By N.K. News; Yonhap News Agency:
SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) — North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its eastern coast early Monday morning, dealing another blow to efforts by South Korea’s new government to improve inter-Korean ties.
The missile, presumed to be a Scud type, was launched eastward from the vicinity of Wonsan, Gangwon Province, at around 5:39 a.m., according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
“The flight distance is around 450 kilometers,” it said.
The North’s latest action was immediately reported to President Moon Jae-in, who ordered related government officials to convene a National Security Council meeting, said the JCS.
The session started at 7:30 a.m., presided over by Moon’s national security adviser Chung Eui-yong.
The U.S. Pacific Command also confirmed the launch occurred near Wonsan Airfield, saying the missile was tracked for six minutes until it landed in the East Sea.
“The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) assessed that the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America,” the Hawaii-based command said in an emailed statement. “U.S. Pacific Command stands behind our ironclad commitment to the security of our allies in the Republic of Korea and Japan.”
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Is Kim Jong-un’s Irrational Behavior Subtly Achieving North Korea’s Goals?
By Dr. Katherine Harris; OpsLens:
“In periods when the world does not revolve around North Korea’s nuclear threat, Kim Jong-un launches another missile and once again takes center stage, refocusing all attention on his nation…”
After a recent closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss North Korea’s latest missile launches, the US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, told reporters, “We are not dealing with a rational person. We are re-evaluating how to handle North Korea going forward.”
She described Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (better known as North Korea), as a “person who has not had rational acts, who is not thinking clearly.”
Yes, it is true. Kim Jong-un is a despot, and he comes from a long line of despots. Kim Jong-un took power in 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il. He’s the third member of the Kim family to rule since the peninsula was divided after World War II, when the Soviet Union installed his grandfather, Kim Il-sung.
Being a blood relative of dynasty founder Kim Il-sung is still the definition of legitimate power in North Korea. Therefore, his right to rule his despotic regime has nothing to do with any skills he may possess, but instead originates in his birthright and bloodline. The Kim family is supreme. They established and maintain control through a strict personality cult.
The perpetuation of the regime is paramount. Knowledge is a threat. All dissent is brutally suppressed. It is the inevitable paranoia of despotism. It is a matter of survival. Any and all potential rivals must be eliminated. This includes family, and he’s been busily whittling down any new potential source of internal opposition. There have been various reports of members of the Kim family being executed.
Most dramatic was the brutal execution of his uncle, General Jang Song-thaek, in 2013 following charges of corruption. He was blown to pieces by an anti-aircraft cannon and driven over by tanks before his scattered remains were burnt with a flamethrower. The recent killing of his half-brother in Malaysia by two women who smeared VX nerve agent on his face is just another indication of insecurity, instability, and outright craziness. Like all despots, he’s eliminating anyone who might threaten him, real or imagined.
Is Kim Jong-un as irrational as Ambassador Haley proposes? The short answer is yes. Kim Jong-un’s behavior ticks all the boxes in a list of despotic actions, no doubt about it. Yet, despite all the outrageous conduct, I tend to think that this portly 30-something Swiss-educated despot is playing a power balancing game with Washington and the United Nations.
Think about it this way – not only is irrational behavior manipulative, even Machiavellian – especially in foreign affairs – but it is also a politically useful strategy. One might even say that Kim has elevated irrationality to the point that he gets precisely what he wants. His carefully crafted instability and insanity are designed to make world leaders pay attention. If the rest of world thinks Kim is unhinged, they will be very careful not to provoke North Korean instability and insanity.
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