- The 'enraged people' of North Korea (KCNA)
The North Koreans destroyed a liaison office in North Korea near the
border with South Korea, by means of a "terrific explosion." The
office used to be used for North-South communications at any time, but
the North abandoned the office completely last week, so the action
could be considered symbolic.
North Korea has a history of throwing temper tantrums when it wants
attention. So blowing up an unused building is probably a message to
everyone -- South Korea, America, China -- to say "look at me and put
me back into the news, or I'll blow up something bigger."
One problem with trying to decode this new message is that North
Korea's government seems to be in chaos. The child dictator, Kim
Jong-un, has all but disappeared recently, amid rumors that he has
health problems, and may even be infected with Covid-19.
In his place, his hot chick sister Kim Yo-jong has taken over the job
of making hysterical statements and threats. So the sister may be
trying to prove that she can lead the country as well as her brother,
and to prove it she blew up an empty building and issued threats of
further action.
The issue here is the same as in the Ladakh situation. It's not that
any coherent planning is going on. It's that everything is in chaos,
and nobody knows what to do next. It's that nationalism and
xenophobia are at all-time highs, and in that chaotic atmosphere
someone may decide to shoot first and look later, and that could end
up triggering a military response and a larger war.
Right now, we really have no idea what the significance is of the
demolished liaison office, except that the North Koreans are throwing
some kind of temper tantrum. We can only guess where things will go
next.
---- Sources:
-- North Korean media says it’s now “too late” for the South to avoid
a crisis
https://www.nknews.org/2020/06/north-ko ... -a-crisis/
(NKNews, 16-Jun-2020)
-- North Korea demolishes inter-Korean liaison office at Kaesong
https://www.nknews.org/2020/06/explosio ... cal-press/
(NKNews, 16-Jun-2020)
-- North Korea blows up South Korea joint office in rebuke of Seoul
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/ ... uiwfOd7l_A
(Japan Times, 16-Jun-2020)
-- North Korea blows up joint liaison office with South in Kaesong
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53060620
(BBC, 16-Jun-2020)
-- North Korea: What's behind the liaison office demolition?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-53061613
(BBC, 16-Jun-2020)
-- North Korea blows up joint liaison office near border with South
Korea
https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/no ... a-1.633920
(Stars and Stripes, 16-Jun-2020)
-- North Korea's 'huge cover-up exposed' as Kim Jong-un's sister
threatens military action
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/12 ... action-spt
(Daily Express, London, 15-Jun-2020)