The Relationship Between the United States and North Korea

How many have ever felt abandoned or bullied? Ever feel both from the same person over a long period of time? Did you ever try to resolve those issues with the other person? Were you told the person may not have realized they were treating you in such a manner? Who would be truthful, you with your feelings or that person giving these responses? Both of you are truthful, as each of you sees it.

In this speech I am going to use the goings on between North Korea and the United States to show that truths are relative to our frame of reference, starting first with a little history into the relationship, followed by examples of actual activities that are interpreted by different viewpoints based on the experiences each person has had. I will conclude with the interpretations I have made about the current events.

Main Points

Treaties: Agreements to be friends

Kim Young-Sik, Ph.D. "A Brief History of the US-Korea Relations Prior to 1945"

October 21, 2006 http://www.kimsoft.com/2003/us-kr-relation.htm

On March 24, 1882, was signed a treaty known as the Chemulpo Treaty of Amity and Trade , the first article of which loftily proclaims - "Corea and the United States of America hereby establish everlasting amity and friendship between the two peoples."

The Treaty involved more than friendship and fair trades: it was in effect a mutual defense treaty.

The Taft-Katsura Agreement was signed on July 29, 1904. Japan agreed to accept the US presence in Hawaii and the Philippines, and in exchange, the United States agreed to nullify the Chemulpo Treaty and to give Japan a free hand in Korea. When the agreement was signed, Japanese troops were already in Korea in large numbers and the US military had neither the will nor the power to expel the Japanese from Korea.

In my opinion, the treaty was dropped because the USA felt fear at Japan's great power at the turn of the century.

Once Korea found out they had been traded, they must have felt abandoned and helpless for when they sought help from the USA they were told:

President Theodore Roosevelt's official stance was: "The Korean Government was in the position of an incompetent defective not yet committed to guardianship. The United States is her only disinterested friend-but has no intention of becoming her guardian.... We cannot possibly interfere for the Koreans against Japan. ... They could not strike one blow in their own defense."

This was only one example, namely the first experience, Korea had with feeling abandoned and let down by our fine government. There would be several more over the next several years.

Current Events:

William Drozdiak "Clinton's Star Wars Plan Undermining US Arms Control Goals" Washington Post Thursday, June 15, 2000 October 21, 2006

VIENNA-

"This American search for a perfect security environment only heightens the sense of insecurity for the rest of us," said a senior European diplomat. "In the end, any missile defense system in the United States will only provide a pretext for other nations to build more sophisticated offensive weapons. So ironically, even for the United States, the result will be less security."

The reasons people get scared is because of what we see and how we interpret it. For example, with examples like:

Ben Macintyre "Bush Policies Threaten to Restart Cold War Rivalries" Times of London Wednesday, March 7, 2001 October 21, 2006

In the space of six weeks, President Bush has bombed Iraq, angered China, told Moscow to expect reduced aid, worried much of Europe with his insistent approach to national missile defense (NMD) and made clear that he does not intend to share cocktails with Kim Jong Il, North Korea's leader, any time soon.

Is it any wonder why other countries that cannot conceivably save themselves would work to try to defend themselves? Especially countries like North Korea that has been dominated and bullied for so many years by so many people?

The problem here, as I see it, is both countries are running scared.

Both countries feel threatened by the actions of the other country. Some countries like North Korea, just see people like Mr. Bush as a big bully. Running around the world threatening to blow people up if they don't get rid of their weapons. I don't know about you, but if I felt threatened, I would certainly be very keen on looking into learning the most effective way I could to defend myself against the possibility of attack and to prepare accordingly for the method of attack. I really see it as no different than my abusive partner wanting to cut off my food supply for taking a self defense class such as being offered locally soon. That would just raise my red flags higher. I feel this is much the same view that North Korea is seeing with Mr Bush's actions and words.

And Mr Bush, on the other hand, may not realize he is doing anything wrong. Some people are not taught to see how they are approaching people. He is typically responding like someone prejudiced and may feel threatened because of how our own propaganda has reported the past relationship.

Dr. John M. Swomley "North Korea - The Land Americans Aren't Permitted to Know"

Korean Central News Agency 094^th issue May 12, 1999 October 21, 2006

Because the United States is waging a misguided campaign of its own-one that seemingly provides direct and immediate benefits at home but in the long run, only perpetuates an outdated Cold War mentality that has shackled the peace process.

Leading this misguided campaign is the Pentagon, which needs to portray North Korea as an unpredictable and dangerous regional enemy in the Pacific as away to scare Americans into maintaining and increasing its huge military budget. To accomplish this portrayal, the United States government has enforced a more complete embargo on news about and communication with North Korea than for any other country, including Cuba. Even major U.S newspapers like New York Times are intermediary for their information.

There were 7 military exercises during the Clinton Administration that went unreported to the public, which in turn left:

the impression that North Korea simply would not cooperate with the internal community. Instead of reporting this information, some columnists and newspapers even accused the Clinton administration of "being soft on Korea" if it negotiated with, instead of intimidated, the country.

Ibid.

He may very well think he is trying to be helpful and safety conscious for the world, but his methods need a little peacemaking modification.

This is human nature. It is very unfortunate they cannot sit down and communicate effectively. They need to understand what each is feeling and why, so they can work through it, get past it, and learn to enjoy each other as allies.

I ask that if you take nothing else from this speech that you take all the reported information in stride and if it is something that greatly interests or concerns you, to look for the other person's side of the story. Trust yourself to be able to weed out the propaganda or coercive techniques used in all methods of communication to find the real truths in life.

Online Newspaper Article

William Drozdiak "Clinton's Star Wars Plan Undermining US Arms Control Goals" Washington Post October 21, 2006 Thursday, June 15, 2000

Ben Macintyre "Bush Policies Threaten to Restart Cold War Rivalries"

Times of London Wednesday, March 7, 2001 October 21, 2006

Dr. John M. Swomley "North Korea - The Land Americans Aren't Permitted to Know"

Korean Central News Agency 094^th issue May 12, 1999 October 21, 2006

Online Article

Kim Young-Sik, Ph.D. "A Brief History of the US-Korea Relations Prior to 1945"

October 21, 2006 http://www.kimsoft.com/2003/us-kr-relation.htm