On North Korea, students should think critically

North Korea celebrated its most significant holiday, the Day of the Sun, last week. The holiday is a commemoration of the birth of Kim Il-Sung, the North Korean state’s first leader. The holiday is traditionally marked by the presence of both cultural festivals and military shows of force, which demonstrates something oft-forgotten about the state of North Korea: The country is not made up of only a military and a demagogic leader bent on the nuclear annihilation of every one of his opponents. Millions of civilians also live in the rogue state that has been referred to in the past as a member of the “Axis of Evil.”

Student organizations like Liberty in North Korea exist in order to remind Americans, particularly young Americans about to enter their professional and political lives, of this critical fact. The threat posed by North Korea is very real, but when rhetoric about North Korea solely revolves around the activities of the military and the danger to global security that the North Korean state represents, the innocent people under the regime’s thumb tend to be ignored, both in the media and in mainstream conversation about the country. In the interest of pursuing a peaceful solution, this must be changed, especially by students who hope to engage in international and domestic politics.

This week, the United States has ratcheted up pressure on North Korea in response to increased agitation stemming from North Korea’s missile tests and inflammatory rhetoric. President Donald Trump recently ordered Carrier Strike Group One, a substantial fleet made up of an aircraft carrier and several escort ships, to sail to the Sea of Japan. The flagship of Carrier Strike Group One, one of the largest military vessels in the world, is escorted by several smaller ships that have equipment designed to intercept ballistic missiles, and so the fleet’s presence can be seen as a precautionary measure against a potential North Korean attack.

The strike group also has planes and guided missiles at its disposal, and as its name and composition suggest, it is quite capable of spearheading an attack as well. This is likely not lost on the powers in the region, especially North Korea. The question is whether the fleet’s presence is supposed to be a calculated element of soft power aimed at influencing the behavior of North Korea, or if the fleet’s activities are indicative of a preparation for war.

It is certainly wise to be prepared in case of conflict, but the placement of a U.S. fleet in proximity to North Korea that is arguably more capable of offense than it is capable of defense is concerning. It would appear to indicate that the United States is taking on a threatening, rather than diplomatic, posture in the region. This will undoubtedly have consequences for diplomacy, but what those consequences will be with seemingly impulsive diplomatic mavericks — like Trump and Kim Jong-un — in control is impossible to say.

The primary concern moving forward is that the United States and North Korea both appear to be unwilling to deal diplomatically with one another, even nations as influential as China make pleas time and time again. Given that North Korea has sworn to resist any military threats, the United States and North Korea may be playing a game of international chicken, with a potential nuclear catastrophe endangering the lives of millions of innocent civilians thrown into the mix. We must recall that lives are lives regardless of which side of a border they are on, and that a military confrontation in the Korean Peninsula may have far-reaching and disastrous global ramifications.

In light of this, diplomacy would appear to be the best way to reduce current tensions. The international community demonstrated that it was possible to do so with another member of the “Axis of Evil,” Iran, in 2015. Students should remember these considerations when they engage in conversation about the state of affairs in East Asia, and hopefully, a peaceful solution to the problems in the Korean Peninsula will result instead of a new conflict.