Essay On:
“International Political Happenings in last ten years and its effect“
A hypersonic missile can fly faster than the speed of sound and can be controlled in different directions before it hits a target, making it able to evade most existing weapons defense systems. Sounds pretty cool, right? Not really, especially when your neighbor is firing his second one in four months.
Hypersonic Missile
Just five days into 2022, North Korea fired a hypersonic missile, the second of its kind since September 2021. However, North Korea’s provocations did not end here, as they continued to fire six more missiles consecutively within January.
North Korea tried to justify its actions by saying the missiles had no fatal implications for South Korea since they did not hit the country. However, their justification is absurd as the ICBM and hypersonic missiles launched in January have tremendous destructive power. For this reason, public anxiety in South Korea has skyrocketed and placed the country in a fragile state.
North Korea Launched an Armed Provocation against South Korea
This January was not the first time North Korea launched an armed provocation against South Korea. In the last decade of Kim Jong-un’s reign, North Korea has threatened the South in various ways, including missile launches and nuclear tests.
Owing to the countless efforts of South Korea to improve inter-Korea relations, Kim Jong-un declared a moratorium on nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic rocket tests on April 21, 2018. He announced that nuclear test sites would be scrapped to ensure transparency in the suspension of nuclear tests. Subsequently, he promised gradual denuclearization at the U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore on June 12, and as a result, peace seemed to prevail.
North Korea & South Korea
North Korea seemed quiet as ever, and athletes from both countries at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics demonstrated harmony. However, in May 2019, North Korea broke the peace by resuming missile launches, and ever since, North Korea has continued to commit missile provocations.
South Korea’s stance on the provocations is expected to change under the leadership of Yoon-Seok-yeol. Before the presidential election held in May, the Moon Jae-in administration preferred a peaceful approach to North Korea by pursuing dialogue to encourage the peninsula’s denuclearization.
Under Moon’s administration, no significant countermeasures were taken against the North, although NSC meetings were convened. However, Yun Seok-yeol’s administration has declared that it would take a hardline response to North Korea. Shortly after his election, President Yun collaborated with the United States to fire eight missiles in response to North Korea’s missile launch carried out the day before.
At first glance, it can seem that there is no virtual impact since North Korea’s missile provocation has had no direct implication on South Korea- at least, there have been no casualties. Even though North Korea’s missile provocation is not a problem per se, it implies the possibility of a greater tragedy.
Missiles are, in fact, a show-off; North Korea’s primary weapon is its nuclear weapons. North Korea has been conducting six nuclear tests steadily since 2006, and now it seems that North Korea is currently preparing for its seventh nuclear test.
In June 2018, the North Korean Government declared phased denuclearization through the persistent efforts of the South Korean Government, but it has not sustained its promises. From its standpoint, why would it give up nuclear weapons when it can threaten South Korea and even countries on other continents? North Korea declared in April that it would use nuclear weapons if its fundamental interests were violated. This means that if North and South Korea go to war, it will be a nuclear war. As long as nuclear weapons are involved, it is impossible to rule out the possibility that it could lead to a world war, which is not just a problem for the peninsula. Now that’s pretty scary.
Russian-Ukrainian War
The Russian-Ukrainian war has put the rest of the world in chaos. The war has adversely affected the world’s economy, energy, food, and security. Therefore, with everyone’s eyes on Ukraine and Russia, North Korea could be waiting for a chance to ambush the South. It is a perilous time, and peace is more important than ever.
Final Words
A war between the South and the North is a possibility that should not be ignored. This is especially true for two countries that have remained in a state of frozen conflict for a long time. Regardless of whether the two are unified, there should be no armed war, as it would not just be a political issue but a humanitarian one. South Koreans speak out that the world stays alert rather than turn a blind eye to the Korean peninsula as preventing war is a must for the two countries and the entire world.
By: Hayeon Do
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