The Economist warns against N. Korea

The British weekly newsmagazine The Economist asserted that it would only motivate greater misconduct by North Korea should the West comply with North's request for financial aid for satellite launches in lieu of its giving up its own missile development program.

The magazine in an in-depth analysis pointed out that the North was taking advantage of the slackened South Korea-Japan-U.S. alliance following the inter-Korean Summit and had made conciliatory requests. The magazine added that North's leader Kim Jong-Il has widened his scope of activity more than ever before.

When North Korea first launched its Daepodong test missile two years ago, South Korea, Japan and the United States had formed a rigid alliance. As such, the three nations were able to jointly threaten North with comprehensive embargo including financial aid. According to the magazine, such joint assertiveness brought a temporary stop to North's missile program and North Korea to the negotiation table.

Chung Mi-Kyoung mickey@donga.com