In recent days, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles, one landing into the Sea of Japan in direct defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. As North Korea continues to drive a stake between America’s strongest allies in Asia, the erratic behavior of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un is a direct threat to U.S. strategic interests in the region.
North Korea’s leadership has called Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump a “wise politician” and the right choice for Americans this November. Mr. Trump has even suggested that South Korea and Japan should develop nuclear weapons. In stark contrast to Mr. Trump’s worldview, President Obama recently made a historic visit to Hiroshima, Japan a city that was devastated by an atomic bomb during World War II.
As we approach the 71 anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia, President Obama used the setting in Hiroshima to call for a world without nuclear weapons, noting that we must all “find the courage, together, to spread peace and pursue a world without nuclear weapons.” While some South Koreans protested President Obama’s historic visit and demanded an apology, the vast majority of U.S. allies including Japan, welcomed this positive step forward. President Obama’s visit was part of his “pivot to Asia” which aims to brings U.S. allies in Asia closer together.
Just a few hundred miles from Hiroshima, North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un is working tirelessly to develop long range nuclear weapons. Propped up by communist China, the North Korean dictator and human rights abuser is attempting to drive a stake into the heart of South Korea and Japan relations. As many Asia experts will tell you, South Korea and Japan form the fulcrum of President Obama’s “pivot to Asia”.
According to deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes, one source of long standing tension between South Korea and Japan was the use of so-called “comfort women” by Japanese soldiers during World War II. The Japanese government agreed to compensate the Korean women used for sex by Japanese troops and Prime Minister Abe of Japan renewed an apology. Both sides stated that the agreement was a “final and irrevocable resolution” to a challenging issue that had negatively impacted relations between two of America’s most important allies in Asia.
President Obama praised President Park of South Korea and Prime Minister Abe of Japan for having the “courage and vision to forge a lasting settlement to this difficult issue.” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry remarked that the agreement will “improve relations between two of the United States’ most important allies.”
Less than 24 hours after the ink was dry on this historic agreement, President Obama, President Park of South Korea and Prime Minister Abe of Japan were in discussions about ongoing North Korean nuclear tests. A new era of strong U.S. – Japan and South Korea relations had begun. However, the North Koreans were determined to rally opposition to the historic comfort women agreement.
The North Korean leadership publicly criticized this “humiliating agreement” and vowed to do everything within its power to oppose stronger cooperation between America’s most important allies in Asia. Chong Dae Hyup an extreme nationalist group with links to North Korea rallied nationalist sentiment in neighboring South Korea.
U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert demonstrated great leadership by helping to forge the agreement, aside from the the fact that he was knifed in the face by an extreme nationalist Kim Ki-Jong who had close links to North Korea. One nationalistic group even called on President Obama in a Change.Org petition to fire U.S. Deputy of State Anthony Blinken for managing the negotiations that resulted in this historic agreement. North Korea dictator Kim Jong-Un and his military are deeply troubled by a strong united alliance between the U.S., South Korea and Japan. The U.S. must not allow North Korea to exacerbate tensions between key American allies in the Asia-Pacific region.
President Obama’s “pivot to Asia” is an outstanding foreign policy success. In light of China’s recent island building in the South China Sea and North Korea’s missile tests, it’s clear that we need South Korea and Japan working together to help safeguard U.S. national security interests in Asia.
The comfort women agreement has been a sensitive issue for decades but having been resolved by South Korea and Japan, things are moving forward. Having failed to prevent the agreement, the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-Un, with Chinese support, will keep trying to divide top U.S. allies in the region.
While Donald J. Trump may have been endorsed by Kim Jong-Un, we must not stand idly by as North Korea and China seek to sow the seeds of distrust between key U.S. allies in Asia.