North korea shells Yeonpyong Island leaving the whole world with a dilemma

30th November 2010

With North Korea destabilising diplomatic relations in South East Asia, the news that they have shelled Yeonpyong, a small island in the Yellow Sea, killing 4 people (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11861539), only adds to the dilemma that is mounting on the international political stage; what to do about North Korea.

China is reported to be growing weary with their allies, according to Wikileaks, so it would appear that the momentum is mounting against North Korea. If it fires more shells or boasts too highly about its modern uranium enrichment it could find itself on the end of a significant response from the international community. A response that could result in the end of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

However, considering this, maybe it is North Korea that faces the real dilemma at this juncture. Do they continue to draw international condemnation, or modernise and liberalise their stance on relations with their neighbours. Their state-controlled KCNA news agency seems to be fixated on the thought of Japanese expansionism with Japanese claims on land currently under the sovereignty of China & Russia. Maybe, then, it is fear that makes them so reactive to the presence of US-South Korean military operations in the Yellow Sea, more than 70 miles south of the disputed maritime border between North & South Korea.

That said, and knowing North Korea's readiness to respond unpredictably, why were the military operations conducted so close to a disputed border in the first place. The reality, though, is that North Korea would have been better off simply ignoring the whole incident and focusing on evolving into a free and genuinely democratic socialist state. If it could do that and keep its people happy, open its borders and flaunt some level of prosperity and development then the world would take them far more seriously than it would ever do as a result of shelling tiny islands.