The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), more commonly known as North Korea, has been closed off from the outside world since the mid-1970s. This week, we were allowed a rare glimpse inside as the young new leader of the country gave his first publicised speech

Kim Jong-un, son of the late Kim Jong-il, spoke on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of his grandfather, the founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-Sung. Kim Jong-un, who is suspected to be in his late 20s, spoke of North Korea’s military strength, which he states will continue to be the country’s number one priority. This already heavily militarised nation has received widespread condemnation from most of the rest of the world for its totalitarian dictatorship, human rights violations, and nuclear programme. It is believed that many in the country live in an abysmal state, characterised by extreme poverty and malnutrition. The declarations made by Kim Jong-un that the nation’s focus will continue to be the military rather than feeding the malnourished is of great concern.

Kim Jong-un’s speech came shortly after another alarming occurrence in the DPRK. The launch and failure of a supposed earth observation satellite took place on 13 April. Despite claims from the nation’s capital, Pyongyang, that the launch was only for peaceful purposes, this event has nevertheless rattled the international community. This launch, condemned by the EU and many other nations, was a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1817 which prohibits any launch using ballistic missile technology. Before the launch, EU High Representative of Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton insisted that North Korea “confirm as a matter of urgency” that it would abandon plans to launch its long-range rocket. North Korea evidently disregarded Lady Ashton’s warning and those of many other international spokespersons. The launch and consecutive failure of the rocket was an international humiliation for North Korea especially in view of how often the country boasts of its nuclear and military programmes.

Still, North Koreans seemed to pay no attention to the failure of the rocket. Kim Jong-un proceeded to celebrate the military in his public address. As part of a five-year space programme, Kim Jong-un announced that North Korea will launch a newer and bigger rocket saying the days of North Korea being threatened by other countries’ nuclear programmes are over. It is clear that North Korea seeks to use military might as a tool to make it an international player. Its blatant defiance of UNSCR 1817 makes it evident that it intends to continue on with the development of its nuclear programme.

This is extremely unfortunate for the people living in North Korea. With food shortages for the past six years, there is no way that North Korea will be able to satisfy the needs of its 24 million citizens as it claims it can. With most of the nation’s meek budget being spent on developing rockets and enhancing military strength, the future of the country’s impoverished citizens looks bleak. Money used to fund the creation of the failed rocket could have purchased 2.5 million tons of corn. But the regime’s misguided priorities make it unlikely that any resources would go toward the funding or a humanitarian objective. Denied access to the people of North Korea, many nations and NGOs are desperately searching for a way to help those under the North Korean regime. The regime denies any of the human rights violations or reports indicating any suffering within the country, making it nearly impossible to negotiate aid into the country through the government.

The solution to taming a defiant and reckless North Korea is unclear. Many experts think that the country will be forced to fall apart due to economic failure, similar to the collapse of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The regime cannot use their arms programme to blackmail the world indefinitely. Their closed economy will not be able to function with the number of citizens living below the poverty line continuing to rise. Meanwhile, the world will be forced to concretely react to North Korea’s actions. North Korea’s blatant violations of UN resolutions make some form of intervention inevitable. Even China, the long-time historical ally of North Korea, has threatened, together with Russia, to corner North Korea with sanctions due to their defiance of Security Council Resolution 1817. China has been providing North Korea with their main source of food, fuel, arms, and has also been the main reason North Korea has agreed to any international talks regarding its nuclear programme.

With that being said, it should be noted that North Korea is keeping the world guessing. The mystery of what exactly drives the North Korean government and what goes on within the country certainly keeps the international community on its feet. What is in store for the country’s future is difficult to predict. One could only hope that North Korea’s leaders see reason, desist in further provoking the international community and turn their focus to the wellbeing of their citizens. But recent events indicate such an outcome to be most unlikely.