North Korea crisis 2013

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Location of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

The so-called North Korea crisis in 2013 was a worsening of the political situation on the Korean peninsula , which lasted from spring to around the beginning of October. In addition to North and South Korea, the United States , allied with South Korea, the People's Republic of China, allied with North Korea, and the United Nations were mainly involved.

After the third North Korean nuclear test on February 12, 2013, the UN Security Council reacted by tightening sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Their government responded with actions that South Korea and the United States viewed as provocative. Among other things, the ceasefire agreement of 1953 was terminated , a “nuclear preventive strike ” was threatened and the Kaesŏng special economic zone was closed . The international community, including the People's Republic of China , traditionally an ally of North Korea, condemned these "threatening gestures" and urged North Korea to exercise moderation. The United States classified those threats primarily as war rhetoric , but nevertheless took the opportunity to expand “defensive measures” to protect South Korea and its Pacific islands .

The events were similar in many respects to those on the western side called the " First Nuclear Crisis 1994", during which there were mobilizations in North and South Korea and the highest alert of American units on the ground.

prehistory

Kim Jong-un , who was elected First Secretary and thus officially party leader at the fourth conference of the Labor Party of Korea on April 11, 2012 , spoke in his New Year's 2013 speech of an imminent “radical” change for the country and a possible end to the “ Confrontation “with South Korea and an increase in the standard of living of the population, which should, among other things, go hand in hand with an economic upswing in agriculture and light industry . In a plenary session of the Central Committee on March 31, 2013, he announced that North Korea would simultaneously pursue a new strategy of economic developments such as the establishment of a nuclear force.

Course of the crisis

On December 12, 2012 North Korea carried with the Unha-3 , a modified development of intercontinental ballistic missile Taepodong-2, a satellite into orbit, which was seen by US experts as a disguised military long-range missile test. On January 22, 2013, the UN Security Council tightened sanctions against North Korea. On January 26, 2013, the instructions to prepare for the third North Korean nuclear weapons test were issued .

USGS information image on the measured intensities of the most recent nuclear weapons test

Nuclear weapons test in February 2013

Estimated range of North Korean missiles

On February 12, 2013 at around 12 noon, numerous measuring stations in the vicinity of the P'unggye-ri nuclear weapons test site measured an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0. Observers consider this to be a result of a test of a nuclear weapon , which was subsequently confirmed by KCNA .

Furthermore, Kim Jong-un announced that North Korea was now at war with South Korea ( de jure the state of war has never been lifted since the Korean War anyway) and threatened the United States for the first time with a " preventive nuclear strike ".

The UN Security Council prompted unanimously on the same day, with a resolution to tighten sanctions against North Korea on.

North Korea "announces" ceasefire

From the beginning of March 2013, the USA and South Korea began the two-month spring field exercise Foal Eagle . In response to this provocation, on March 8, 2013, North Korea terminated the ceasefire that had existed since 1953 with effect from March 11, 2013, which was accompanied by increased propaganda on both sides. Among other things, the USA was threatened with a nuclear strike. In the next few weeks there were military threats on both sides, supported by a media propaganda battle.

Announced restart of Nyŏngbyŏn

At the beginning of April, North Korean state media reported that the reactor and uranium enrichment facility at the Nyŏngbyŏn nuclear facility would be adjusted and put back into operation. According to calculations by the Institute for Science and International Security , North Korea could thus be in a position to have up to 32 nuclear weapons in 2016.

Further escalation

On April 3, 2013, North Korea banned 484 South Koreans from entering the Kaesŏng joint industrial region, which was officially closed a week later. A few days later, North Korea recommended that the international diplomats leave the country by April 10, 2013 for security reasons.

Chinese President Xi Jinping first expressed clear criticism on April 7, 2013 when he warned the neighboring country of further escalations. To unconfirmed South Korean reports of increased activity at the North Korean nuclear weapons test site in P'unggye-ri (Punggye Ri). one stationed in and around Tokyo Patriot missile defense systems of the type PAC-3.

After further rumors of a missile launch, the USA increased its defense status ( Defense Condition ) from Defcon 4 (green) to Defcon 3 (yellow) on April 12, 2013 .

US-China initiative

From April 13, there was a diplomatic de-escalation initiative, in which US Secretary of State John Kerry and China jointly proceeded. In the next few weeks, both sides made their respective maximum demands, which particularly related to the Korean nuclear program and the economic sanctions. In the following intrigue, an American spy imprisoned in the People's Republic of Korea since 2012 was sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp. Contrary to the aforementioned charge, he was convicted of "hostile acts" that the man had committed in North Korea. The South Korean President was received as a state guest in Washington. The Chinese state bank, the Bank of China, ended its cooperation with the Foreign Trade Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on May 7, 2013 and closed their accounts. China followed the tightened UN sanctions. At the same time, observers saw this as a clear sign of Chinese anger at his ally. The effects of this move on trade between the two countries remained unknown.

