The North Korea Famine or otherwise known as the Arduous March
is a crisis that occurred in North Korea in the mid-Nineties where an
estimated 200 thousand to 3.5 million people died due to man-made and natural
causes.
Geographical
nature Geographically, the devastating
floods in July 1995 caused by unusually heavy torrential rains triggered the
crisis, according to observers. It damaged fertile lands and harvests as well
as grain reserves that are stored underground thus causing the widespread
shortage of food supply.
The Conflict The Korean Famine
that brought untold hardships to the North Korean people posed and contributed
further to the conflict between the two Koreas. It embarrassed the regime
in the North who was forced to accept aid and reluctantly gave in to the
demands from its supposed enemies, South Korea and its allies in the West such
as the United States that it dismantle its nuclear capability.
Developmental
History of the Conflict
The conflict evolved and developed after the Second World War.
The Korean Peninsula used to be a colony of Japan since 1910 and when it
surrendered to the Allied forces at the end of the war, the peninsula was
divided by the American administrators. The southern part was occupied by the
United States and the northern part by the Soviet Union. A political and geographical division called
the 38th Parallel further divided Korea that eventually led to the
North becoming under the Communist rule and the South, democratic. Inevitably,
the Korean War started in 1950 when North Korean forces invaded South Korea and
the conflict lasted up to the present time. Until now, both countries are
still technically at war despite the Armistice signed by both sides in July 27,
1953.
Primary
perspectives on the conflict
Primarily, the two
perspectives on the conflict are those of South and North Korea but the
involvement of the both China and the U.S. are givens.
What
is at stake The security and
stability of South and North Korean people. On a bigger picture, those of
other Asian nations that are directly and indirectly affected by the conflict
are also at stake such as Japan, Taiwan as well as those in the Southeast Asian
region.
Consequences and repurcussions of the conflict
As a consequence, the conflict created a wedge
between the US and Russia and brought about The Cold War, an uneasy period
between the Fifties and the late Eighties. It was a time when the U.S.
feared that communism will spread throughout Asia in domino style thereby
pushing it into the messy Vietnam War. At the time, communism was considered as
evil and the world was divided into two camps, the pro-US on one side and the
pro-Soviet Russia on the other. Former U.S. President Reagan even called Russia
the "Evil Empire".
Current status of the conflict
In the light of the
recent provocative gestures of the newly-installed North Korean leader Kim
Jong-un, the world is constantly on the watch on unpredictable developments now
taking place inside the belligerent nation. Just recently, North Korea fired three
short-range guided missiles that landed into the sea of Japan. Many dismissed
though that such tests are not unusual. The world is so keen on watching
every bit of events, big or small, inside the hermit nation that even reports
about Kim’s fathering a baby with an unknown woman in 2010 became press fodder.
STEPS
TOWARDS RESOLUTION
Steps
taken by South Korea to resolve the conflict
1. The adoption of measures through
the enactment of its Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act and
consequently the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund as offshoots of the “Korean
National Community Formula” framework;
2. The promotion of various joint projects with North Korea in the late
1990s and the increased humanitarian assistance to the North that resulted into
the first summit between the leaders of the two Koreas. These efforts
encouraged the increase in the South-North exchanges and cooperation.
Significant by-products of these exchanges are the Kaeseong Industrial Complex,
the Gyeongui and Donghae railways, and the Mt. Guemgang Tourism Project.
How
successful have they been? The Kaeseong
Industrial complex is a clear example of the success of the South Korean
initiatives. It provided employment to thousands of people both in North
and South Korea. It became the conduit for the much needed currency to
finance the government in the north. Moreover, 390,000 South and North
Koreans have crossed the border to re-establish old family ties, $2.9 billion
in humanitarian aid has been given and trade amounted to US$14.8 billion.
Chief
factors contributing to the success or failure of the attempts at resolution
Mainly, the factors that contributed to the success
of the attempts to resolve the conflict are the sincere desire of South Koreans
to reach out to the North and make peace and help their fellow Koreans living
in the North and the combined efforts of the members of the international
community to establish peace in the region. The reasons for its failure is the
stubborn attitude, obsolete political rhetoric and belligerent stance of the
regimes in the North as shown by its unwillingness to abide by its treaty with
the South to abandon its nuclear development efforts; and its apparent
intentions to sabotage the elusive peace in the Peninsula. Despite strong
denials, the findings of the multinational investigation in the sinking of the
South Korean Patrol Ship Cheonan in March 26, 2010 concluded that a North Korean
submarine torpedoed the patrol vessel.
Unification
of the two Koreas ultimate solution Personally, I am for the eventual unification of
the two Koreas because if that happens, Korea could become like Germany today,
united and prosperous. I believe that a unified Korea has the potential of
becoming a great nation given the showing of South Korea that rose from the
ashes and became an industrial giant in just a little over than four decades.
There is something in the culture of the Koreans that shows it can achieve
anything if it wants to.
Actions
needed to resolve the conflict in a satisfactory manner
To resolve the Korean conflict, there should be
bilateral efforts between the two Koreas to find solutions to their conflict: 1. First both must absolutely
agree that they’re no longer at war (replace the Armistice with a more
permanent peace treaty);
2. On the part of the North, abandon its nuclear
development efforts and;
3. Get back to the conference table with the U.S. and China as
major facilitators in creating joint efforts for unification.
REFERENCES: Wikipedia; KoreaOrbit.com; AnswersTM; The Telegraph and Korea.net for
additional facts.
Answer to
Question in likeplum.com 2013-05. Edited
for Le Plume
