The North Korea nuclear issue: experiences and reflections of an ordinary person

Today is August 29, 2017, Eastern time. At 5 p.m. yesterday, my parents in Hokkaido sent me a message suddenly. I was a little confused because it was August 29, 6 a.m. in Japan. They had just taken part in the Hokkaido Marathon and were on vacation in Sapporo, they shouldn't have got up so early. My mother sent me a screenshot of the phone and asked me what is that mean in Japanese. It was an emergency alert sent by Japanese government: “that there are missiles passing over the sky. Please contact police if you find anything suspicious.” This made me instantly overwhelmed with shock and fear. My first reaction was that my parents' safety was threatened. Fortunately, a few hours later, I received messages that my family is safe. At the same time, I saw news reports that North Korea fires missile over Japan.

The Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is a matter of great concern to me. This issue is a direct threat to the security of China, Japan and South Korea. The threat of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons to the national security are unmatched by conventional weapons. Personally, as a Chinese, there is such a threat on the border of my homeland, I am very concerned about it. Because of the risk of nuclear proliferation, the world order and the security of all mankind are being threatened. Therefore, I think this issue is very important.

As an ordinary man, what I see behind this issue is a political game between super powers. In response to North Korea's military pressure, South Korea needs to maintain a huge army. At the same time the United States will have the excuse to station a large number of troops in Japan and South Korea. The huge US garrison is for the interest of the United States in East Asia to confront China and Russia. One example is the dispute over the deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system. The United States claimed that the deployment of the THAAD in South Korea is aimed at dealing with North Korea's missiles, for the sake of national security for South Korea and the United states. China claimed the THAAD employed in South Korea is to track and intercept missiles launched from China instead of North Korea. This action jeopardize China's legitimate national security interests. No matter what the purpose of the deployment of THAAD system is, it has caused great controversy and debate. Therefore, the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is not only the problem of weapons development of North Korea, but also the interests of the neighboring countries.

For this issue, my concern is how to solve it. It is about the safety of my homeland and the whole East Asia. Even without war, nuclear facilities themselves might threaten the environment. North Korea's nuclear leak might spread the pollution to the whole Korean Peninsula, Northern China and the Sea of Japan. The economic sanctions and military strikes common in public opinion are very low in feasibility. At present, economic sanctions against North Korea have not become effective bargaining chips in the negotiations on the nuclear issue. Military strikes are more uncontrollable and might cause incalculable casualties and losses. The most reliable approach at present is negotiation, but the failure of the six-party talks also makes this approach less feasible. Several remaining options include: strengthen military cooperation of US-ROK and US-Japan, political cooperation of US-China to create sanctions pressure on Pyongyang, and a direct US-DPRK channel. This is one of the most complicated problems in international relation. In order to successfully solve this issue, an effective approach will need to be found. 

 

In conclusion, the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue cannot be resolved in the short term. As time goes on, the strength of North Korea's military will be further strengthened. This not only threatens the interests of the states, but also threatens the lives of countless innocent citizens. For the neighboring countries, this is an important and urgent issue. Surrounding countries should eliminate prejudices and work together to solve this problem.