Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Sunday, May 5th, 2024

US Pressures on Pyongyang

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US Pressures on Pyongyang

After meeting with Seoul friends, Mr. John Kerry headed towards China, making his first visit to the country in his new role on Saturday afternoon. During his visit he will try his best to convince Beijing officials to use their influence to stop Pyongyang of making the Korean Peninsula tenser and scale back bellicose rhetoric.

Before boarding to China, he said that China had unique ability to use its leverage against the impoverished and isolated country as North Korea’s main trading partner, financial backer and close diplomatic relation.

"China has an enormous ability to help make a difference here, and I hope that in our conversations when I get there that we'll be able to lay out a path ahead that can defuse this tension," Mr. Kerry said.

"There is no group of leaders on the face of the planet who have more capacity to make a difference in this than the Chinese, and everybody knows it, including, I believe, them," he continued.

He met Mr. President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Keqiang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, China's top diplomat. After meeting with Chinese diplomats he set off to Tokoyo aiming to strong message for

North Korea that embarking to missile launch against of its allies would be suicide. At the same time he wants to convey this message to American allies that the US will stand beside them.

"They want to see us try to reach an amicable resolution to this," Kerry said.

"But you have to begin with a reality, and the reality is that if your policy is denuclearization – and it is theirs as it is ours as it is everybody's except the North's at this moment – if that's your policy, you've got to put some teeth into it."

Beijing has been reluctant to apply pressure on Pyongyang, fearing the instability that could result from the action; if the North were to implode and send floods of refugees into China.

Kerry, who arrived in China early on Saturday, told reporters in Seoul that if North Korea's 30-year-old leader went ahead with the launch of a medium-range missile, he would be making "a huge mistake."

His visit coincided with preparations for Monday's anniversary of North Korean state founder Kim Il-Sung's birth, a possible pretext for a show of strength.

There is no doubt that China has significant and visible economic and political influence on North Korea, but the question is, “Does it want to use them to curb the ambition of its close ally in the region and pave the way for US and South Korea political maneuver? As John Kerry mentioned, the US wants China to play this role and do its responsibility. 

His visit and meetings with Top Beijing officials also concentrated largely on the notion how to convince them to play greater role in Pyongyang’s aggressive rhetoric which has largely affected and worried its neighbors. For instance, Japan set its patriot on alarm, mindful of possible missile launch by North Korea. However, according to reports, South Korean civilians do not give much importance to these warnings from ‘once upon time step-brother’, but the government is closely watching out the military movements. Days ago, it announced that Pyongyang moved two of medium ranged missile near the border of both countries. However, such movements are largely interpreted as effort for Kim Jung Un, the supreme leader of the country, who inherited the leadership from his father, Kim Jung ill, to strengthen his status among people and power centers.

There are three main power holders in the country: military, Communist Party and the administration. Kim Jung Un who flied to the top stage of power needs mobilization and strengthening of his status among communist party leaders and military generals. It is said that after the death of Kim Jung ill, it takes time that people and power holders accept him as true occupant of his father’s position.

If the aim was strengthening of his status in the country, no doubt, the mission seems accomplished at least in the short term. There is no fear of uprising from military generals against him. Since the very

beginning of tension, state-run media only release his speeches and orders. And what the rest of the world hears also are his remarks and statements.  The situation looks as if he is the only person who

speaks on the behalf of the entire nation and nobody dares to challenge.

In terms of foreign policies, one thing has completely worried neighbors and the United States.  That is that there rare information about attitude, notion and psychology of the new leader.  What if he

decides to launch a missile toward South Korea or the United States?

This issue has sparked worries across the globe. What if his brinkmanship with its neighbors set the globe on uncontrollable situation? What if he decides to launch a missile attack to South Korea or Guam Island of the US? What if the Pyongyang has achieved the technology to put nuclear warhead on its missile which has become far complicated? These questions are really

worrisome. Considering that it in the case of war it gets defeated, but how much would be the consequence of war in peninsula? So, what if China says no and asks instead Obama should pick up the phone and call Mr. Kim Jung Un to prevent a sudden war?

The current situation shows that none of the sides is ready for such a move but it si expected from all sides to think about detrimental effects of war.

Masood Korosh is the permanent writer of Daily Outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at outlookafghanistan@gmail.com

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