North Korean threat an American creation

It would appear the damn “commies” are at it again! Yes, this is sarcasm. Over the past two weeks, The Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK) has been in the news virtually every day. If you have listened to the news, you would think we were in the midst of the cold war, or on the brink of nuclear disaster.

Before everyone decides to purchase their own personal fallout shelters, people should take a step back and examine the entirety of the situation in North Korea; the threat of the nation is largely constructed.

Last year, shortly after the death of Kim Jong-Il, it became evident that the west knows very little about North Korea. This remains true today. Despite a great deal of time and a new leader, the West has failed to create new relations with the nation, and continues to remain ignorant.

Although we know basically nothing about the nation, everyone knows one thing: North Korea is the world’s biggest threat to democracy — or so the United States of America would like to have us all believe. I would suggest, however, that this is far from true. While North Korea has had nuclear capabilities for many years now, they have yet to actually use them as weapons of mass destruction.

Despite this, when it was first discovered that the DPRK possessed nuclear weapons it was suggested they would use them immediately. Likewise, some would suggest that the ending of the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War is akin to a declaration of war.

While North Korea stated that the nation “is not restrained by the North-South declaration on non-aggression,” it does not mean they will attack immediately. Rather, the nation is simply withdrawing from a resolution that punished the DPRK.

It has become a guarantee that any time North Korea takes any action, whether it be foreign relations with virtually any nation or military mobilization, the American media will blow such an event out of proportion.

The U.S is attempting to create another Soviet Union, a nation that people will fear without question.    Perhaps this constructed threat was most readily apparent early last week after a number of computer networks failed within South Korea and North Korea was immediately suspected. Despite issuing no statement of intent or taking responsibility for the “cyber-attacks,” fingers were pointed to the north.

While it is entirely possible that North Korea was behind the supposed attack, to suggest so immediately and with no evidence, suggests that  the U. S and South Korea simply wish to construct an enemy.

It is unclear whether the media or the government is responsible for creating the image of North Korea as a threat. Regardless, it is not constructive. Attempting to convince the entire world that we are continually on the brink of nuclear war has already been done. If the U. S hopes to create an apocalyptic scenario again, they could at least come up with an original plot.

Maybe I am simply a Communist sympathizer. Perhaps Joseph McCarthy would have added me to his list. But, much like McCarthy, the threat of the DPRK is largely imagined.
letters@thecord.ca