With its launch of a rocket this week, North Korea has shown that little has changed under the regime of Kim Jong-un. The young leader of the “Hermit Kingdom” is proving to be no different from his father Kim Jong-il, or his grandfather, Kim Il-sung.

The Kim dynasty is bent on keeping North Korea not only isolated and militarized but also, worst of all, aggressive.

This is a shame because Kim Jong-un had initially given the world the impression that he would be a reformist who was ready to normalize his country’s relations with the community of nations. He had even given a more humane face to North Korean leadership by being seen in public with his wife, who appears to be a charming woman possessing an easy grace who had the potential to win over global media.

Instead, the incumbent leader who inherited his seat ordered the launching of a rocket-borne missile despite protests from numerous countries, the Philippines included.

What little goodwill Kim Jong-un had when he officially became leader of his nation was quickly dissipated by the ill-advised rocket launch. Whoever believed that he would focus on the economic development of his impoverished nation will have to face the reality that the three generations of Kims to have ruled the communist country have but one mindset—be prepared for war despite the total lack of an imminent threat against the country.

Their reason for keeping North Korea militarized is to make sure the hungry and discontented population is always in fear of the might of the regime. And launching rockets to fire missiles dramatizes the power of the regime and its military. This, they believe, feeds the nationalist and martial spirit of the generals and the soldiery as well as their families. These people are the only North Koreans who are more or less happy with the way things are in their country. The rest of the population would rebel if could only see a chance of winning against their tyrannical military rulers.

No wonder then that this country has few friends in the community of nations. Few are willing to send them aid every time they face natural or man-made calamities. Their centralized economy is an abject failure, and food shortages are commonplace. Yet there is no beeline to help them because the country continues to act like a bully with a chip on his shoulder. The country seems to think that the world owes them assistance every time their crops fail causing widespread hunger, which is often.

The most worrisome thing about the North Korean rocket launch is what happens next. Will the country attempt to detonate a nuclear device if only to show the rest of the world that they can bomb any country they consider their enemy?

North Korea did not care that parts of their rocket would likely fall over Philippine territory, potentially endangering the lives of Filipino citizens or causing damage to property.

What could have been
Some historians will say that General Douglas MacArthur was right when he said that the UN-sanctioned allied forces under his command—which included a contingent from the Philippines—that fought in the Korean War in the early ‘50s should have crossed the border and headed straight to the heart of North Korea. And when China decided to add “volunteer” combat troops of the People’s Liberation Army to its aid package for Kim Il-sung, MacArthur even made noises about using the bomb north of the Yalu River.

But those plans were thwarted by then US President Harry S. Truman, who summarily dismissed the World War II hero when he saw him acting like the ruler of the Asian part of the “American empire.”

But what if the plan to end the Korean War by invading and conquering the north had pushed through? Would there be a single Republic of Korea today? If so, that one Korea would very likely be as progressive as today’s South Korea. (And perhaps the silliness that is the global phenomenon known as the “Gangnam Style” would not have been born.)

The great fear back then was that China would have entered the fray by defending North Korea more actively, and World War III would have followed.

Since then, China has been the one true ally of Pyongyang in this part of the world, although there are indications that Beijing has now grown tired of all the provocations from the north.

North Korea may not accept it, but it is in the best interest of China that peace be maintained in the region. Peace boosts the Chinese Communist Party’s effort to keep the economy growing. Continuous economic success would allow China to continue improving its military capabilities and overtake the United States as the primary superpower sooner than 200 years from now. And it would make it possible to improve the quality of life of the majority of its people who have been left behind and are not basking in the wealth of the coastal cities and provinces of market-economy China. The vast amount of aid the People’s Republic gives North Korea could immediately solve some of the poverty problems in China’s interior provinces.

North Korea’s military and political leaders do not seem to accept that it is their job to uplift the
lot of their citizens. Their only concern is to keep their hold on power, regardless of the cost.

Meanwhile, North Korea’s twin brother to the south has become one of the world’s greatest success stories. Extreme poverty has almost disappeared in South Korea.

South Koreans enjoy a high standard of living. Their country is now one of the world’s leading and most stable economies. In 2010, South Korea hosted the G-20 Summit of the globe’s 20 leading economies. The first non-G8 nation to do so. It is well on the way to First World status.

Clearly, the majority of North Koreans have been a sad and pitiful people. They will continue to be so under their present rulers.