North Korea's Newest Threat

North Korea wants an apology.

The Financial Times calls it – “diplomatic brinkmanship”

North Korea’s Leader Kim Jong-il says he’s going to start his nuclear program unless the United Nations lifts sanctions and apologizes for their condemnation of a North Korean rocket launch on April 5th.

The Korea Times looks at it this way…

“It's safe to say that the North's nuclear blackmail has no parallel in history. The impoverished communist state has continued to play its nuclear card since it created its first nuclear crisis in 1993.” (Korea Times)

That said, North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency pushed for an apology from the United Nations Security Council.

“Such sanctions can never work on the DPRK… [An apology] is the only way for [the Security Council] to regain confidence of the UN member nations and fulfill its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, not serving as a tool for the U.S. highhanded and arbitrary practices any longer.” (KCNA)

The New York Times says threats are a familiar way North Korea gets attention.

“Since his reported stroke in August, North Korea’s leader… seems to have shifted his priority to demonstrating leadership… the best way to do so, is to highlight the one achievement Mr. Kim can boast of: his nuclear and missile programs.” (New York Times)

So what can North Korea actually produce? France24 gives this assessment…

“Experts said North Korea, which has enough missile material for six to eight nuclear bombs, wants to separate plutonium from spent fuel rods cooling at the plant that could yield it enough material for at least one more nuclear bomb.” (France 24)

FOX News shares another possible explanation for North Korea’s behavior.

“North Koreans complained bitterly about that UN resolution when it was first passed; everybody ignored them, so now, like the six year old child who doesn’t get a response when he screams, is just screaming louder.” (FOX News)