Monday, August 17, 2009

UN sanctions for South Korea? What's good for the Pyongyang goose is good for the Seoul gander?

The Republic of Korea [ROC aka South Korea] is positioning its first long range missile for blast off within a matter of days. The KSLV 1 is expected to put a satellite into space. Built with kiand assistance of Russia, after many delays in the delivery of the 33 metre rocket, the launch will take place from the Naro space centre off of South Korea's south coast.
Guam Diary muses on the possibility that Seoul's long range rocket will be the object of the UN Security Council's alert eye? It is useful to recall that after fair warning to the international community the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [DPRK aka North Korea] launched a similar home grown rocket with a satellite into outer space. Immediately the US seized the UN Security Council calling for sanctions against Pyongyang. Thanks to Washington's arm twisting, the vote for sanctions was unanimous, based on a dubious interpretation of resolution 1718. The DPRK responded swiftly by walking out of the six party talks in Beijing for good; by restarting its nuclear programme; by multiplying short and medium range rocket tests; and finally by tearing up the 1953 Armistice Accords. Tensions mounted, and the trip wire to war on the divided Korean peninsula became tauter than ever.
Consider that Seoul is a stalwart ally of the US, it is hardly probable that even say if the DPRK brings a resolution for sanctions against the ROC, it will not fly. More, Washington would cast a veto blocking any action.
Japan too is a big chum of South Korea, so you won't hear any fuss and muster from Tokyo. Sporadic protests perhaps but nothing really to write home about.
Russia cannot say much since it was Russian technology and cooperation that the KSLv 1 reached the launch pad.
China might raise a mild protest formally.
Yet, South Korea's long range missile test raises a curious eyebrow! Washington, so far as we now can discern, has not helped its long time ally Seoul from building the rocket. Even with Moscow's assistance, sharp differences with Seoul delayed the delivery of the missile till now.
Can the UN really sustain punitive sanctions against Pyongyang without applying the same yardstick against Seoul? It won't. Nor can it apply sanctions against Pyongyang with a straight face. ROC launch simply makes a mockery of US president Barack Obama's [BHO] hard line stance against the DPRK. The blantant hypocrisy is quite apparent and in the short term, the sanctions will fall into disuse, the more especially since the visit of Bill Clinton and Mme. Hyun Jeong un, chairwoman of the Hyundai Group with heavy economic and emotional ties to North Korea.
Washington's favouritism will like a big rock that it launched will land on its own toes.
Guam Diary finds a long silver thread of failure and misinformed and ill conceived policies in the US diplomatic effort to throw its wait around. And Washington has but itself to blame for its arrogance, laziness, and false pride, if not arrant obtuseness.

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