North Korea Has recently acquired nuclear weapons… …and con4nues to make threats of war
North Korea
Has recently acquired nuclear weapons…
…and con4nues to make threats of war
Three Genera)ons of Kims
Kim Il-‐Sung 1948-‐1994 Kim Jong-‐Il 1994-‐2011 Kim Jong-‐Un 2011-‐?
The Korean Peninsula at Night
Pyongyang, North Korea
• Built to impress • False store fronts • Airports and train sta)ons have )ckers, but no one is coming or going.
• Communist statues and propaganda
• 2 t.v. channels spewing propaganda
North Korean Street
Ryugyong Hotel
Ryugyong Hotel Now
Pyongyang Airport
Missile Threat
Recent Headlines
• North Korea's young leader urged front-‐line troops to be on "maximum alert" for a poten)al war as a state-‐run newspaper said Pyongyang had carried out a threat to cancel the 1953 armis)ce that ended the Korean War. -‐Fox news
Recent Headlines
• North Korea's military warned Monday of imminent "special ac)ons" that would reduce South Korea's conserva)ve government to ashes within minutes -‐Fox News
Recent News
• North Korea threatens South Korea and the United States nearly everyday. Now they are threatening a preemp)ve strike with nuclear missiles. -‐New York Times
• North Korea vows nuclear aZack on U.S., saying Washington will be ‘engulfed in a sea of fire.’
-‐Fox News
It is believed that :
• By 1990, NK produced 1 – 2 weapons worth of nuclear material. ie. Plutonium
• 5 – 6 bombs worth of plutonium between 1994 – 2003
• 2004-‐2009 one per year Where did this stuff go?
• Some were tested. What about the rest?
• 12-‐27 Nuclear Weapons
Warheads Possessed by Na)on
And the newest member of the nuclear club is... North Korea !!!!
There are 2 likely Solu)ons to this Problem
1. Military Ac)on
2. Diploma)c Coopera)on
Unifica)on Issue
In 50 years North Korea will not exist the way it does now.
• The Korean Peninsula has never been free from the strong influence of China, Russia, Japan, and the United States (the 4 strong powers).
• Need for very delicate sophis)cated diplomacy
• North and South Korea will not be able to solve this complicated problem without the coopera)on and support of those na)ons.
China’s Stance on Reunifica)on
• Does not want reunifica)on • Does not want to border a strong ally of their enemy, the United States.
• Is concerned about Korean refugees of war flooding into China.
• ***China just placed economic sanc)ons on North Korea for the 1st )me as a result of their 3rd nuclear weapons test.
Russia’s Stance on Reunifica)on
• Has an economic reason to support reunifica)on
• Wants to unite Siberia
• Needs resources such as railroad and gas lines to connect Russia from the Korean Peninsula.
What are the Chances?
• It is unlikely that North Korea will launch a nuclear aZack.
• But many people would pay a lot of money for these weapons. Like, Al Qaeda
• Further nuclear progress will cause further economic sanc)ons causing North Korea’s economy to spiral out of control.
Current Issues in North Korea
• Failed state – government focuses on false military prowess in order to distract from failed agriculture and industry
• Human Rights abuses
• Starva)on Deprava)on – 200,000 – 2,000,000 died of famine in the 1990s.
• Poli)cal Gulags – opponents jailed