Northern threat

In climbing back to the top slot of international attention again,North Korea has redefined brazenness. Kim Jong-il is indeed very ill,and the most likely cause of the shelling of Yeonpyeong island near the disputed maritime border the Northern Limit Line is the succession saga unfolding in the worlds only hereditary communist regime. Tuesdays attack came amidst the tension thats built on the peninsula since the sinking of a South Korean warship last March with 46 deaths,allegedly by the North. Moreover,Kim Srs transfer of power to his son Kim Jong-un,initiated in September,was expected to raise the temperature in order to improve Kim Jrs profile in the militarys eyes.That fear was not unfounded. The Koreas exchanged fire in October. This month,Pyongyang showed a US scientist a new state-of-the-art uranium enrichment plant,with over 1,000 centrifuges. This display,demonstrating the failure of economic sanctions and counter-proliferation,was perhaps also an attempt to force the resumption of the six-party talks on Pyongyangs terms. This isnt the first time Pyongyangs protested the Souths military exercises,but its the mark of this secretive and unaccountable state to be so recklessly provocative. On the other hand,the harder line taken on aid by the current administration in Seoul had been infuriating Pyongyang,and South Korea needs to investigate the test shots fired by its military close to the Norths coastline.The biggest headache is Americas and should likewise be Chinas,North Koreas old friend. Washington will need to exert greater pressure on Beijing to exert much more pressure on Pyongyang. hasnt blamed the North and insists on the talks. Without the talks,Pyongyang might escalate. Yet,agreeing to talks right now would witness a chest-thumping North Korea. Nobodys made Pyongyang see reason till date,but Tuesday saw the worst military incident since the Korean war ended in 1953,without a peace treaty.