Text Fwd: Reasons for Progressives to Oppose North Korean Nuclear Armament

Below was the speech by Gwang Eun, Choi, Representative, Socialist Party, South Korea, during the 64th World Conferences against A- and H-Bombs in Hiroshima, from Aug. 3 to Aug. 7. The writing does not necessarily reflects the opinion of this blogger.

Reasons for Progressives to Oppose North Korean Nuclear Armament
- In Support of Universal Pacifism and Antinuclear Universalism

Gwang Eun Choi / Representative, Socialist Party (South Korea)

Second Nuclear Experiment and Missile Launch of North Korea

The 64th World Conferences against A- and H-Bombs has the subject of 'Northeast Asian Security and Denuclearization.' The biggest concern, when discussing the Northeast Asian security, will undoubtedly be the North Korean nuclear armament. The second nuclear experiment of North Korea that was carried out on May 25th morning, as well as the succeeding missile launches, has severely aggravated the unpredictability of the Northeast Asain security. North Korea repeatedly claimed that the May nuclear experiment has been performed “to consolidate the self-defensive nuclear control”, and that it will secure the autonomy of the nation as well as contributing to the peace and safety of the region including the Korean Peninsula, which is too doubtful.

On May 26th, the day after the experiment, North Korea held the immensely scaled 'Pyongyang People's Rally of Celebrating the Successful Nuclear Test', which has shown that the experiment had not only an effect of outward ostentation but also functioned to strengthen the internal unity. Notably this second experiment is quite different from the first one of 2006 in terms of denuclearization. Back then that was the whole point, the country open to communication and negotiation in quest of denuclearization, while this time the 'consolidation of nuclear control' is highly accentuated and denuclearization is not even mentioned.

In the background of North Korean nuclear experiment is surely the well-known hostile USA-NK relation, but since the North-South Korean relationship is also playing a certain role here, and for that this relationship has been further worsened during the Lee Myung-Bak administration, the discussion needs to expand to include the behavior of South Korean government so far.

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