East Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

East Asia - Essay Example North Korea has a history of poor relations with its neighbors. Even though fighting stopped after the ceasefire of the Korean War in 1953, both South and North Korea are still at war with each other. Korea was spilt into North and South Korea after the WWII and ever since they have never had cordial relations. As early as 1950, North Korea tried to capture the southern region but was defeated. In 1972 they agreed to work towards peaceful reunification but it was short-lived (Historyofnations, 2005). Recently its nuclear weapon program has prompted the express concerns of its neighbors including Japan, China, South Korea and Russia. While each of these countries have been condemning the missile tests, they have taken a different stand on how to deal with the affairs concerning North Korea. In 1998, North Korea had launched a midrange missile over Japan, which provoked Japan to take stern action. This prompted Japan to strengthen its military ties with US and transform its own Self-Defense Forces into a full-fledged military. In 2006, Japan took a very firm stand and threatened to impose economic sanctions against North Korea (Onishi & Kahn, 2006). It would cut off money transfers from Japan which means cutting off a significant source of cash for North Korea. It had also banned the North Korean Mangyongbong-92 ferry from entering its ports for six months in 2006. This was a vital link for transferring cash and supplies to North Korea. Japan had tried to normalize relations with North Korea even though the latter had abducted Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s to teach Japanese language and culture to the North Korean army (Duk-Min, 2005). Japan has strained relations with South Korea and China and it needs the support to be tough with North Korea in imposing eco nomic sanctions. China and South Korea have in the recent years increased their economic activities with North partly to save the