. . . in a U.N. vote to condemn North Korea’s human rights atrocities (via Korea Unification Studies). They abstain, for the record, from condemning this, or this, or this. Or this.
Almost exactly a year ago, after years of abstentions, the South Koreans finally yielded to intense pressure and voted in favor. What changed? My theory is that America’s betrayal gave the South Koreans cover. Remember that next time anyone tries to argue that our diplomacy with North Korea will help ease the oppression in North Korea. In fact, we’ve just condoned it with our silence, and in doing so, our diplomats have underscored the farcical uselessness of the vaunted multilateral institution where they executed their Machiavellian pirouette. Here is its epitaph:
“[W]e believed the United Nations could save us.” — A Yodok survivor
