North Korea: Nuclear Crisis

The documentary we watched on North Korea provided an small glimpse into both sides of the North Korean situation. On one hand, it showed the poverty that pervades North Koreans. The people are malnourished and have no jobs. They are under the strictest regulations and have very few freedoms.

On the other hand, North Koreans seem to rally under several commonalities. They have a fear of external nations, more specifically, the U.S., invading their country. They fear military action and nuclear war. Whether this is something the people have decided for themselves or the government pressured this notion through propaganda, the people thrive off of the pride and national identity that their hermit-like existence brings. The people also perform grand ceremonies to celebrate their leader and cry in the streets when he dies. This is all a big show but it's hard to tell if it's really all shallow or means something to the North Koreans.

The interviews with Kim and visits to North Korea reveal little if anything about the conditions in North Korea. Interviewers had only Kim's favorite hobbies, fashion sense, and drink of choice to report on. These are the shallowest observations and reveal absolutely nothing about the real North Korea. I think we all know this already. The thing that bothers me is that at the time, the visits of Jimmy Carter and Madeline Albright seemed like progress in relations with North Korea. And yet, they returned with news of nothing. How did that happen? The best guess I have is that Kim paid them off or offered free nuclear arms trade or promised to never release nuclear power on the U.S. What did they really see and why aren't they telling us the truth?

The country is impossible to get into so there is little known about what the people actually live like and thus no way to tell if the nuclear threat is something for us to worry about. The documentary confused me even more than it gave me knowledge about North Korea. It's no wonder the U.S. has no idea what it will do with the situation. On one hand, peace with the nation would be ideal but on the other hand, they seem not to want to concede anything to the U.S. or even talk. The U.S. needs to make great concession as well, especially with regards to nuclear power aimed back at Korea and troops stationed in South Korea ready to strike at the north. So, with so much at stake for each side and no one ready to budge first, will anything ever get done?