Missile launches in May 2013

There was a change at the top of the North Korean Ministry of Defense on May 13, 2013. Jang Jong-nam, a hitherto little known general, succeeded the previous Defense Minister General Kim Kyok-sik , who had only been in office for half a year.

On May 14, 2013, the United Nations published a report on the effects of the UN sanctions on the North Korean nuclear program, according to which the North Korean armaments program would be significantly delayed by the measures. From May 18-20, 2013, North Korea tested three short-range missiles that were launched into the Sea of ​​Japan .

Sino-North Korean negotiations

For the first time since Kim Jong-un took office in 2010 , senior government officials met with the head of the Political Office of the North Korean People's Army, Choe Ryong-hae , and the director of the international department of the Chinese Central Committee, Wang Jiarui, in Beijing on May 22, 2013 both states together.

Two days later, Chinese media reported that Choe Ryong-hae had declared North Korea's willingness to respond to China's desire to resume negotiations on the North Korean nuclear program and also to promote the country's economic development. On the same day, the North Korean border town Sinŭiju was opened to western tourists. South Korea rejected the negotiation offer it had sent to China on May 27, 2013, and the reopening of the special economic zone offered by the north was also prevented.

Relaxation phase

Since the beginning of June 2013, North Korea has made several offers to negotiate on all problem areas (including telephone connections, family meetings). Working meetings were planned with South Korea, and the US responded hesitantly. In the background, China acted as a mediator in the weeks that followed, without any progress being made in the diplomatic dispute. Against the background of the North Korean offer to negotiate, South Korea demanded stricter preconditions for the start of negotiations in order to ensure the seriousness of the negotiating intentions. In addition to the continued loud propaganda battle, negotiations took place on the fringes of multinational meetings.

Negotiations on Kaesŏng

After another round of negotiations for the reopening of the Kaesng industrial park had failed again, North Korea indicated after further unsuccessful talks on July 25, 2013 that the Kaesŏng industrial park would be converted into a military base. A group of South Korean industry representatives nevertheless traveled to Kaesŏng on August 17, 2013 to check the industrial facilities there. On September 16, 2013, South Korean employees started a test run in the Kaesŏng industrial park. During an international economic conference in Pyongyang in mid-October 2013, the North Korean government announced plans to open additional special economic zones in their country.

Other de-escalating events

On the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War , the largest military parade in North Korea's history was held in Pyongyang , where long-range missiles were also presented. A high representative of China, Vice President Li Yuanchao , also took part. The parade on the national holiday, April 15th, was not taken.

After a corresponding appeal by South Korean President Park Geun-hye on August 15, 2013 to allow cross-border Korean family reunions again, North Korea gave a corresponding promise. After talks between Red Cross representatives from both countries, the meetings were agreed for the period from September 25 to 30, 2013, at the Kŭmgangsan Mountains in North Korea. In the end, the meetings did not take place.

The US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University reported that there were indications that the Nyŏngbyŏn nuclear reactor was restarting on satellite images from August 31, 2013 .

Response from South Korea

On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces, South Korea held the largest military parade in ten years in Seoul on October 1, 2013. 11,000 soldiers took part with 120 vehicles that presented 190 weapon systems. South Korea showed the public for the first time its self-developed cruise missile Hyunmu-3, which can attack targets all over North Korea with a range of 1000 km. The parade was heavily criticized by North Koreans as “insane hostility” and “confrontational circus” with which South Korea and the United States identified themselves as “destroyers of the inter-Korean dialogue”. The following day, the United States and South Korea signed a new defense agreement that, according to Hagels, expanded South Korea's nuclear deterrent and confirmed the United States' role as the country's protective power. A joint sea maneuver carried out by Japan, South Korea and the USA, with the participation of the American aircraft carrier USS George Washington , caused North Korea to put its troops on alert again on October 8, 2013.

Reassurance

Since the third quarter of 2013, the mutual taunts have been limited to the "usual level" again. In 2014, the USA and South Korea held joint maneuvers and called for the end of the North Korean nuclear program, and North Korea tested missiles. The Nyŏngbyŏn nuclear power plant was rumored to be restarted in October 2013, although the old system is unsafe. The International Atomic Energy Agency only confirmed this a year later. Corresponding indications were found on satellite images. As a result of the economic sanctions, North Korea's access to the international oil market is difficult.

