World Geography
Unit #10 East Asia
North Korea Like Father, Like Son?
By Patricia Smith
Kim Jong Un has promised to follow his father’s “military first” policy. (KCNA / Xinhua Press / Corbis)
After the death of a longtime dictator, North Korea—and its nuclear weapons—are in the hands of a 20-something
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With its nuclear weapons, mysterious cult-like society, and a state-run economy that doesn’t produce enough food to feed its starving population, North Korea has long been viewed with alarm by its neighbors as well as the U.S. and its allies.
The situation became even more troubling when North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong Il, died in December. His youngest son, Kim Jong Un, promptly assumed power. Because North Korea is so secretive, virtually nothing is known about the new ruler, who is thought to be in his late 20s. The world didn’t even know what the younger Kim looked like until 2010, when his father began grooming him to take over.
North Korea has a long history of aggression that is of great concern to South Korea and the U.S., its ally. In 2010, for instance, the North sank a South Korean naval vessel, killing 46 sailors, and fired on a South Korean island.
Then there is North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Repeated attempts by the U.S. and the United Nations (U.N.) to negotiate an end to the program have failed. Last January, then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates called it a “direct threat” and predicted that nuclear missiles from the North would be able to strike the U.S. within five years.
Kim Jong Un has vowed to continue his father’s “military first” policy. Some observers say that the untested new ruler is not completely accepted by the North Korean military, and there is no telling what he might do to show that he’s really in charge.
“We’re entering a period that is especially dangerous,” says Jim Walsh, a North Korea expert at M.I.T. “Here is a young leader who may be mistrusted by the military, and he has to prove himself. And that can lead to miscalculation and inadvertent war.”
WHAT LIES AHEAD?
North and South Korea emerged as separate countries at the end of World War II (1939-1945). The North, led by Kim Il Sung (Kim Jong Il’s father), set up a Communist government backed by the Soviet Union and China. The U.S. allied itself with South Korea, and the tense standoff became one of the first conflicts of the Cold War.
In 1950, North Korea invaded the South, and U.S. and U.N. forces came to South Korea’s defense. The Korean War ended in a bitter stalemate in 1953 with nearly 4 million armed forces and civilians killed, wounded, or missing. About 37,000 U.S. soldiers had died. An armistice established a “demilitarized zone” (DMZ) at the 38th latitude (see map). Since then, North and South Korean troops have continued to view each other with suspicion across this border.
Under Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, North Korea became a repressive, isolated country. Decades of a state-controlled economy have proved disastrous to its people.
Today, about three quarters of the country’s factories sit idle. There are almost no cars on the roads, and electricity is turned off in much of the nation at night. In the 1990s, a series of droughts and floods led to massive crop failures, and up to 2 million people died of starvation.
North Korea is perhaps the most authoritarian country in the world—and the most bizarre. Punishment for watching foreign films or TV shows is stiff. Someone caught watching a Jackie Chan movie, for example, could get up to six months in a labor camp. A former soccer coach told reporters that players were rewarded with apartments if they did well, but could be sent to coal mines if they lost.
In addition to being cut off from the outside world, North Koreans are bombarded with misinformation. Homes are equipped with loudspeakers that blare state sponsored propaganda all day long.
What lies ahead for North Korea under Kim Jong Un? There’s real concern that he could launch an attack on South Korea, where 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed. That raises the possibility of an even larger conflict involving Japan or China, North Korea’s ally.
With North Korea, the best strategy may be to expect the unexpected. “Anyone who tells you they [know] what is going to happen,” says a former American military leader, “is either lying or deceiving himself.”
Review Questions
1.North Korea has long been viewed with ______by its neighbors as well as the U.S. and its allies.
2.Because North Korea is so secretive, virtually nothing is known about the new ruler ______.
3.North Korea has a long history of ______.
4.Kim Jong Un has vowed to continue his father’s “______” policy.
5.In 1950, North Korea invaded ______.
6.Under ______and ______, North Korea became a repressive, isolated country.
7.Today, about three quarters of the country’s ______sit idle.
8.a series of droughts and floods led to ______, and up to 2 million people died of starvation.
9.Someone caught watching a ______movie, for example, could get up to six months in a labor camp.
10.With North Korea, the best strategy may be to expect the ______.