Written by: Shobhana AhluwaliaNorth Korea has test-fired several different missiles in the past one year since it unilaterally declared itself a nuclear weapons state in 2022. The latest missile launch took place on February 23rd, 2023 when four strategic cruise missiles were launched as part of a drill that took place even as American and South Korean officials met to discuss ways of maintaining peace in the Korean peninsula.A brief introduction to present-day North Korea also known as DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) will explain the reasoning that precipitated the missile launch. Being a semi-communist state DPRK has a closed society with little access to the West and Kim Jong-un, the Supreme Leader since 2011, is deified by the people. Kim Jong-uns insecurity vis-a-vis the West has had an effect on the general population which believes that American aid to South Korea may be a pretext for the invasion of the north and eventual unification of the two Koreas.The constant threat of invasion posed by the alliance between South Korea and its powerful protector, the United States, has led Kim Jong-un to continually test new missiles and develop a nuclear arsenal. To curtail Kim Jong-uns nuclear programme the USA has imposed sanctions on North Korea, but they have not worked and DPRK has succeeded in becoming a nuclear power.In recognition of North Koreas nuclear status, President Trump offered an olive branch to the DPRK and sought to establish a personal relationship with Kim Jong-un when he assumed presidency of the US. In 2018 the two leaders met in Singapore, which was hailed as a historic meeting, but very little came of it as the expected denuclearization of the Korean peninsula did not take place.The DPRK under Kim Jong-un having followed an aggressive nuclear policy has isolated itself from other nations and China may be regarded as its sole ally. While China is generally supportive of Kim Jong-un, North Korea in turn adheres to the One-China policy and supports China in its bid to annex the breakaway island of Taiwan. The two communist states enjoy diplomatic ties and a close relationship exists between the two leaders, Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping.In comparison with western nations, the DPRK is a poverty-stricken country with few resources and is dependent on China for its survival. Its aid to North Korea gives China leverage over the formers nuclear policy. China has, as a responsible Asian power, sought to restrain North Koreas nuclear testing and missile launches as this could destabilise the entire region.The nuclearization of the Korean peninsula is the inevitable outcome of the ever-present conflict between the two Koreas caused by the arbitrary division of the peninsula in 1945. The USA, refusing to recognise North Koreas statehood, looks upon the government of South Korea as the legitimate government of the whole of Korea. Alienated and isolated in the international community, North Korea has retaliated by demonizing America and threatening its very existence with a newly acquired nuclear arsenal.The DPRK, as a rogue state, has made the Korean peninsula into a nuclear flashpoint, igniting fears of a nuclear conflagration that could engulf the eastern hemisphere. In this scenario, China somewhat unexpectedly is seen as a voice of moderation. While the DPRK is distrustful of the USA and South Korea, it is receptive towards Chinese advice in its external affairs. Isozaki Atsuhito writing in The Diplomat on December 23, 2022 identifies China as a key actor in this region who might succeed in restraining North Korea in its nuclear ambitions and halting its weapons testing, including missile launches that have become a source of tension in this volatile region. In conclusion, it may, therefore, be recommended that any diplomatic negotiations in the Korean peninsula be inclusive in nature, and China should be recognised as an important ingredient in any recipe for peace in this region.Source for North Korea-United States relations: WikipediaThe views written are those of the author and the publisher may or may not necessarily agree with them.
