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North Korea

Human Rights in North Korea
Is War necessary to promote a more humane society?

It seems that the only thing we hear about North Korea in the media these days is about their Nuclear weapons program. Aside from that problem is another issue of concern. The issue of human rights is a recurring dilemma for North Korea. To many outsiders the country is considered to be a totalitarian dictatorship run by Kim Jong Il. The country itself is falling apart from the oppressive actions of the Korean Workers Party (KWP). My aim is to discuss whether there is a need for a war for democracy, comparing it with historical and economic perspectives.

I will begin by discussing the current human rights situation of North Korea. Quoting from Former German ambassador Hans Meretzki, "the North Korean leadership has made all residents subject to a collective slavery by depriving them of individuality, and forcing them to engage in hard labor." Not to mention the country's famine dilemma, where between 600,000 and 3.5 million of it citizens have died from malnutrition. For this reason the human rights conditions in North Korea must be regarded as one of the more important matters for the international community.

Many non-war methods have been attempted in trying to ease the human rights concerns of North Korea. There are many limitations to this approach because the government limits what the other countries are able to do. One of the more recent developments was that North Korea resumed its nuclear weapons plan. This caused a lot of the foreign aid which had been negotiated to cease coming in. There is only so much other countries can do from afar to help citizens of an oppressive government.

The proposition of war with North Korea has always been a familiar concept for the U.S. government. Although the major reason for a war would be to divert North Korea's nuclear weapons program, it would also benefit in setting forth democracy in North Korea.

Critics question whether...