North Korea

What is up with North Korea?

It was just a few weeks ago that the US announced a breakthrough in negotiations and now the North Korean Government is saying that it didn't agree to international inspections of its nuclear facilities. While the South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan sees this as a prelude to a final agreement, other actions indicate that such an appraisal might be a bit optimistic.

Then there is the question of the South Korean industrial facilities just north of the DMZ (de-militarized zone). The North Korean military has carried out inspections of the some 89 South Korean enterprises that employ a total of 1,900 South Koreans and 35,000 North Koreans. Is this a a prelude to shutting them all down?

On top of this, travel from South Korea is being restricted and the Red Cross office in Panmunjom, North Korea, is being shut down and its telephone lines to South Korea have been terminated.

And, there are reports that travel across the border with China is being restricted. China is a key supporter and supplier of North Korea.

With there being reports that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, may be seriously ill, the fact that the North Korean Military has taken an active role in cutting back contacts and restricting travel may be a grave signal.

One observer noted that Kim Jong-il made three moves over the objections of the military--opening to the South, allowing foreigners on North Korean soil and experimentation with limited capitalistic markets. Now two of the three seem to be slowly going away. Perhaps this is a sign that Kim is slipping and is not expected to recover.

And this is just stuff in the open press.

One commentator has noted that the conditions are being set for a military incident or show of force and has issued a "warning."

Let us hope he is wrong. But, at least we should all recognize, no matter who is in the White House, North Korea has its own agenda and they do not dance to our tune.

Regards -- Cliff