Ambassador Sin Son Ho, Permanent Representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“North Korea”) to the United Nations, gave a rare press briefing at UN headquarters in New York on June 15, 2010. His subject was what he called South Korea’s “fabricated” claim that its warship Cheonan was torpedoed by North Korea’s military. He claimed that North Korea was the “victim” of a deceitful investigation. If the UN Security Council ends up taking the side of South Korea and “is again deceived by another lie,” admonished the North Korean ambassador, “the U.S. and the Security Council shall bear the full responsibility for the subsequent consequences arising there from.”
After reading a lengthy press release, Ambassador Ho responded to my question regarding North Korea’s likely response if the UN Security Council imposes additional sanctions against North Korea, or approves a resolution or Presidential Statement condemning North Korea for the torpedo attack. He warned that “Follow-up measures will be carried out by our military forces.”
When asked whether such measures might include the use of nuclear weapons, he did not directly reply except to say that, “Nuclear weapons is our deterrent.”
Ambassador Ho spent most of his time during the press conference attacking the credibility of the Joint Investigation Group, which included foreign experts, and rejecting its finding that a torpedo launched by North Korea was responsible for the sinking of the South Korean warship on March 26, 2010. He charged that the Joint Investigation Group’s procedures for selection of its members, the members’ independence and scope of authority and how the members arrived at the investigation result have been shrouded in secrecy. “If the South Korean authorities have nothing to hide,” he said, “there is no reason for them not to accept our inspection group for the verification of their ‘investigation result’.”
The North Korean envoy also questioned the reliability of South Korea’s alleged “material evidence” for the sinking of the ship by a North Korean torpedo, which included the rear part of a torpedo found by a civilian fishing boat just five days before the release of the Joint Investigation Group’s finding. “This is indeed as funny story as some kind of fiction in the Aesop’s Fables,” Ambassador Ho quipped.
Ambassador Ho stressed that, on the day of the sinking, U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises were in full swing in the vicinity with many warships engaged in anti-submarine, anti-air and marine interdiction operations. “It was inconceivable,” he claimed, “that the U.S. and South Korean warships equipped with the state-of-the-art [detection]devices failed to detect” the North Korean submarine alleged to be responsible for the torpedo launching. Under such conditions, he argued, it was doubtful that North Korea’s “small size submarine attacked the corvette ‘Cheonan’, which has anti-submarine capacity.”
Ambassador Ho accused South Korea and the United States of concocting a “farce in pursuit of their political purposes.” He claimed that the U.S. benefited the most from the sinking of the South Korean ship.
“Soon after the incident,” said Ho, “the U.S. hyped the ‘threat from North Korea’ to sound real,” using the incident to pressure Japan into accepting American demands regarding its military base in Okinawa and to justify a further build-up of American military presence in the area.
Ambassador Ho charged South Korea with exploiting the incident to evade its own responsibility for the sinking caused possibly by “self-grounding“ or “fatigue failure.“ He also charged that South Korean authorities were attempting to “drive a wedge between China and my country which have excellent relations.”
I got in touch with a spokesperson from the South Korean UN embassy to ask for a response to North Korea’s litany of charges. Other than saying that there was “nothing new regarding North Korea’s political rhetoric,” he refused to comment until his government had the opportunity to issue a formal statement.
North Korea’s UN ambassador – who quipped that he would lose his job if the Security Council took any action against North Korea in response to the sinking – was not joking when he warned:
“Our people and army will smash out aggressors with merciless counteraction if they dare to provoke us despite of (sic) our repeated demand and warnings, and build the most thriving reunified nation on the Korean peninsula.”
In contrast to the urgency with which the Security Council approved a Presidential Statement condemning Israel for the tragic events that ensued aboard one of the Turkish ships in the blockade-running Gaza flotilla, the Security Council has been proceeding very slowly since the sinking of the South Korean ship that killed 46 sailors. The current president of the Security Council, Mexico’s UN Ambassador, defended the deliberative pace – which has included an informal session with North Korea on June 14th – as necessary to maintain stability in the region.
In other words, it is perfectly alright for the UN to rush to judgment against Israel, which is a victim of perpetual terrorism, but North Korea needs to be handled with kid gloves after its chief UN diplomat threatens military aggression. Once again, we are witnessing the UN’s double-standard and appeasement in action.
