North Korea's Goal Has Never Changed Since The End Of The Korean War: Invade And Conquer South Korea

Korean People’s Army (KPA) tanks are displayed during a military parade marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2017. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on April 15 saluted as ranks of goose-stepping soldiers followed by tanks and other military hardware paraded in Pyongyang for a show of strength with tensions mounting over his nuclear ambitions. AFP PHOTO

WNU Editor: The forceful reunification of the Korean peninsula has always been the goal of the North Korean government .... and that policy goal has not changed since the end of the Korean War. What has always stopped the North from accomplishing their goals is the U.S. presence in South Korea, and its security guarantees to its people. Removal of U.S. forces, and the rescinding of U.S. security guarantees .... now that will change the dynamics on the Korean peninsula completely .... and that is North Korea's priority. And there is a precedent to this North Korean strategy .... and one only has to look at the Vietnam war, and what happened when U.S. military forces left and the U.S. government abandoned its support of the South Vietnamese government. I am sure that the rulers of North Korea have always dreamed of repeating history .... to do what the North Vietnamese did to South Vietnam .... get the U.S. out, and then wage a war to unify the people using nationalism as your driving force. Fortunately for all .... the North Koreans always lacked the means to convince the Americans to leave .... and South Korea is not South Vietnam. But what has kept the armistice for the past 65 years may now be changing .... nuclear weapons and the perception that Kim Jong-Un can now strike the U.S. mainland has given the North Koreans a lot leverage .... leverage that I am sure they will be using (if not already).

We are now entering dangerous territory .... and what is frustrating is that this has been predicted by many for years. And as to who should we blame for all of this  .... the list is long and many. But I do have a special place of blame on past U.S. administrations .... they had the power to change the region .... unfortunately .... there was never any real political will in Washington to make the hard decisions to stop North Korea's march to develop and deploy nuclear weapons. Economic inducements and promises of aid (that was only given sporadically) have not (and will not) work in changing North Korean policy. What should have been done in the past .... is what is being done now. President Trump's strategy of imposing across the board sanctions on the North Korean regime should have been employed years ago .... especially when China was vulnerable to U.S. economic pressure, and Russia was too weak to stand-up to the U.S.. This may not have changed the North Korean regime's strategic objectives .... but it would have starved its nuclear and missile program for years. Why was this not done is a question that I am sure that future historians will talk about .... but for now .... the options on what to do are all terrible. On a side note .... this is a must read .... Be afraid, be very afraid: North Korea’s long-term strategy (Bradley K Martin, Asia Times).