[Editorial] Ominous: North Korea’s Nuclear and Silent Government

Ominous information on North Korea’s nuclear development has been revealed. On the day before yesterday, the International Institute for Strategic Studies made a report about North Korea’s uranium-based nuclear development, which has progressed separately from its plutonium-based nuclear development, available to the general public. The main point of the report was that North Korea will complete its uranium-based nuclear development within one or two years and, based upon this technology, will have the ability to produce three nuclear weapons per year. If this is true, it implies that unimaginable to us will soon be realized.

It is hard to understand how the government can keep consistently silent under these circumstances. The government did not express its opinion after the national assembly’s hearing of the U.S. civilian representatives who visited North Korea at the beginning of this month. The principle of a peaceful solution to North Korea’s nuclear issue was just reiterated at the ministerial meeting on national security problems without any specific alternatives presented. Is this because of poor information about North Korea’s nuclear program, or will the government only stick to talks regardless of the stage of North Korea’s nuclear development?

North Korea insists that it has shown “nuclear deterrence,” but national unrest cannot be resolved if the government remains silent. If this continues, South Korea could be isolated from the world community, which pays attention to North Korea’s nuclear issue, as days go by.

Vice President Dick Cheney recently emphasized that the world community “has to get ready to use military power if diplomatic efforts to prevent weapons of mass destruction and terror attacks do not work well.” If this was said with North Korea in mind, the situation may be impending. Now is not the time for the government to watch idly.

The government should give responsible explanations of the present position of North Korea’s nuclear development and countermeasures to the public. It is also necessary to urge North Korea to reveal its nuclear development programs. This will be a good objective for the next round of six-Party talks when the government takes a decisive stance.