On October 25, 2013, North Korea let six South Korean prisoners emigrate to their homeland.

In November 2013, an analysis of the images from spy satellites revealed that North Korea had resumed the expansion of its Tonghae space site, which was interrupted at the end of 2012. Further construction work has also been reported from the Sohae missile base.

See also

literature

  • Bruce E. Bechtol Jr .: North Korea and Regional Security in the Kim Jong-un Era . A New International Security Dilemma. Palgrave Pivot, Basingstoke 2014, ISBN 978-1-137-40006-2 .
  • Barbara Demick: In the land of whispers . Stories from everyday life in North Korea. Droemer Knaur, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-426-78081-7 .

Web links

Interview with two American professors who represent the positions of their government:

 Wikinews: North Korea: experts in an interview on the current situation  - news

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Threats from North Korea: USA set up missile defense on Pacific island . Spiegel Online from April 4, 2013.
  2. ↑ Escalation on the Korean peninsula: North Korea declares a state of war. Retrieved February 17, 2015 .
  3. ↑ North Korea: China warns, but does not apply pressure. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 8, 2014 ; accessed on February 17, 2015 .
  4. ↑ FAZ from April 14, 2013: Korean Crisis The Screenplay
  5. ↑ Rodong Sinmun, April 12, 2012, pp. 2 and 3.
  6. ^ Report on Plenary Meeting of the WPK Central Committee . Korean Central News Agency . March 31, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  7. ↑ North Korea wants to restart the nuclear reactor. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 8, 2014 ; accessed on February 17, 2015 .
  8. ↑ handelsblatt.com: Unha-3 missile - North Korea ignites long-range missile
  9. ↑ handelsblatt.com: After rocket launch - UN extend North Korea sanctions to companies
  10. ↑ zeit.de: UN sanctions - North Korea threatens new nuclear tests
  11. ↑ BBC: How potent are North Korea's threats?
  12. ↑ North Korea proclaims a "state of war" . FAZ of March 30, 2013.
  13. ↑ UN passes sanctions despite North Korea threat of 'pre-emptive nuclear attack' ( Memento of the original from March 9, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . NBC News . March 7, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / worldnews.nbcnews.com
  14. ↑ North Korea intensifies nuclear attack threat against the USA. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 8, 2014 ; accessed on February 17, 2015 .
  15. ↑ welt.de: North Korea threatens a nuclear strike against the USA on March 7, 2013
  16. ↑ handelsblatt.com: Nuclear threat - UN tightened sanctions against North Korea
  17. ^ End of the non-aggression pact: South Korea warns North Korea , Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, March 8, 2013
  18. ↑ Kim Jong-un swears by KP on atomic power , welt.de of April 2, 2013.
  19. ↑ dw.de: North Korea - Worldwide concern about new provocation Pyongyang , April 2, 2013. Accessed April 2, 2013
  20. ↑ focus.de: Conflict with South Korea - North Korea seals off Kaesong Industrial Park , April 3, 2013. Accessed April 3, 2013
  21. ↑ spiegel.de: Criticism of North Korea: China suddenly strikes a sharp note , April 8, 2013. Accessed on April 9, 2013
  22. ↑ dw.de: Asia - North Korea pulls Xi's nerves , April 8, 2013. Accessed April 8, 2013
  23. ↑ focus.de: Conflict with dictator Kim - Japan positions missile defense against North Korea , April 9, 2013. Retrieved on April 9, 2013
  24. ↑ North Korea sentenced US citizens to 15 years in a labor camp. zeit.de, May 3, 2013, accessed May 4, 2013 .
  25. ↑ North Korea sends US citizens to labor camps for 15 years. handelsblatt.com, May 1, 2013, accessed May 4, 2013 .
  26. ↑ USA and South Korea want to stick to the hard line. Bank of China cuts connection with North Korean foreign exchange bank. dradio.de, May 8, 2013, accessed May 8, 2013 .
  27. ↑ China closes accounts of North Korea's commercial bank. spiegel.de, May 7, 2013, accessed May 8, 2013 .
  28. ↑ North Korea's ruler dismisses defense minister. handelsblatt.com, May 13, 2013, accessed May 15, 2013 .
  29. ↑ Kim Jong-un appoints new defense minister. faz.net, May 13, 2013, accessed May 15, 2013 .
