North Korea, is a state which was made after the Japanese lost the war. The Russians captured the north region. The army leader Kim II sung was named as the supreme leader of North Korea and is the founder of it. The current leader of North Korea is Kim Jong-un. The North Korean state is based on a socialist ideology and has a strong belief in its ideology. The type of government is a dictatorship with strict punishments for anyone speaking against the president. Kim Jong-UN has himself kept all the prime positions of the state body.
The situation of human rights is worse, punishments vary from forced labor to detainees to public execution. The citizens still have no access to the global internet and must use the state-run internet. The economic condition of the state is also not good as the state is isolated in the international world due to sanctions.
Read more: North Korea provokes South Korea with missile launch
Historical Perspective
North Korea is a state-led by a person named Kim Jong-UN. Kim Jong came to power in 2011 when his father died. North Korea is a state where there is a complete exercise of dictatorship and the worst situation of human rights. It seems that even in the digital world, the citizens of North Korea are living in the stone Age. Tracing back to 1910, when the Japanese annexed this region, they took control over everything but at the end of World War 2.
The region of the peninsula was divided into two parts, the northern region was captured by the Russians while the southern part was captured by the US. The northern region army was led by Kim II Sung, the Russians after failing the re unification of the Korean peninsula, gave the supreme power of the state to Kim II sung. Kim II Sung is also considered as the founder of North Korea.
As North Korea is a state with a dictatorship so the concept of electoral process doesn’t exist in such a state. Kim Jong UN is not only the president of the state but also has many different posts. Kim Jong UN himself became the chairperson, and along with this he also has many posts like the chairman of defence commission or the chief of the army. North Korea has strict rules for religion, there is no public or state religion. Most of the population is atheists. All the media outlets are run by the state and the state decides what to broadcast.
There is discrimination among the citizens, but not like any other states which have discrimination based on wealth or education, in North Korea the discrimination is based on whoever is more loyal to the president. The other discrimination is based on military, the military has more priority over any other field in the state. The military comes first. This is the reason; North Korea has the fourth largest army with 4% of its population recruited in armed forces.
Read more: North Korean leader promises nuclear revenge
Nuclear Programmes of North Korea
North Korea has an active and increasing ballistic weapons and nuclear weapons programme and also going towards chemical and biological weapons.
North Korea withdrew from NPT in 2003, hence conducting six new nuclear tests since 2006. North Korea also does not sign Chemical Weapons Convention. In 2017, North Korea tested its first International Ballistic Missile.
In first face-to-face meeting of Kim Jong-un to US President, he assured that they will work to complete the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Biological Weapons
In 1987, North Korea acquiesce to the Biological Toxin Weapon Convention and became part of the Geneva Convention in year 1988, US intelligence considered that the North Korea is capable of biological weapon production,
Chemical Weapons
North Korea do not sign chemical weapons Convention. South Korean Defence White Paper considered that North Korea have 2500 to 5000 tons of CW agent
Missiles
North Korea introduces its first ICBMS in 2017, which were Hwasong -14 and 15 and they can easily target any place in US Under the leadership of Kim Jong, North Korea developed a number of new missiles along with short-range BM. It also announced its submarines launched Ballistic missiles and Space Launch Missiles.
Role of North Korea in East Asia Security
The Juche system of North Korea, make the East again countries more modest in nature in order to protect its state’s anarchic system in the East Asia. It is filled with many type of distrust which make the situation more worsen. South Asia sees North Korea as a threat since 1950, North Korea had been working on nuclear missiles for defensive measures but it amplified tensions in East Asia and affect the region’s atmosphere. After 2006, nuclear test of North Korea affected Russia and China, because China had always played a double role.
Read more: North Korea warns nuke attack against South Korea
On the other hand North Korea is provoking US, South Korea and Japan in improving their military technology against North Korea. Sanctions on North Korea do not achieved their outcome of destabilization but it only affected the international humanitarian law in aiding Korean people.
As North Korea has three types of nuclear weapons which are,
- International stability
- Proliferation
- Nuclear Non-Proliferation policy
So, its production increases its security in the region.
North Korea also poses a real threat to Korean Peninsula and Japan
US fears that North Korea also going for the development of long-range nuclear ballistic missile which may affect American territory. North Korea has not merely subsisted up to its status as a rogue state but also seemed able to pledge misdeeds with impunity. Several South Korean and Japanese citizens have been captured by North Korea, and proof exists that Dutch, French and Italian nationals, alongside four Malaysians, have been kidnapped as well. So these are some threats which are facing by other countries in the region from North Korea.
In order to maintain a nuclear equilibrium in anarchical world the balance of power must be necessary. The stabilized status quo in East Asia is very delicate and in a need of proper conclusive strategy and cooperation. If the US does not take reliable strategic actions by playing a fair and rational party of North Korean conflict, then the situation will go off the board, in the hands of other regional aggressors.
Jazib Ali is a student at National Defense University, Islamabad. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Studies. His areas of interest include traditional and non-traditional security issues, national security and Threat perception of Pakistan and International politics. He can be contacted at jazibali419@gmail.com.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.