Blog 6 – N. Korea Continues Nuclear Program
A recent article by CNN journalists Josh Levs and
Jethro Mullen says that UN sanctions will “bite” after North Korea threatens
nuclear attack. The U.N. Security Council unanimously
passed tougher sanctions against North Korea targeting the nation's nuclear
program, hours after Pyongyang threatened a possible preemptive nuclear attack.
The threat of possible nuclear attack
came after the United States and South Korea began a two month joint exercises,
known as Foal Eagle. North Korea sees the training exercises as a threat and
something that justifies a preemptive nuclear attack, but South Korea urges
Pyongyang that the drills are defensive in nature.
What
effects will these sanctions have on North Korea? The sanction’s specific
actions are to cut not only funding for North Korea’s nuclear weapons testing,
but block the sale of luxury goods (such as yachts and certain high-end jewelry.
This suggests punishing North Korea’s elite class, who continue to fund nuclear
testing while the rest of North Korean society lives in poverty. Perhaps this
will provide incentive to halt nuclear testing in North Korea. Many say that
these sanctions will do little, since China continues to fund North Korea’s
economy. The elite class of North Korea could care less about the living
conditions of its people as long as there is still outside funding for its
economy and military.
Clyde Lovelady
Blog 6
3/7/2013
1:48 pm
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