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New Strategy for North Korea: Striking at the Snake’s Head

AP Photo/Paul J. Richards / Jul 21, 2010 / Seoul, South Korea

By reviewing the entire history as to the international effort to contain the belligerence of North Korea we see that almost everything has been tried. Many strategies and approaches have been employed and yet North Korea remains adamant in its policies and impervious to foreign pressure. The concern of the international committee is growing due to the continuous development of North Korea of nuclear weapons and it’s outrageous repression of its people. In fact most if not all major nations on earth pursue the improvement of North Korea’s compliance with the former’s call for dismantlement of the nuclear program and the government undergoing significant reform.

The Regime of Kim Jung II

The regime of Kim Jung II have remain unbowed and still in power. The question is what has been ignored in previous strategy towards it? What should be the goal or objective of any and all effort to deal with North Korea? By looking at how the regime in North Korea operates it is a fact that the said regime works or is propelled forward by the very will and capability of its elite. In the past sanctions have been imposed on North Korea to the detriment of the people even though it was not them that are at fault. The logic was they allowed their government to develop into such a monstrosity so it was they we sanction. But the question is does their government even care?

The most viable way of looking at the social setup of North Korea is that though there are the people that support the base of the regime of Kim Jung II, there are the North Korean elite, the rich and wealthy who in fact support his regime. In recent news, the United States, through Hilary Clinton when she recently traveled to South Korea, suggested a new approach. To undermine the regime in North Korea you move against and sanction the elite. You freeze their assets and the like. By sanctioning them you undermine the support base which keeps the regime of Kim Jung II in power.

Targeting the Snake’s Head

This is a very viable move. Since this has never been tried in the past this could in effect soften North Korea and make it pliable to international pressure. Efforts in the past hurt all of Korea’s people to the point that it would suffer almost severe humanitarian difficulties. But by targeting the snake’s head, the elite which are known to support the unruly regime in North Korea you minimize the damage to the people.

This is a good strategy in the sense that it minimizes the negative effect on the people who are in no way responsible in keeping their repressive government in power yet they pay for such when you have sanctions in the past.  Now you actually and directly target those who are the real lifeline of the regime and the source of its continuity.

September 10, 2010 - Posted by John Villager | News | Hilary Clinton, Kim Jung Il, North Korea, sanctions, South Korea