UN Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution on North Korea

Opinion by Gilbert Mercier, News Junkie Editor

The UN Security council, today, unanimously adopted Resolution 1874. The 15 members body strongly condemned the 25 May nuclear test conducted by North Korea in ” violation and flagrant disregard” of previous resolutions ( 1695 & 1718).

It also demanded that North Korea, “not conduct any further nuclear test or any launch using ballistic missile technology.”

Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s spoke-person said in a statement, that he welcomes the adoption, by an unanimous vote, of resolution 1874 on the recent nuclear test by North Korea.

The fact that China voted in favor of the resolution could be an indication that the pressure from Beijing on Kim Jong Il’s regime will increase. However, we shouldn’t expect the new sanctions to have an impact in making the political control of Kim Jong Il precarious. North Korea’s population desperate situation will only deteriorate further.

The Bush administration practiced the diplomacy of the stick with Kim Jong Il for 8 years, and it didn’t work.

It is time for the Obama administration to use some diplomatic carrots in their dealing with North Korea. Kim Jong Il is not a rational person, to say the least, putting too much pressure on a border line psychotic could have disastrous consequences for the region. It would be wise for Secretary of State Clinton to meet some high level North Koreans directly.

The State Department should be focusing its attention on the upcoming political transition in North Korea. Kim Jong Il seems to be doing his best to distract the attention of North Koreans with nuclear tests & missile launches to hide the elephant in the room: The passing of power to his 26 years old son Kim Jong Un. Hopefully, Kim Jong Un will be a more reasonable interlocutor than his father.

gilbert@newsjunkiepost.com