Reparations payments have been a part of post-war recovery for centuries, and now North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il wants a piece of the pie. According to the Australian Broadcasting Company, Korea is demanding – not suggesting; demanding – that the United States pay nearly $ 65 trillion U.S. in reparations for “six decades of hostility.” KCNA, the official state-controlled news agency of North Korea, reports that just compensation for the tribulations suffered since the division of the Korean peninsula in 1945 is $ 64.96 trillion.
With $ 65 trillion, what can North Korea buy?
Perhaps with $ 65 trillion North Korea is going to be able to afford better industry, not to mention sensitivity training to help smooth over their issues with human rights violations. While it is usually pretty difficult to take accurate assessment of North Korea’s human rights issues, Wikipedia indicates that Amnesty International has enough data to suggest that major sanctions against North Korea are warranted. The Korean War created a refugee exodus and divided Korean families, which in turn led to food shortages. UN troop movement under U.S. leadership allegedly led to the near-collapse of society in North Korea. The nation was not expected to last, yet last it did. The strife of war caused 750,000 divided families according to Korean Studies Review, a problem that continues to haunt that area in modern times.
Celebrating 60th anniversary
The Korean War occurred 60 years ago, and North Korea and Kim Jong-Il probably decided it was a good time to remind the world of what they claimed was 5 million North Koreans “dead, wounded, kidnapped or missing.” In addition, they claim that U.S. sanctions have made their economic recovery almost impossible. These sanctions date before North Korea’s first nuclear test in 2006, according to KCNA. None of this takes into account any of the suffering numerous world sources show that North Korea inflicted upon its own people.
Find more information on this topic
Australian Broadcasting Company
abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/24/2936414.htm
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_North_Korea
Korean Studies Review
koreaweb.ws/ks/ksr/ksr06-04.htm
Visit North Korea:
youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU
