North Korea is often referred to as ‘rogue state’ in international media.Arguably the world’s most isolated country, North Korea, has grabbed headlines without being an economic powerhouse or a war-torn state. Why? – For a simple reason that the country is ambitiously pursuing development of nuclear arsenal that poses threat to global peace. Let’s know some basic facts about ongoing North Korea issue.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as it officially recognized, shares international border with such powers as China, Russia and South Korea. Kim II-sung was the first leader of the socialist state and the control passed on to his dynasty with Kim Jong-un as the present head, often called the Supreme Leader. Although in its official name, the country boasts of being a democratic republic, this doesn’t hold true on ground as the Kim Dynasty rule has deprived the citizens of any meaningful participation in election of the head of the state, though the legislative body constitutes of representatives voted in by citizens.
The cult of the ruling dynasty is such that the previous two leaders, Kim II-sung and Kim Jong-II, are regarded as God-like figures in the country, to an extent that their dead bodies have been preserved by the state through the process of embalming which keeps the body from decomposition. Such an honour for a dead leader is rare anywhere in the world, with Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh and Russia’s Lenin being the other preserved personalities.
North Korea signed an armistice treaty with its economically-superior neighbour South Korea in 1953 after the end of the 3-year long Korean War. This was followed with North Korea taking on the socialist path with much of power resting in the state. The economy never developed to its true potential, as against South Korea, which subscribed to the capitalist ideology. In the ensuing years, the south embarked on a growth journey that made it one of the formidable economies in Asia; while the north continued to pursue self-sufficiency, thereby never participating in the globalisation wave.
Cut to 2006. North Korea made an announcement that the country has developed nuclear warheads and a successful test was conducted under the leadership of Kim Jong-II.Although the world was taken by surprise and most countries condemned the acquisition of nuclear technology by North Korea, this did not deter Kim Jong-un, successor to Kim Jong-II, from producing and testing many more nuclear warheads that is said to include a missile which can reach as far as the United States.
In 2018, US President Donald Trump held a highly publicized summit with Kim Jong-un in Singapore to reach a deal. It was reported that the North Korean leader has committed to an end of country’s nuclear ambitions so that the sanctions imposed by the US could be lifted. Leaders across Asia and other parts of world lauded the developments; however, the progress on these commitments has been agonizingly slow. The second Trump-Kim summit in 2019, held in Vietnam, was widely covered by international press but a positive conclusion could not be achieved.
We will have to wait and see what happens next. Till then, North Korea- an isolated, rogue country in Asia- remains a dreaded nuclear power.
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