Japan Press Weekly

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2013 April 3 - 9 [NORTH KOREA]

North Korea should not play its ‘nuclear card’

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

North Korea has announced that it will reactivate a graphite-moderated reactor in Nyeongbyeon in order to extract plutonium, the material used for nuclear weapons. The move shows its intention to pursue the development and production of nuclear weapons in disregard of the severe criticism raised by the international community.

Since last month, North Korea has increased tensions by making military threats against South Korea and the United States. Following its announcement to annul the 1953 ceasefire that ended the fighting, the country stated that it is still in “a state of war” with South Korea. It warned that it will attack U.S. military sites inside and outside the U.S., including Japan’s Yokosuka, Misawa, and Okinawa.

The series of provocations has been committed in response to the U.N. Security Council’s condemnation and unanimous resolution to tighten sanctions against North Korea, following the country’s nuclear test and missile launch. It must not neglect its responsibilities as a U.N. member state and challenge the international community’s consensus.

North Korea is attempting to press the international society to recognize it as an official nuclear weapons state. Its possession of nuclear weapons should never be allowed as it poses an obvious threat to Northeast Asia and the rest of the world.

In addition to its nuclear development, the country has also attempted to seek an economic growth, which cannot be pursued without receiving international cooperation. It cannot stick to provocations as that can only deepen its isolation.

The international society shares the awareness that North Korea’s issues should be solved peacefully through dialogue. In this regard, the 2005 Six-Party Talks joint statement is increasingly significant as it calls for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, normalization of North Korea’s relations with Japan and with the U.S., and a lasting peace in Northeast Asia. Countries concerned are expected to jointly make sincere efforts to resolve the issues without resorting to the use of military power.