K-pop is set to blast into North Korea once more as bizarre tactics ratchet up tensions on the peninsula. We explore what’s behind this “tit-for-tat” in an Explainer updated from earlier this year.
In these Explainers, journey with us to far-flung regions to understand the tensions shaping our world.Ping! Emergency phone alerts are not unusual in South Korea, but this one certainly caught the eye. “A North Korean waste balloon was discovered in Ansan,” it read, warning citizens of a city southwest of the capital, Seoul, to steer clear of what may have been a very unpleasant payload.
Yet North Korea’s regime has proven very successful in one crucial area – keeping an iron grip on power. The Kim family dynasty, now headed by Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, spruiks a largely fictional account of its quasi-religious origins while hammering home an omnipresent threat of war to its 26 million people.
What of the routinely expressed opinion that Kim would not go to war because he “knows” Washington and Seoul would destroy his regime if he did? “If this is what policymakers are thinking, it is the result of a fundamental misreading of Kim’s view of history and a grievous failure of imagination that could be leading to a disaster.
Western popular culture, especially from affluent South Korea, continues to leak into the North. Hence, Kim’s shift in tone is “more a way to take South Korea out of the North Korean mindset”, says Graham. “Behind all this is really an attempt to carve out a more independent identity for North Korea.”Living standards remain appalling by Western measures. Food shortages are unsurprising. Personal car use is rare.
Before she fled , defector Jihyun Park feared sharing anything critical of the regime. “It could be that I thought this person was my best friend, but my best friend will report me if I say something wrong.” A UN panel of experts in 2018 reported North Korean financial brokers were operating freely in five countries, chief among them China and Russia, and engaged in “illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products, as well as through transfers of coal at sea”. North Korea is also believed to hold vast reserves of untapped minerals such as the rare earth metals, copper and graphite essential for electrification and high-tech products such as smartphones.
But even as the Soviets and Americans prepared to withdraw their World War II forces, conflict was simmering on the peninsula. Kim Il-sung, convinced war was necessary for reunification, lobbied Stalin and China’s then-leader, Mao, for approval to invade the south. “Long story short,” says Daniel Pieper, “the Soviets gave their tacit approval and materiel support whereas the Chinese devoted, if needed, boots on the ground. But it was Kim Il-sung, ultimately, that ordered the attack.
Among Kim Jong-il’s other skills was said to be his golfing prowess: the first time he picked up a club, so the story goes, he shot a world record round of 34, including 11 holes in one . The truth appears to be that in 1994 an Australian journalist, Eric Ellis, on a visit to North Korea happened to ask an employee at the country’s only golf club if the “dear leaders” had ever played the noble sport.
Kirby says the most widespread breaches of human rights were the abuses of people’s dignity. “They could only have one side of any issue presented to them,” he says. “They were obliged as children to participate in mass games honouring the Kim family, and they did not have access to newspapers, to television.”
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why North Korea is dropping balloons full of rubbish, excrement and even nappies on South KoreaThe balloon dropping is an old-school Cold-War style provocation that has rarely been used in recent years.
Read more »
North Korea sends hundreds of more trash-carrying balloons to South KoreaThe balloons carried cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste paper and vinyl, but no dangerous substances were included.
Read more »
Why is North Korea sending trash balloons into the South?K-pop is set to blast into North Korea once more as bizarre tactics ratchet up tensions on the peninsula. We explore what’s behind this “tit-for-tat” in an Explainer updated from earlier this year.
Read more »
South Korea restarts anti-North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts in retaliation for rubbish balloonsThe move is certain to anger Pyongyang and could trigger retaliatory military steps as tensions between the war-divided rivals rise.
Read more »
South Korea suspends inter-Korean military pact in response to North Korea's garbage balloonsSouth Korea's military on Tuesday said it would resume all military activities along the demarcation line separating the two Koreas.
Read more »
North Korea dumps balloons full of garbage on South KoreaIt's one of the reclusive regime's most bizarre provocations against its rival neighbour in years.
Read more »