected in those Americans especially above the usual cancer risk threshold.
Hong Kong media reported that radiation levels had risen in China’s Jilin province, located 70 kilometers from Punggye-ri. Experts say the ground around Punggye-ri would likely have weakened, especially after six nuclear tests conducted in the past 25 years, leading to a building leaking radiation.
In the long run, emerging military tensions in Northeast Asia due to North Korea’s armed provocation will be an impediment to China’s cooperation with the foreign community. The U. S. will use its large containment network opposed to the China-Russia-North Korea coalition in the Indonesia region. Pacific region to save itself from the provocations of Pyongyang’s army. China may be left isolated, with a potentially stagnant engine of economic expansion, especially as the theory of NATO’s expansion in Asia gains momentum and Sino-U. S. relations gain momentum. The hegemonic festival is intensifying.
North Korea’s provocations are already having an impact. Seoul and Pyongyang signed the military agreement on September 19, 2018 to end mutual hostilities and identify a buffer zone. However, on Nov. 22, a day after North Korea introduced an army spy satellite, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol approved the suspension of the clause renouncing reconnaissance and surveillance activities around the inter-Korean border.
Moreover, if proponents of nuclear weapons gain ground in South Korea and Japan in reaction to North Korea’s nuclear threat, and a “nuclear domino effect” is unleashed, China will eventually become the ultimate common victim. Beijing deserves to acknowledge that Pyongyang has already crossed the red line and take a proactive stance to avoid North Korea’s military threats.
Poisonous mushrooms are silently developing the shadow of simultaneous foreign security crises. The war in Ukraine has only been going on for two years and Israel, which suffered civilian casualties in the Hamas attacks on October 7, is engaged in a full-blown war. of revenge that makes little difference between civilians and combatants. Both conflicts have caused primary waves in foreign politics and economics.
However, while the world’s attention was focused on Ukraine and Israel, pre-existing threats within the foreign network were not resolved but worsened. One such disorder is the provocation of the North Korean army.
Professor Min-yong Lee is a visiting professor at Sookmyung Women’s University.