North Korea is a small, impoverished nation. The country suffers frequent humanitarian crises and famines throughout the country have resulted in millions of deaths. However, these aren’t the factors the international community focuses on. North Korea is a highly aggressive state. The regime in Pyongyang has a history missile launches, nuclear tests and assassination attempts directly threatening other countries in the region. But why? Why is North Korea such a hostile nation? Well, let us explain…
1. The Country’s History
A first reason why North Korea is hostile is because of the country’s history.
North Korea was founded in 1948, following the fall of Japan at the end of World War Two. Japan had colonized the Korean peninsula since 1910. The fascist Japanese regime ruled Korea through brutality and oppression, committing many horrific atrocities. Several factions throughout Korea resisted the Japanese. One of the main ones was the communist movement, in which Kim-Il-Sung, the first rule of North Korea, was a prominent member.
Following the end of World War Two, the Korean peninsula was divided along the 38th parallel between the soviet backed-North and American-backed South. In 1950, North Korea invaded the South in an attempt to unify the peninsula under the Kim regime. America, alongside 15 other nations, intervened in the conflict, pushing North Korean forces back beyond the 38th parallel.
The regime in Pyongyang defines itself by its resistance to the Japanese occupation, as well as its resistance to America and its support for the government in the South. Taking hostile actions against these forces is a way for the North Korean regime to show that is still resisting these perceived aggressors. This may be futile and purely propagandist, but it is a key reason why North Korea is such a hostile nation.
2. Perceived Aggression Against North Korea
A second reason why North Korea is aggressive is its perceived hostility against it.
North Korea feels that it is under threat. It some ways, the regime is correct about this. America and other Western powers, alongside South Korea and Japan, have seen North Korea as an enemy state since its founding in 1948. North Korean actions have exacerbated this, especially by launching its invasion of South Korea – a key US alley, in 1950, and through aggressive acts against other countries the region.
…however, North Korea uses its hostile posture in order to further antagonize nations that are against it. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, by where North Korea uses hostile actions to push back against perceived aggressions against it, which then results in increased sanctions and a greater miliary presence by Western nations in the region. This in-turn allows North Korea to use this perceived aggression to undertake further hostile actions.
Whether the regime in Pyongyang is correct to perceive other nations in the region as being aggressive against it is a matter for extensive debate. However, it cannot be ignored that North Korea uses this perceived aggression as a justification for its hostilities.
3. To Prop-Up The Regime
A third reason why North Korea is so hostile is because it helps to prop-up the regime.
North Korea has been ruled by the same family since it was founded. The regime is brutal, with a horrific human rights record. All decent in North Korea is crushed. However, the regime has been unable to provide a good standard of living for the people of North Korea. Many across the country live in extreme poverty with the nation experiencing regular famines. However, the North Korean elite live in luxury, insulated from the harsh lives their countrymen lead.
…As a result, the North Korean regime lacks legitimacy. Its original support came from the Korean communist’s resistance against the Japanese occupation during World War Two, but that’s two generations ago. North Korea’s rulers need to ensure legitimacy, and their hostility towards surrounding nations, and the US, is key to this.
By ensuring the population of North Korea feel under threat from external forces, the Kim regime can gain legitimacy for its ability to fend off foreign interference. By taking aggressive actions, the North Korean regime ensures that there is a degree of hostility towards the nation. This ensures their legitimacy.
4. In Order To Deter Attacks Against It
Another reason why North Korea is a hostile nation is in order to deter attacks against it.
The regime in Pyongyang is highly paranoid that it is going to be overthrown. In some ways, this paranoia is overblown – few regional powers, or the US, wish to fight a war against North Korea and overthrow the regime. However, throughout the nation’s history, there have been those calling for an end to North Korea.
The survival of the Kim regime is its paramount goal. Therefore, by taking hostile actions, it helps to deter other countries from considering attacking North Korea, or trying to overthrow the regime. Essentially, if North Korea is willing to take hostile actions when the actual threat against it is low, the actions they would be willing to take if attacked are likely to be enormous. This simple rationale is key to why North Korea is to aggressive and why its actively takes provocative actions.
5. To Gain Concensions From The International Community
A key reason why North Korea is so aggressive is in order to extract concessions from the international community.
North Korea is cripplingly poor. The country’s economic model is unable to provide a decent standard of living for its people. The Kim regime has long adhered to the ideology of Juche – the core principles of the nation’s founder Kim-Il Sung. Juche prescribes self-reliance for North Korea, and the regimes adherence to the ideology means the country remains mostly isolated.
…however, North Korea is unable to remain entirely self-reliant in most areas. Food, industrial technology, and pharmaceuticals are all areas where North Korea must rely partly on other nations. As the country is heavily sanctioned North Korea uses hostile acts to extract concessions from other countries.
Essentially, by taking aggressive actions, such as testing nuclear weapons or launching rockets into the Sea of Japan, North Korea is trying to get much needed economic, technological, or humanitarian support. Their aim is to force other nations to provide assistance, or reduce sanctions, in the hope that it will limit future hostile actions. This cycle of aggression by North Korea, followed by the granting of concessions, has been the foundation of relations between regional powers, the US, and North Korea for decades. Although policy makers are trying to break this cycle, the ability to extract concessions is still a major reason why North Korea is so hostile.
6. Because They Can
A final reason why North Korea is a hostile nation is because… it can be.
North Korea has been taking aggressive acts against neighboring states since its founding in 1948. Following the Korean war, North Korea used espionage, kidnap, assassinations and the broadcasting of propaganda, especially targeting South Korea and Japan. The 1968 USS Pueblo incident, as well as other aggressions, targeted US forces in the region. As a result of these actions, the international community has done essentially nothing. Apart from tough sanctions, and the repelling of North Korean forces during the Korean war, no major retaliations have been taken against the Kim regime as a result of its hostility. This is a key reason why North Korea continues to be aggressive.
The support North Korea receives from China cannot be ignored for why so little action has been taken against the country’s aggressive acts. China is North Korea’s only major supporter, and provides key economic and military support to Pyongyang. North Korea is vital to China’s own strategic interests, and therefore it is willing to tolerate a degree of hostility towards what are often mutual foes.