Kim Blows Up Again

Managing North Korea – isolated, dysfunctional, belligerent – is a pressing challenge, particularly for immediate neighbors South Korea and China. Another set of tough sanctions against North Korea for its February nuclear test have been imposed by the United Nations, and North Korea has responded with a threat to disregard the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War. Joint US–South Korean military exercises near the Korean Peninsula add to the tensions. China has joined recent rounds of sanctions, angering North Korea, reports the Economist, though expectations are not high of Chinese enforcement of sanctions against transfers of cash and luxury goods across the North Korean border. China has good reason to rein in North Korea: The value of trade between South Korea and China was reported at more than $220 billion in 2011, about 40 times that between North Korea and China. Analysts point to the risk of miscalculation with new leaders in North Korea, South Korea and China. – YaleGlobal