The Cause of Food Shortage in North Korea?

North Korea is often described as having the fourth largest military on the planet. That’s quite an accomplishment for a country of 24 million but the numbers are achieved at the expense of quality and sustainability. The 950,000 personnel in the active military are four percent of the population. When you include reservists who can be called to service in wartime, over 25 percent of the population gets involved. That means the economy, as shabby as it is, pretty much shuts down until the war is over. Fortunately, that won’t take long. Since North Korea has drawn on its war reserves of food and fuel over the last decade (because of bad harvests and little cash to buy oil), it’s likely that North Korea would be out of fuel for military operations after about a month and food shortages for the entire population would quickly become catastrophic. That’s because the military takes over much of the vehicle transport in wartime and enemy air attacks would cripple the railroads. Without transportation, food cannot be moved to areas that don’t produce much of it. North Korea are in a very difficult situation domestically because of the growing famine. They have a real shortage of food.

(http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/what-food-crisis-n-korea-build-big-ben-eiffel-towe/1848758/)

Nuclear Reactors more valuable than human lives?

Experts commissioned by the operator of a Japanese nuclear plant that faces possible closure because of a suspected active seismic fault say a decision should wait, citing insufficient data. Operator Japan Atomic Power Co. disputes that view. The decision is being closely watched as the pro-nuclear government moves to restart plants suspended since the Fukushima nuclear crisis. The plant's owners plan to appeal the regulators' decision. Still, the development comes as a number of other plants are awaiting determination whether their sites contain active faults. The decision could also be viewed as a setback for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, which took office in December. Mr. Abe's administration effectively wants to reverse a decision to eventually phase out nuclear power, a move taken by the previous government that was in office during the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident. For the company, which is jointly owned by Japan's major utilities, the closure of the Tsuruga plant would eliminate its only source of revenue and pose large-scale costs for a permanent decommissioning of the facility.

(http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/japan-nuclear-reactor-atop-active-fault-/684020.html)

Yasukuni : Arlington = Abe : Obama

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe likened the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which houses the remains of Japan's war dead including convicted World War II criminals, with the Arlington National Cemetery in the US. 14 convicted World War II criminals are enshrined in Yasukuni. Suppose the Germans had decided to enshrine Nazi war criminals at an altar in the middle of their capital and the chancellor, Cabinet and lawmakers paid homage there every year. The EU would not exist, and Germany would have faced global condemnation and isolation. Japan's war criminals are no different than Nazi war criminals. Comparing Yasukuni with the Arlington National Cemetery is simply absurd. Japanese politicians are trying to win votes for parliamentary elections in July by appealing to populist, rightwing sentiment with their attempts to whitewash the unimaginable atrocities and slaughter of tens of millions of people in neighboring countries committed by Japanese troops during World War II. Nobody dares to counter that dangerous lurch to the right, in which Abe is a leading figure. That is why the country cannot be allowed to revise its pacifist constitution and arm itself again.

(http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130520000835)

Is China seeking regime-change in North Korea?

The sudden reduction in aggressive rhetoric and actions by North Korea has led to suggestions that Pyongyang has realized it has pushed its only ally in the region to the brink of severing its friendship. Intelligence sources have stated that Beijing has a contingency plan in place for when Kim Jong-un's control over the country crumbles. The reports confirm that China is indeed quietly encouraging regime change and is grooming Kim's brother, Kim Jong-nam to take over his role. The reports suggest that after Kim Jong-nam is installed in Pyongyang, his brother will be permitted to go into exile, probably in China. China may be dreaming of appointing Kim Jong-nam as the new king. The atmosphere between the two nations is changing. China may have decided that it is time for a regime-change in the North, they will not permit the collapse of the country because they do not want chaos on their own borders.

(http://www.dw.de/north-korea-fires-fourth-missile-in-two-days-into-sea-of-japan/a-16823823)

Hashimoto’s unacceptable words

Remarks by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto on Japan’s wartime military sex slave system have once again raised serious questions about his nationalistic views and his understanding of human rights. Hashimoto claimed that the sex slave system was necessary to maintain discipline in the Imperial Japanese armed forces and stressed that there was no proof that the Japanese state kidnapped women and forced them to become sex slaves. This statement flies in the face of the indisputable fact that the most fundamental human rights of tens of thousands of Asian women were violated by the Japanese military. His “logic” is that frontline soldiers and young servicemen stationed abroad need women’s sexual services for rest and relaxation so discipline can be maintained. He clearly believes that the war effort justified the subjugation of women as sex slaves. This view of women being first and foremost sex objects for men not only rubs salt in the wounds of former sex slaves but is an insult to the dignity of all women. Japan should realize that their nationalistic agenda and moves to weaken constitutional democracy will only serve to undermine international trust in Japan and inflame regional tensions.

(http://japandailypress.com/osaka-mayor-toru-hashimoto-defends-statements-blames-media-for-misreporting-2029119)

Kenneth Bae begins 15 years hard labour in North Korea

Bae, a US citizen of Korean descent, was arrested for attempting to overthrow the state. He entered the “special” prison on Tuesday. A statement from North Korea accused Bae of giving anti-Pyongyang lectures in China and having infiltrated about 250 students into the city of Rason, in north-eastern North Korea. Pyongyang claims that Bae has confessed, and did not want a lawyer present during sentencing. Bae is reported by friends to have worked as a Christian missionary in Dalian, a Chinese city near North Korean, and to have crossed the border to distribute food to orphans. He is alleged to have distributed inflammatory literature. Christianity is banned by the North Korean state, and the circulation of Bibles is strictly punished.

(http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/15/american-kenneth-bae-starts-hard-labor-north-korea/)

North Korea shutdown Kaesong complex because of Chocopies?

Because North Korea shutdown the Kaesong Industrial Complex, South Korean investors lost a lot of money. However, North Korea also received a lot of damages. One of the risks North Korea face now in withdrawing everybody is the 50,000 people who left their jobs two weeks ago are very unhappy. The North Korean workers have become used to a discipline of having a good job, going to work every day, getting a nice lunch and health services, and Chocopies which you can sell in the market for some extra money. By denying these people those benefits and their current lifestyle, I can't imagine they would be happy. The change in mindset of the people in Pyongyang becoming more engaged in market trading and market economies, and making money from entrepreneurship has become a threat to the regime's longer-term interests. North Korea must have shutdown Kaesong in order to prevent the “ideological contamination” to continue.

(http://www.munhwa.com/news/view.html?no=2013051301033037115002)