The Korean missile crisis

The looming crisis in the Korean Peninsula sent quivers to satellite countries where US has its military bases within range of missile attack or a radius of about 4,000 kilometers. It's a standoff between the US and South Korea on one hand, and North Korea on the other, both playing the game of nerves, taking some calculated risks, and each anticipating who will be the first to blink. This episode is reminiscent of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. Only this time, one false move to push the button will undoubtedly trigger another war.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, a South Korean, admitted that the situation in the Korean Peninsula is fast slipping out of control. “The current level of tension is very dangerous, a small incident caused by miscalculation or misjudgment may create an uncontrollable situation,” he said.

Who started it all? From all indications, it was the US that started the war provocation. Before North Korea started test firing its missiles, the US held joint military exercises with South Korea and flew provocative flights of its aircraft near the border of North Korea. The US connived with its puppet regime of South Korea to bait the North into conflict as part of the US imperialist's grand design to further entrench its hegemony in this part of Asia. The two-pronged strategic objectives of which are to influence economic development not only in Korea but also in China and to strengthen its military forces in Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. With its superior firepower, North Korea is a thorn in the ass of the US interest.

The war of aggression is similar to the US war on Iraq. It was obvious that the root cause of the war was the US interest in seeking ownership and control over Iraq's rich oil and gas resources. Under the pretext of finding weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the US, despite the absence of UN resolution to the effect, launched air strikes and ground artillery barrages against Iraq. As a consequence, it destroyed lives and properties of the Iraqi people, violated human rights and plundered the country's natural resources. Whether the war was caused by faulty military intelligence or whether it was a matter of choice or necessity, the US was clearly on the wrong side of history because it didn't find any weapon of mass destruction to justify its devastation of the country and its people.

North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is justified in preparing to launch its missiles and mobilized its armed forces for the purpose of deterrence and self-defense. The war provocation against DPRK is uncalled for, a move seen as a prelude of a bigger strategic objective - to invade North Korea. DPRK has accused the US and South Korea of preparing an invasion and threatened to take military action ranging from artillery barrage to nuclear attack. The US cannot simply bully a country that has the capability to strike back. Now, it has found its match.

DPRK lies in the northern half of the Korean peninsula in East Asia. Pyongyang, its capital, is the largest city in both land area and population. At present, the country is ruled by its strongman, President Kim Jon-Un, the youngest of Kim-Jong-Il's three sons. The young leader is known to have greater interest in the welfare of his people than his father. He is strong-willed and has the capacity to rally his people behind his leadership in case war breaks out. In terms of military firepower, DPRK is no pushover.

The country boasts of its vaunted arsenal. It has an active nuclear and ballistic missile weapons program in place. Some 10,000 MANPADS and anti-tank guided missiles on the ground force are complimented by at least 4,060 tanks, 2,500 armed personnel carriers (APCs), 17,900 artillery pieces and 11,000 air defense guns. There are 915 vessels in its Navy and 1,748 aircraft in its Air Force, 478 of which are jetfighters and 180 bombers. It has the largest special force in the world and the biggest submarine fleet. Without US support, South Korea pales in comparison in terms of firepower.

The standoff in the Korean Peninsula reminds us of the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962. The fate of the world hangs in the balance during the 14-day confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side, and the US on the other. Again, it was the US that provoked the crisis by using the Cuban expatriates in a failed attempt to overthrow the Castro regime in the Bay of Pigs fiasco in May 1962. The US, so it seems, never learn its lesson in Cuba, Vietnam and Iraq. To advance its own interest and damn the rest, it is now creating the Korean missile crisis.