Monday, December 16, 2013
In North Korea, Water Is Thicker Than Blood
The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, is making headlines again for ordering the execution of his uncle, Jang Song Thaek. Thaek was not a direct blood relative to Un, only connected through marriage. Thaek, until recently, was considered to be a very powerful figure in North Korea. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is quite worried by these recent events, warning that the execution is an "ominous sign" of instability and danger. Of course, many Americans already know the situation in North Korea is unstable and potentially dangerous, but this execution of Un's own relative is even more unsettling. Un is showing he will not hesitate to kill those who threaten his power, no matter who they might be.
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Personally, I'm not sure what to think about the situation in North Korea. On the one hand, it is important that we remove North Korea as a nuclear power. While I'm not in favor or nuclear warfare, I'm especially against a leader who is, "spontaneous, erratic, (and) still worried about his place in the power structure," having access to such powerful weaponry. However, I think I would need to learn more about the situation. In response to the part of the article about Levinson, I know very little about the matter. However, if Kerry saysthe government is working to find him, then I believe it.
ReplyDeleteKim Jong Un, from my understanding is simply a carbon copy of Kim Jong Il. If that is the case, we will probably see a lot of this brinksmanship in the future. It is deeply disconcerting that somebody this spontaneous would be in command of nuclear weapons, but I do not see what we can do outside of invest in better missile defense technology. Moreover, we need to do what we can in order to secure Levinson’s safe return to the U.S. While any time is too much time to spend a prisoner, he is now the longest held hostage in American history—it is time he returned home.
ReplyDeleteComing from the previously posted article, I wonder if psychologists could diagnose Kim Jung Un with a mental illness... Anyway, I'm not in favor of outside countries deciding whether another country should have nuclear weapons, but the situation in North Korea is a little bit terrifying. The fact that such a volatile character has access to nuclear weapons is a cause for concern and I really hope nothing ever becomes of it. As far as the missing CIA agent, I don't think the United States would just leave him there. But I wonder whether he will return home within the next couple months now that his "missingness" is a headline and the government has to save face.
ReplyDeleteI think Kim Jong Un is too young and too spontaneous to be in power. He is trying to assert his dominance, and the ordering of the execution of his uncle is one way he is doing that. I'm sure if this kind of behavior continues, it will only further add to North Korea's instability. I'm not sure what to expect over the next several years, hopefully nothing nuclear. I have faith that the government is doing everything it can to ensure Levinson's safe and speedy return.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Levinson is screwed. Sorry for the bad attitude, but if Kim Jong Un is psycho enough to execute his uncle, our CIA agent is toast. North Korea may be the scariest place on earth; we need to take them out. We must take away their nuclear weapons. With Kim's irrational decision making, the rest of the world is at risk of survival.
ReplyDeleteKim Jong Un is the equivalent to Donald Trump, something happens to him when he is not constantly in the news. He is a spoiled, childish man who inherited his role as dictator. Also, I have total confidence in the United States government to go get our boy behind enemy lines. We've done it before and we will do it again.
ReplyDeleteKim Jong Un is obviously very reckless, as we can see from all those deaths he put the orders out for. The killing of his uncle disturbs me especially because not only was the man family, but also the advisor who helped Kim Jong Un into power. This is not a man who should have access to nuclear weapons, and in my opinion no one should have them. As for the Levinson situation, I don’t know what to think because there isn’t much there. I guess we just have to trust that the government is doing everything they can to get him back.
ReplyDeleteI can't help wondering how government officials in North Korea felt about the execution of Kim's uncle. It must be pretty terrifying working under someone that power-hungry or paranoid. Possibly, Kim's recklessness could lose him political support (quietly, of course) although it seems like he and whoever is close to him have a pretty firm hold on the country. On the Levinson issue, it seems like we don't have a lot of information, and we might just need to leave the process of getting him back to the government and military.
ReplyDelete"We" (not just the US), cannot afford to ignore Kim Jong Un's violent actions. He is endangering his neighbors with instability and the world with his nuclear testing and potential use of a nuclear warhead. He's a world tyrant in the making and we have an opportunity to prevent something big. How I'm not sure. I doubt we could inspire his people to turn against him and ultimately liberate themselves. They're brainwashed to contentment. He acts like a young foolish sociopath who over time may be a violent old psychopath
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