A leading conservative analyst has warned that North Korea’s recent threatening behavior towards South Korea could easily be the precursor to a new military provocation on the Korean Peninsula.
Cheong Seong Chang of the Sejong Institute issued the warning in an essay for the March, 2012 issue of the institute’s “Current Issues and Policy” publication, writing, “Bearing in mind the fact that the North Korean National Defense Commission’s January, 2010 ‘holy war of revenge’ announcement was followed by the Cheonan sinking, the recent North Korean declaration of a ‘holy war’ could actually lead to a military provocation.”
On February 25th this year a National Defense Commission spokesperson declared that North Korea would undertake a “’holy war’ in our own style to completely destroy the traitorous Lee Myung Bak puppet faction and their external puppetmasters,” words which were similar in tone to the January 15th, 2010 comment referred to by Cheong, in which a North Korean spokesman stated, “We will unleash a national holy war to free the stronghold of the South Chosun authorities.”
According to Cheong, “North Korea’s tough pronouncement was because of complex elements including South Korea’s ‘insincerity’ at the passing of Kim Jong Il and the case of the profane slogan about Kim Jong Il. Offending North Korean society’s unique ‘highest dignity’, that is Kim Jong Il, is not allowed.”
He went on, “In cases of Kim’s prestige being seriously harmed, the North’s power elites and state organs take tough stances like this as part of the competition for loyalty. North Korea, which has to ahere to the Party’s Ten Principles, will maintain this hard line for the time being, and along with this there comes the risk of armed attacks.”
He also pointed to the dangers of cyber terror and GPS interference, calling for South Korea to cooperate with the United States and China to try and reduce the risks.
