200 reasons why North Korea declaring war is nothing new
Donald Kirk says it’s worth remembering, amid all the tension, that Pyongyang has cried wolf many times in the past 20 years, and perhaps it’s now worth considering long-term peace solutions
North Korea threatens to shoot down US warplanes, even outside its airspace
Ri added, however, one touch that makes this declaration a matter of concern. By declaring North Korea was now ready to fire on US aircraft beyond its territory, he opened up the possibility of a strike and counterstrike.
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Interestingly, Korea Institute for National Unification senior fellow Park Jong-chul holds out hope of a “a two-track approach for resolving the problem of a nuclear North”. The objective would be a “nuclear-free Korean peninsula, settlement of permanent peace, formation of a single inter-Korean market, an inclusive democratic society”.
It’s hard to take such talk too seriously as Kim and Trump call each other names.
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Still, there’s no harm in considering how peace might be possible. Park advocates “multiple negotiation processes related to denuclearisation” including both sanctions and dialogue.
Why not talk of“building a peace regime”, “normalising North Korea’s relations with the US and Japan” and “enhancing economic and security cooperation in North Asia”? How about “setting up a road map for denuclearisation and peace-building”?
The trouble with these ideas is that Kim will not tolerate any deal that calls for him to abandon his nuclear and missile programme. But it may still be possible, after this crisis and the next after that, to get into negotiations. On the way, however, expect more North Korean declarations of war.
Donald Kirk is the author of three books and numerous articles on Korea