On July 4th, America’s Independence Day, North Korea claimed that it had successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile. What is self-evident now is that its weapons of mass destruction programs pose a clear and present danger to the world community. Mutual blame games aside, North Korea’s WMD threats are no longer local, but global. At this juncture, North Korean observers are roughly divided into two groups. At one end are those who advocate that Kim Jong-un and his cohorts will n

On May 9, the Korean people will elect a new president. His or her most urgent task will be to take the initiative, especially in inter-Korean relations at this eleventh hour. For this initiative, China’s input is vital; it should take drastic measures in dealing with North Korea. It should be in the same boat with the Republic of Korea and the United States. The new initiative is in essence a two-track approach. One, the sanctions and pressures against North Korea, being implemented by the Repu