ID :
205418
Tue, 09/06/2011 - 06:29
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/205418
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea's military masterminds hard-line stance on S. Korea: report
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's military hard-liners appear to have secured the upper hand in maneuvering Pyongyang's harsh stance on South Korea, a state-run institute here said Tuesday.
A tug of war between the doves and hawks is also presumed to have affected leader Kim Jong-il's decision-making process on the South, the Korea Institute for National Unification said in a recent report.
The ruling Workers' Party appears to have an interest in winning outside assistance through economic cooperation with China and inter-Korean dialogue. Still, the North's military hawks want to keep the country's hard-line stance on the South intact, the institute said.
Tensions have persisted between the two divided Koreas over Pyongyang's sinking of a South Korean warship in March last year and shelling of a South Korean border island in November.
Pyongyang has refused to take responsibility for the two deadly attacks that killed 50 South Koreans.
The report also said there are signs of a power struggle in the North over leader Kim's plan to hand over power to his youngest son, citing purges and suspicious deaths of several ruling elites in recent years.
Kim named his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the North's ruling Workers' Party and a four-star general last year in the clearest sign yet to make his son the next leader.
North Korea executed Ryu Kyong, a deputy head of North Korea's state security agency and a key aide to leader Kim Jong-il, earlier this year.
The report also said the North could stage another provocation early next year in case a possible poor harvest worsens its internal problems. Seoul plans to host an international nuclear summit in March and hold general elections in April.
The report said the North's possible provocations could include a nuclear test, cyber attack or a firing near the disputed western sea border or the heavily fortified border that separates the two Koreas.
The North conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, drawing harsh international condemnation and sanctions.
A tug of war between the doves and hawks is also presumed to have affected leader Kim Jong-il's decision-making process on the South, the Korea Institute for National Unification said in a recent report.
The ruling Workers' Party appears to have an interest in winning outside assistance through economic cooperation with China and inter-Korean dialogue. Still, the North's military hawks want to keep the country's hard-line stance on the South intact, the institute said.
Tensions have persisted between the two divided Koreas over Pyongyang's sinking of a South Korean warship in March last year and shelling of a South Korean border island in November.
Pyongyang has refused to take responsibility for the two deadly attacks that killed 50 South Koreans.
The report also said there are signs of a power struggle in the North over leader Kim's plan to hand over power to his youngest son, citing purges and suspicious deaths of several ruling elites in recent years.
Kim named his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the North's ruling Workers' Party and a four-star general last year in the clearest sign yet to make his son the next leader.
North Korea executed Ryu Kyong, a deputy head of North Korea's state security agency and a key aide to leader Kim Jong-il, earlier this year.
The report also said the North could stage another provocation early next year in case a possible poor harvest worsens its internal problems. Seoul plans to host an international nuclear summit in March and hold general elections in April.
The report said the North's possible provocations could include a nuclear test, cyber attack or a firing near the disputed western sea border or the heavily fortified border that separates the two Koreas.
The North conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, drawing harsh international condemnation and sanctions.
