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发表于 2010-12-10 10:42:34
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VOX POPULI: Is North Korean attack a cry for attention?
2010/11/25
North Korea is a country that relies heavily on China. But I wonder whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has read Chinese classics. Probably not.
I also doubt he knows the aphorism "Sharp weapons are instruments of evil" by the ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi. It means weapons are instruments of bad omen and just holding them is enough to bring harm.
Once again, North Korea resorted to an ominous act of violence. Just as it showed moves of advancing nuclear development in rapid succession, it abruptly fired shells at South Korea's Daeyeonpyeongdo Island. It is an inhabited island in the Yellow Sea close to the military border.
A large number of shells reportedly landed on the island. Unlike shootings between vessels, attacks on territorial land are much more serious.
Foreign news photos show black smoke rising here and there from the island. Some residents were also hurt. South Korean forces fired back at the North Korean side and raised the alert level to maximum.
South Korea, too, must have a line of no return. Because of abnormal behavior by an abnormal state, tensions on the Korean Peninsula are mounting again.
Could the dictatorship be "playing with fire" in an attempt to force a deal with the United States, which has a hold on its fate? Was the shelling done with the dictator's approval or was it an arbitrary reckless act of the military?
The truth remains unknown. But one thing is sure. Behind the thick fog, the North Korean people are dreading hunger.
I heard that recently, an anti-establishment flier with the satirical message "The third bear has appeared" was found in Pyongyang. Apparently, it refers to Kim Jong Un, the fat, third-generation heir apparent who is set to take over leadership from his father.
The flier also said, "If you get fatter, we get thinner." It must be an expression of resistance by the writer, who knows he or she may face execution if caught.
Countries like North Korea are virtually holding all of their people hostage. Shouldn't China, which is like a big brother to North Korea, have taught it Laozi's "benevolent government" before approving its hereditary leadership?
Indeed, North Korea is an ominous country both domestically and internationally.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 24 |
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