[Opinion] Pity North Korea

A North Korean defector, who frequently appeared on TV entertainment programs, often said, “South Korean women look prettier but less sweet-tempered than North Korean women.” This meant that he/she was sorry that South Korean women are loosing their virtue of devotedly holding men in reverence. If the custom of “treating women as inferior to men” still remains in North Korea, patriarchal discipline backed by descent from Kim Il Sung to Kim Jong Il may be one reason.

On July 27, in the AFC women`s Asian Cup soccer semifinal with China held in Australia, North Korean players lodged a protest against the wrong decision, kicking the Italian female chief referee and throwing water bottles. Even though they could feel mortified with the doubtful decision, they degraded the North’s image, while the North is being regarded as “a bellicose country” due to the missile launches. Still, the public press Rodong Sinmun maintained in an editorial on July 30 that “it is a women’s holy mission to support the guidance of militaristic revolution.” Is kicking a referee also a “militaristic practice?” Are they on different wavelengths? Did they decide to go astray?

Baek Nam Soon, North Korean Foreign Minister, was totally excluded from the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) that closed in Malaysia on July 28. No one offered Baek a hand, even when foreign ministers ceremonially shake hands with each other. Every country must feel uncomfortable with the North, otherwise even the foreign minister of China, Li Zhaoxing, would not act as if he did not see him.

The North is harshly paying for its missile launches, which were forced as it disregarded dissuasion of international society.

The international society continued to require the North to resume six-party talks; however, the North urges for a precondition that the U.S. lift the sanctions against the 24 million dollars in Banco Delta Asia (BDA) Bank of Macao. The North is too unreasonable to estimate losses caused by the policy of diplomatic isolation. Our government has reserved aid of 500,000 tons of rice, 100,000 tons of fertilizer, and light industry raw materials. All of these are worth more than $1 billion. The North could survive if it stopped developing weapons of mass destruction. We are very sorry for the North’s stubbornness, which is hastening its withering.

Han Ki-heung, Editorial Writer, eligius@donga.com