Michael Roberts

You may be thinking that the American and South Korean reaction to the death of Kim Jung-il has been quiet.  Unlike the celebratory hoopla that followed the death or dethroning of other “bad guys” like Osama Bin Laden or dictators in the Middle East, the death of Kim Jung-il has been greeted with subdued hope by South Korea and its allies.  The South Korean and American governments each sent a letter of condolence to the people of North Korea.  The essential message was that we hope North Korea will return to stability and we can work towards peace.

On one hand, these letters demonstrates some sense of respect that the leader of country has died.  On the other hand, they were not sent to Kim Jung-un, who is the head of the funeral committee.  Clearly, neither country wants to show any support for the young Kim Jung-un.  In addition, while South Korea is not sending an official delegation to the funeral, it has allowed a few private citizens to attend.  The widows of the late President Kim Dae-jung and Hyundai Group chairman Chung Mong-hun will be able to attend the funeral.  This is seen as a courtesy, as North Korea sent a delegation to the funerals of both these men, .who were deeply committed to peaceful relations with the North.

In my opinion, it seems that the US and South Korea must believe that there are no upsides to taking a more aggressive approach.  Any sign of aggression will only provide an argument for unity in North Korea.  Leave them alone and hopefully they will fight amongst themselves enough to crack the nation open a bit.  Clearly, Kim Jung-un only represents more of the same from the “Kim” brand.  There is no reason to think that things will improve with the boy in charge, and no reason to think South Korea or the US could befriend him.  South Korea and the US need to hold their breath and hope for a power struggle to emerge.  Eventually, they may need to hold their noses and give some support to a less horrible leader.

In the meantime the people starve.

This post is the third installment of a 3-part series on North Korea in the wake of Kim Jung-il’s death. You can read the first part here and the second part here.