Jun 30, 2012

North Korea needs a new direction

A half year has passed since the Dec. 17, 2011, death of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. The “military first” policy is his legacy. North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong Un, his youngest son, should pursue the path of giving priority to ...

Apr 14, 2012

North Korea's failure that provokes

North Korea on Friday failed in its anticipated satellite launch, with the rocket splintering into pieces. The North should not attempt another launch or nuclear test, which will only contribute to heightening tensions in the region. The launch came after its young leader Kim ...

Mar 4, 2012

Small step in the right direction

The United States and North Korea have found common ground. Washington and Pyongyang announced on Wednesday that the North would stop nuclear and missile provocations as the U.S. would proceed with the provision of food aid. This seeming consensus should open the door to ...

Jan 11, 2012

Does promise or peril await in North Korea?

by Javier Solana

Two days after Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s leader, died in a train in his country, South Korean authorities still knew nothing about it. Meanwhile, American officials seemed at a loss, with the State Department at first merely acknowledging that press reports had mentioned ...

Jan 6, 2012

Mr. Kim Jong Un's direction

There are signs that following the death on Dec. 17 of North Korean “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Il, his youngest son Kim Jong Un is consolidating his power as the new leader. But it is unclear what direction his foreign policy will take. Japan ...

Jan 1, 2012

Quality of governance in 2012

Even though the new year has started, it is impossible for people in Japan to put 2011 behind them. The effects of the March 11 triple disasters — the magnitude-9 earthquake followed by the massive tsunami that devastated the Tohoku coastal area, plus the ...

Dec 12, 2010

Shortages preserve 'Dear Leader'

Regarding John J. Metzler’s Dec. 3 article, “North Korea evokes pity and condemnation“: We need to acknowledge that starvation is a means of preserving power for Pyongyang. Our sense of humanity is being manipulated by the Kim Jong Il regime. Kim created the food ...

Dec 3, 2010

North Korea evokes pity and condemnation

by John J. Metzler

UNITED NATIONS — Amid severe food shortages affecting up to a quarter of the population, horrific human rights abuses, and an expanding and costly nuclear weapons program, the United Nations has tried to respond to North Korea with a combination of carrots and sticks. ...

Dec 2, 2010

Kan sets example during crisis

I was somewhat disturbed by the Nov. 24 front-page headline “Pyongyang shells South Korean island.” I am as cautious about North Korea as anyone, but in times of crisis, we need to remain calm. It was not known that “Pyongyang” rather than some North ...