North Korea explodes with DEFIANCE again

“We have had the capability of miniaturising nuclear warheads, as well as producing multiform weapons, for some time,” the North Korean military said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

“We can also guarantee the accuracy not only of short-to-mid-range but also long-range rocket launches, for which we have had the technology for a long time,” the statement added.

Pyongyang offered no explanation as to why it had abruptly called off Ban’s visit. But the timing of the statements on Wednesday was interesting. It seems North Korea decided to send a message of defiance to the international community, along with a reminder that change in the country would come on Pyongyang’s terms or not at all. 

There is little doubt that the cancellation will push North Korea further from the world community and from the diplomatic norms and practices of international relations.

Ban had planned to visit the Kaesong Industrial Complex, one of the few remaining joint projects that were launched a decade ago under South Korea’s conciliatory Sunshine Policy. The complex has 120 South Korean factories and employs more than 53,000 North Korean workers.

Under the Sunshine Policy, the South provided the North with unconditional aid. The aim was to build trust.

Most of these initiatives came to an abrupt end in 2010 with the sinking of a South Korean warship and the loss of 46 of its crew. Seoul alleged that Pyongyang was behind the attack.

The planned visit to Kaesong by Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, was part of his efforts as UN chief to promote reconciliation and stability on the Korean peninsula. 

To say that its cancellation was regrettable would be an understatement. For many observers, it only cemented the impression that 

 Pyongyang craves isolation from the international community.

It is indeed tempting to dismiss the North Korean leadership as faceless and extremist hard-liners determined to pick a fight with the rest of the world. However, no one can be considered fully monstrous. Like all of us, the powerful men of Pyongyang have feelings, desires and fears. So there is a common ground of humanity, however basic, on which all sides stand.

North Korea has in recent years proffered invitations to high-profile figures in the expectation that these individuals – people like former US president Jimmy Carter and basketball great Denis Rodman, for example – might serve as a bridge to the rest of the world.

Naturally, Pyongyang wants these visitors to say nice things about North Korea, to defend its reputation abroad and to project a positive image of the country.

Obviously, Pyongyang didn’t think Ban fitted that public-relations mould. The fact is that the UN chief will likely reiterate the calls for Pyongyang to drop its preconditions and return to the six-nation nuclear talks and to meet Seoul halfway on diplomatic initiatives.

When it comes to North Korea, normal diplomatic protocol doesn’t work. Instead, the international community has to think outside the box. Everyone has a stake in the future of North Korea. Imagine an East Asia where Pyongyang had nuclear missiles and other weapons of mass destruction.

But applying unorthodox means of diplomacy and pressure doesn’t mean the world community should treat North Korea with kid gloves. For engagement to produce the desired results, it must be multi-pronged and be carried out by a range of different people and parties.

There is a time for “megaphone diplomacy” and there is a time for quiet communication. But we must keep in mind that Pyongyang will never willingly cease its defiance of international law and norms unless offered dignified means of doing so. After all, no country, regardless of how quirky its leaders might be, wants to be treated in an undignified manner.