N. Korea`s new threat

North Korea is apparently trying to block the democratization movement overseas from spreading to its territory. In a related move, the North threatened to attack South Korea Sunday through statements by its representatives at Panmunjom and the chief of its inter-Korean talks between generals. Reports say flyers reading, “A global campaign is being staged to oust dictatorial regimes. The North Korean people should open their eyes and watch the world” are being spread in the North. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his youngest son and heir apparent Jong Un will naturally feel threatened in seeing the collapse of Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt for 30 years, and Moammar Gadhafi, Libya’s 42-year dictator who has become an international pariah. The Kim family’s threat against the South is probably the final struggle in a desperate bid to maintain tyranny in the North.

Pyongyang has made a string of formidable threats, including “full-blown warfare” and “massive fire attack on Seoul,” ahead of the South Korea-U.S. military drill Key Resolve that starts Monday. South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin also told the National Assembly last week, “The North could attempt to stage an attack around the time of the Key Resolve drill.” Seoul needs thorough preparation to counter Pyongyang’s plot to develop a cause to attack.

The South Korean military failed to adequately avenge the North’s attacks on the naval corvette Cheonan and Yeonpyeong Island last year. The North has repeatedly threatened the South in part because the South Korean military appeared incompetent through a string of failures. Seoul must reflect on the lessons from the shelling of Yeonpyeong, which marks its 100-day anniversary Monday, and renew its commitment to retaliate in case of another attack. If the North commits another provocation, the South’s military should strike the origin of the attack and crush Pyongyang’s will to launch aggression. Striking the source of attack is highly useful militarily and psychologically since it directly retaliates against the attackers.

Since early this month, the South Korean military has been scattering food and living goods including instant rice and radio in the North by balloon. This constitutes psychological warfare against the North, but scattering daily necessities helps to assure the North Korean people’s right to know and live. Pyongyang’s angry reaction to the propaganda campaign reflects the success of psychological welfare and halting psychological warfare due to the North’s threat is a cowardly act. Seoul should not be swayed by the threat but instead accurately communicate trends in the international community and the reality of Kim’s dictatorial system to North Koreans.

In sending daily necessities to the North, the South Korean military included a message in packages reading, “We are the South Korean military and this is safe to eat. If suspicious, please feed this to livestock first and then eat.” This is meant to counter the North’s potential counter propaganda saying “It contains poison.” If Seoul is to maximize the effect of this psychological welfare, it must develop a well thought-out and thorough strategy. The military should discuss and maximize the effect in collaboration with North Korean defectors’ groups and human rights organizations, which are sending flyers via balloons to the North.