Ho!! Ho!! Ho!! and a merry christmas to you.You call North Koreans just
North Koreans,but if you happen to slip the word " Jew " by accident
between the lines the world and the U.N,councel and Mr No Brains would
go beserk for the disproportional attack on the South Korean vessel.
Oh! Sorry my mistake the word " Jew " was not mentioned.They just Sh""t
their pants if North Korea yells murder.
Lil' kim is just befinning to show the world why it was a very bad idea to let him develop nukes. If they aren't stopped, the mad mullahs will drive the lesson home shortly after they develop theirs.
Kim Jung Ill is an isolationist nut case but he's not crazy so I seriously doubt that he will institute any attacks on anyone on a major scale. One nuke from North Korea and NK would be obliterated.
One nuke from North Korea and North Korea would be obliterated. I doubt that very much. China will not standby if we nuke Norg Korea even if they nuke South Korea and we would definitely not use nukes under any circumstance with the present Commander on Chief. You say "I seriously doubt that he will institute any attacks on anyone on a major scale." Got news for you, North Korea has over two million men under arms and the lastest Russian and Chinese conventional weapons.
"…we are witnessing the UN’s double-standard and appeasement in action."
We don't have much room to complain about a double standard. America's leaders are proud to say we "hold ourselves to a higher standard". Well, how high is "higher" since you can always raise the bar? This virtually guarantees we will be subjected to a higher standard than the rest. The solution is to stop playing this game and hold ourselves to laws we have agreed to through treaty, and no higher.
The world seems to be heading into a period when there will be major fighting all around the Globe, and we are stuck with a fool in command of the US defenses.
Is there any reason to continue to support the U.N,(Useless Natterers) with the huge subsidies we shell out every year to support this anti-American debating society.? They accomplish as little as did the League of Nations before WW 2. And they do it largely on our dime (would that it were only 10 cents). Let us get out and use the money to lower our national debt. Fat chance with the Kenyan in the White House.
He's half white and half Kenyan, he was born in Hawaii. Stop being racist, it doesn't matter what race he is, why can't you refer to him by his name?
You call the U.N. Anti-American, the Iranians call it Anti-Iranian, the Koreans call it Anti-Korean and you want to know why each country believes this? Because they believe they are entitled to the world and the U.N. is there to help reach compromises instead of us just blowing up the world with some nukes. But in the end you'd get what you wanted… no more debt.
No intelligent person on the face of the earth is going to believe a single word that come out of the mouths of the North Korean government.
The North Korean ambassador is making a logical and coherent argument. Are his claimed facts reliable? I don't know but, given a choice, I will believe any/everyone else.
None of this makes me feel good.
Huff and Puff and I'll blow your house down…….I've heard this rant from these nuts for sixty years. I remember the "Peace Talks" where we talked with these bums for two years. What a Joke. The NKPA, (North Korean Peoples Army) would sit down at the table and start the discussions by complaining about the pencils were facing the wrong direction, or the chairs were not to their liking or the sun was too bright coming through the windows. Month after Month, nothing but complaining.
I've stated before…..Don't talk to these nuts. Ignore them. Don't play their "game" Treat the North Korean regime per-so-na non gra-ta on the world stage.
Excuse me,ajinn,why are you siding with the North Korean ambassador here? He is the representative of one of the most murderous regimes on earth and you say that he has some good points? North Korea is one of the worst places on earth to live. If you utter any word of protest against the regime,you are thrown into a prison camp. The things they do in those places are too horrific to describe and yet you,ajinn take the North Korean ambassador at his word?!
If you don't believe me,then why don't you talk to refugees from North Korea,especially those who live in this country. They would tell you stories that will shock you,but I doubt you'd believe them. Your ignorance about North Korea is shocking and unbelievable.
The danger of nuclear arms and the Western democracies.
Governments are well aware that the ongoing nuclear arms race by totalitarian regimes in Tehran and Pyongyang is like a ticking time bomb. No street actions can be seen in Paris, Brussels or New York to demand that North Korea or Iran should be stopped in their illegal nuclear ambitions. The word indifference is a rather accurate word to describe the apathy in Western democracies. However, when it comes to nuclear arms, nothing is normal and every move can necessitate an urgent counter-move. More about Nuclear Non-proliferation treaties and the Western democracies at http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2009/08/nuclear-non-proliferation-treaties_09.html” target=”_blank”>:http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2009/08/nuclear-non-proliferation-treaties_09.html http://xrl.us/be86yc
Nothing wrong with the US that a military coup won't cure!!