GK

Topic of the week for discussion: 31st Aug to 6th Sep 2017 Topic: Baffling  Ballistic Missile The recent outburst of news reporting a Ballistic Missile crossing over Japan into the Pacific Ocean sent an alarming alert message to not only Japan but also to the rest of the world.  North Korea, the culprit behind this dangerously risky and irresponsible act, believes that they are right in their doings because they explain the act as retaliation to the exploitation of the Korean Peninsula by America. America has been carrying out defense exercises at its military bases in Japan and Guam. The missile that North Korea fired was not really directed towards Guam. The missile was launched towards the east of Japan, 1180 km from Japan’s Northern Island Hokkaido. The missile travelled about 1700 km from Pyongyang to Hokkaido. DRPK (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) had threatened the USA that it will attack Guam, which is 1550 km to the south of Tokyo. DRPK proves that USA cannot pressurize North Korea and if pushed, it can reach the waters of Guam. Given the situation, none of the adversaries involved in this missile attack i.e North Korea, Japan and USA have shown technical prowess. The North Korean missile broke into three pieces and fell into the ocean when USA and Japan could be nothing more but spectators to this open threat posed onto themselves. Neither Japan nor USA could intercept the missile. This either shows lack of preparation or inability to defend themselves. Whether the victims to this attack chose to remain silent or if silence was their only option, the embarrassment is theirs to bear. According to arstechnic.com, “It is not yet clear whether the missile test was successful other than as a provocation. Reports indicate that the missile broke into three pieces and fell into the ocean 1,180 kilometers (about 730 miles) east of Hokkaido. As it passed over Japan, the missile reached an altitude of 550 kilometers (340 miles)—about the same altitude reached by another recently tested intermediate-range ballistic missile. That missile—the Pukguksong-2—had a much shorter flight of 500 kilometers (310 miles).” The world is witnessing clear signs of the end of the times when they see a superpower like America helpless to have its hands tied to react to such dreadful indications of a World War. There were “J-Alert” declared in Japan, the train network was put to a halt and the citizens were instructed to stay grounded their houses. Citizens of Hokkaido were even warned to ‘evacuate’ had the missile hit a worse target. This would naturally instill fear in the Japanese population and spread uncertainty and imbalance in their lives. Consumerism is the only element that could benefit from this debacle as someone who is not really sure of the future, would try to consume and enjoy with whatever means one has. One can only imagine how whimsical it would be to live under constant consternation caused by a death threat. The incident has invoked strong reaction from the leaders of the USA and Japan. The duo and the UN have decided to hold a meeting to frame ways to pressurize DRPK. President Trump is willing to explore each and every option to counter this unfastened act by the young Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "The world has received North Korea’s latest message loud and clear: this regime has signaled its contempt for its neighbors, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behavior," Mr. Trump said in the statement released by the White House. "The US should know that it can neither browbeat the DPRK with any economic sanctions and military threats and blackmails nor make the DPRK flinch from the road chosen by itself," North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun said later on Tuesday, using the initials of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The Japenese Prime Minster "The launch doubled as a threat to Washington, not only because of the US military bases in Japan, but also that the North showed it has the real capability to fire missiles to waters near Guam if it chose to shoot them in that direction," said Moon Seong Mook, a former South Korean military official and current analyst for the Seoul- based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy. Abe and US President Donald Trump spoke on the phone late Wednesday Japan time, Abe told reporters. "I cannot tell you about our forthcoming response to North Korea, but we have just completely agreed on it," Abe said. Encapsulating the issue, it is apparent that the world is getting closer and closer to a dark age of people, homes and everything set ablaze. Piles of corpses, ponds of blood and cliffs of debris would paint the face of earth with grief, wretchedness and death. This is not what the writer meant by painting the town red. Black will be the aura and colourless the soul, endless will be the hole that won’t play the role of a travelling tunnel that would lead to another world as there would be no light at the end of it to crawl, to crawl out of the misery that made hearts drenched of life and turned too cold, as the leaders powerful and bold would not hold their ballistic ego and missiles of gold.