  30. ↑ UN experts - North Korea sanctions are having an effect. reuters.com, May 15, 2013, accessed May 15, 2013 .
  31. ↑ Six missile tests within three days. sueddeutsche.de, May 20, 2013, accessed on May 22, 2013 .
  32. ↑ North Korea fires two mysterious rockets into the sea again. focus.de, May 20, 2013, accessed on May 22, 2013 .
  33. ↑ North Korea wants to win back China's favor. zeit.de, May 22, 2013, accessed on May 22, 2013 .
  34. ↑ Controversial nuclear program: North Korea is ready for talks. spiegel.de, May 25, 2013, accessed on May 28, 2013 .
  35. ^ Sinuiju: North Korea opens border town for day tourists. spiegel.de, May 24, 2013, accessed on May 28, 2013 .
  36. ↑ South Korea wants negotiations instead of «visits». nzz.ch, May 28, 2013, accessed on May 29, 2013 .
  37. ↑ USA open to dialogue with North Korea. ruvr.ru, June 16, 2013, accessed June 19, 2013 .
  38. ↑ South Korea for tougher conditions when entering into dialogue with North Korea. ria.ru, June 20, 2013, accessed June 24, 2013 .
  39. ↑ Dispute over archipelagos weighs on ASEAN summit in Brunei. dradio.de, June 30, 2013, accessed July 4, 2013 .
  40. ↑ This is what approach between enemies looks like. rp-online.de, July 17, 2013, accessed on August 14, 2013 .
  41. ↑ Negotiations about Kaesong failed. sueddeutsche.de, July 25, 2013, accessed on August 14, 2013 .
  42. ↑ Seoul sends inspectors to industrial complex in North Korea. August 17, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013 .
  43. ↑ North Korea: Kaesong industrial complex reopened. spiegel.de, September 16, 2013, accessed on September 23, 2013 .
  44. ↑ North Korea is planning new special economic zones. zeit.de, October 16, 2013, accessed on October 31, 2013 .
  45. ↑ North Korea celebrates with a large military parade. stern.de, July 27, 2013, accessed on August 14, 2013 .
  46. ↑ North Korea treats itself to the biggest parade in history. welt.de, July 27, 2013, accessed on August 14, 2013 .
  47. ^ Great military parade: North Korea celebrates the 60th anniversary of the armory. china.org.cn, July 27, 2013, accessed August 14, 2013 .
  48. ^ Relaxation in the Korean conflict: Kim Jong Un allows family reunions in September. spiegel.de, August 28, 2013, accessed on August 28, 2013 .
  49. ↑ North Korea wants to allow family reunions. Kim was in a mild mood for Thanksgiving. focus.de, August 18, 2013, accessed on August 28, 2013 .
  50. ↑ North and South Korea continue to converge. Family reunion agreed. n24.de, August 23, 2013, accessed on August 28, 2013 .
  51. ↑ North Korea is apparently restarting its nuclear reactor. welt.de, September 12, 2013, accessed on September 24, 2013 .
  52. ↑ South Korea's strong woman irritates Kim with a tank parade. Largest parade in ten years. focus.de, October 1, 2013, accessed on October 2, 2013 .
  53. ↑ North Korea angry with "confrontational circus". Parade in the south. welt.de, October 2, 2013, accessed on October 2, 2013 .
  54. ↑ The north dreams, the south threatens. Korea crisis with a difference. n24.de, October 1, 2013, accessed on October 2, 2013 .
  55. ↑ North Korea angry about the parade: "Insane hostility". Response to South Korea's military parade. focus.de, October 2, 2013, accessed on October 2, 2013 .
  56. ^ Military parade in Seoul: North Korea criticizes South Korea's arms show as a circus. spiegel.de, October 2, 2013, accessed on October 2, 2013 .
  57. ↑ Pyongyang puts military on alert. Reaction to South Korea's sea maneuvers. n24.de, October 8, 2013, accessed October 8, 2013 .
  58. ↑ North Korea puts nuclear reactor back into operation. Plutonium production. augsburger-allgemeine.de, October 8, 2013, accessed on October 9, 2013 .
  59. ↑ Experts: Nuclear reactor in North Korea apparently back in operation. orf.at, September 5, 2014, accessed on September 5, 2014 .
  60. ↑ North Korea hands over six prisoners to South Korea. zeit.de, October 25, 2013, accessed on October 31, 2013 .
  61. ↑ Symbol of relaxation: North Korea lets six South Koreans go back home. spiegel.de, October 24, 2013, accessed October 31, 2013 .
  62. ↑ North Korea is working on launch pad again. Long-range missiles. welt.de, November 30, 2013, accessed December 5, 2013 .