Comments on: South Korea to push U.N. for return of its POW’s http://freekorea.us/2008/01/12/south-korea-to-push-un-for-return-of-its-pows/ Tue, 22 May 2012 21:47:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Are You NKay? | North Korean Human Rights Live - Oh No (and other links) http://freekorea.us/2008/01/12/south-korea-to-push-un-for-return-of-its-pows/comment-page-1/#comment-56140 Are You NKay? | North Korean Human Rights Live - Oh No (and other links) Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:35:34 +0000 http://freekorea.us/2008/01/12/south-korea-to-push-un-for-return-of-its-pows/#comment-56140 [...] Update: Also, Lee is also pushing for the release of POW’s still held in the North (Via. OFK). [...] [...] Update: Also, Lee is also pushing for the release of POW’s still held in the North (Via. OFK). [...]

]]> By: usinkorea http://freekorea.us/2008/01/12/south-korea-to-push-un-for-return-of-its-pows/comment-page-1/#comment-56100 usinkorea Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:59:48 +0000 http://freekorea.us/2008/01/12/south-korea-to-push-un-for-return-of-its-pows/#comment-56100 I wrote about this extensively on my blog - not specifically about the POW issue extensively but about the "tipping point" idea. It will be very interesting to watch how NK reacts to what has been coming out of the Lee camp so early on - like the Unification Ministry axing or down sizing and especially the POW issue as well as the West Sea dead and pro-US notes. Given how NK is --- they will have to respond to this stuff, and how they respond will give me - I believe - some idea of how little or much North Korea is still hurting. Basically, I believe NK believes it can't appear weak - whether from a internal or external view point ---- and it will take the Lee camp's statements as a challenge, but it still needs stuff from SK and has to calculate how much it might piss off China or deminish Washington's desire to pursue our own Sunshine Policy since Bush's flipflop. I think we stand at least a real chance that we might see the setting off of a chain of events that takes Lee and NK and perhaps the US far down a path none of them want to go. Just from the handful of things I know about Lee, he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would back down easily if challenged by the North. And though I think his primary NK policy will be to keep the North alive, Pyongyang might force his hand (and America's) by how it reacts to what I consider Lee just playing to his South Korea base. This year and early 2009 should be interesting to watch... I wrote about this extensively on my blog – not specifically about the POW issue extensively but about the “tipping point” idea.

It will be very interesting to watch how NK reacts to what has been coming out of the Lee camp so early on – like the Unification Ministry axing or down sizing and especially the POW issue as well as the West Sea dead and pro-US notes.

Given how NK is — they will have to respond to this stuff, and how they respond will give me – I believe – some idea of how little or much North Korea is still hurting.

Basically, I believe NK believes it can’t appear weak – whether from a internal or external view point —- and it will take the Lee camp’s statements as a challenge, but it still needs stuff from SK and has to calculate how much it might piss off China or deminish Washington’s desire to pursue our own Sunshine Policy since Bush’s flipflop.

I think we stand at least a real chance that we might see the setting off of a chain of events that takes Lee and NK and perhaps the US far down a path none of them want to go.

Just from the handful of things I know about Lee, he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would back down easily if challenged by the North.

And though I think his primary NK policy will be to keep the North alive, Pyongyang might force his hand (and America’s) by how it reacts to what I consider Lee just playing to his South Korea base.

This year and early 2009 should be interesting to watch…

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