IN VIEW
THAAD & Nuclear Threats?
matters are handled within the Kim
family and it questions his legitimacy
as leader of the Communist Party. A
most disgraceful turn of family affairs,
as if the killing of his uncle and the
exile of his brother was not enough,
the deceased lost all human dignity
lying unclaimed and unofficially
identified for weeks in a Malaysian
morgue. The fear of reprisal being
ever present the deceased’s next
of kin dared not come forward for
weeks until a clandestine meeting
was arranged by Malaysian police.
The North Korean government
are denying that the death of Kim
Jong Un had anything to do with
their leader and have consequently
fallen out with Malaysia, their only
other ally in the region. Furthermore
they have detained 11 Malaysian
diplomats and their families in a spat
over who should claim the body,
an unprecedented disregard for
diplomatic immunity. Subsequently,
Malaysia released the body to N.
Korea. What Is Kim Jong Un thinking
by pursuing this isolationist policy?
Political analysts in Asia describe it
as, a panic killing, signaling to the
rest of the world that his leadership
is unchallenged and only the family
can touch him as a member of the
Kim ruling family. Malaysia was
suitable as it was the least risky place
for an assassination politically. This
killing is a message to potential
defectors of N. Korea who use
Malaysia as a transit point into S.
Korea. Kim Jong Un is in the final
stage of consolidating his power
but is it a sign of Political instability
in North Korea? Why is Kim Jong-un
so insecure to still be using violence
to control the nation? The silence
in North Korea may not necessarily
mean consent. If these allegations
are true this would mark Kim Jong
Un, not only as a terrorist dictator
but as an instigator of war in the
region. It is equally interesting that
the defection of former N. Korean
Deputy Ambassador to London,
Thae Yong Ho has not been
mentioned or reported in N. Korean
news. He defected to South Korea in
2016.
h tt p : / / w w w. a r i r a n g . c o m / p l a y e r / c l i p s .
asp?vSeq=123151
Squabbling Neighbours
Tensions are at an all time high
between Japan and S.Korea over
a long standing and sensitive issue
of the Korean Comfort women (sex
slaves) abducted by the Japanese
Army and forced into prostitution
during the second world war.
The issue is in deadlock after Tokyo
recalled its Ambassador to S. Korea
when an organization supporting
the issue of Comfort women in
S.Korea placed a statue outside a
Japanese Embassy in Busan. Japan
feels this issue was resolved in past
legislature where an agreement
and settlement for compensation
of the remaining women was made.
The comfort women support group
do not recognise this agreement
as it was not negotiated with any
consultation with the victims or their
families. They feel it is not about
monetary compensation but more
to do with the fact that Japan has
never publicly, apologised sincerely,
for their actions and have further
added insult to injury by excluding
it from their history. Were it not for
recent developments, contemporary
Japanese would be ignorant of this
episode of their history. Further
adding to tensions Japan has
recently published school textbooks
that claim Dokdo Island as Japanese
territory; the Koreans see this as
really throwing down the gauntlet as
they claim the islands going back to
ancient times.
Meanwhile
the
Japanese
Government
faces
public
demonstrations against its decision
to send it SDF to join S.Korea and the
United States military in preemptive
exercises in case things escalate with
North Korea.
http://www.arirang.com/News/News_View.
asp?nseq=202227
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-
asia-38526914
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liancourt_Rocks
Political Tension in S. Korea
S. Korean president Park Geun
Hae, has just been impeached and
they are embroiled in Geopolitical
struggles within the region with no
President at the helm; they are in
the throws of of their presidential
primaries and it remains to be seen
who emerges as the new president
and where the new leadership will
take them as the former president
now faces criminal prosecution
on 13 counts of bribery and abuse
of the executive power. Japan
anxiously awaits a new president
in S.Korea to reopen diplomatic
negotiations especially as they now
have a common enemy on their
doorstep with nuclear weapons. p
April - June 2017
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