THE NEWS COVERAGE of the recent nuclear tests will seldom miss the comments of several key nations like Japan, China, Republic of Korea, Russia and US. Their reactions are but obvious and won’t surprise provided you have a little knowledge about their past relations. A list of protagonists and antagonists of N Korea activities reveals the background picture, over which the hues and clouds are drawn.
    
N Korea and Japan

During the first half of the 20th century Korean subcontinent was ruled by imperial Japan. Political occupation had started much earlier. The morning of February 1, 1906, set forth the shadows, when Japan took a total control of the peninsula. Japanese influence was dominating and the aggressive policy pursued by the former invited much hostile reaction from Korean masses. The occupation continued till 1945, when Japan surrendered to the allied forces. The occupation and aggressive policy is the single most reason that puts Japan in the list of adversaries.

The year 1991 brought with it a shift in the foreign policy of N Korea. P’yongyang started a dialogue but it did not last long. N Korea claimed colonial and world war compensations from Japan, which were rejected by the latter. The dialogue process continues but then it won’t be of much help unless the country abandons its missile and nuclear program.    
 

N Korea is one of the few remaining communist regimes in the world. The political ideology was borrowed from and fostered by the Soviet Union, before and after the independence of the united Korea. As soon as Korea was liberated, the northern region endorsed a communist regime and became Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. However, the actual territorial divide and establishment of two Koreas was carried on by US and Soviet Union. After the establishment of the communist regime DPRK was heavily funded and aided by Soviet Union. Cordial relations lasted a long time, with occasional rifts. South Korea or Republic of Korea, on the other hand secured the US support. Ideological differences put the two Koreas on the war front and ROK became adversary number two.

With the acknowledgement of communist regime DPRK aligned itself with other communist states. Countries like China and Soviet Union were treated as allies of DPRK. People’s Republic of China (PRC) actively supported DPRK in the Korean War. People’s Volunteer Army was specially deployed by PRC to help the DPRK. The army was named so in order to avoid direct confrontation with the United States. 

 

China and Soviet Union provided much of the economic and military assistance till 1990. The two countries were the major providers of oil and food to N Korea. Happy times were over when in 1990 the erstwhile USSR developed ties with South Korea and later on in 1992 Beijing established diplomatic relations with Seoul. Since then N Korea has been trying hard to revitalize the relations with PRC and Russia. One more important fact, which happens to bear consequences on the recent nuclear tests conducted by N Korea, is that Beijing has been actively supporting Non Nuclearisation of Korea.  

DPRK, right from the beginning, was on offensive and against the establishment of a separate ROK. Not agreeing to the terms and laced with munitions provided by Soviet, DPRK launched a series of raids to overthrow the opposition and to create a single socialist government. ROK, backed by US and the friends of America, resisted the attacks. The resulting Korean War listed America and its supporters as adversary number three. Hostility towards America continued all through the last half of the 20^th century. DPRK’s ambitions to reunite the Korean peninsula and oust America from the peninsula are still alive.

 

Whereas N Korea treats America as neo-imperialist, the US has labeled the former as an international outlaw. Major transgressions by N Korea include the capture of the US Navy intelligence gathering ship Pueblo in 1968, downing of a US reconnaissance plane in 1969, killing of two US marines in the Demilitarized Zone and assassination of US educated South Korean cabinet officials. Relations however improved in the last decade of the previous century. Washington has continuously pressured P’yongyang to give up its secretive nuclear program and stop missile technology transfer.

 

In 1994 N Korea signed an accord and relations improved a bit. In 2004, under Bush administration, US once again suspended the shipments and imposed sanctions. Since then relations have been bitter, with America constantly building pressures to put the Korean nuclear program and missile technology transfer on halt. N Korea however refuses to oblige and has demanded for one to one talks with the American leadership.

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