Diplomacy is only way out to tame belligerent N Korea

In another show of defiance against US President Donald Trump, his threats to unleash ‘fire and fury’, and tweets that the American military is ‘locked and loaded’, Kim Jong-un has done it again. North Korea carried out its sixth nuclear test on Sunday causing an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude at its nuclear test site. And this, just days after it fired a ballistic missile over Japan and a few hours after Pyongyang claimed it had developed a hydrogen bomb of “great destructive power”. What is alarming is that the components of the ‘H-bomb’ are homemade, which means North Korea can produce as many nuclear weapons as it wishes to. According to Kim, all the processes were put on ‘Juche basis’. Juche is North Korea’s ideology of self-reliance, which says its weapons programmes are needed to counter US aggression. The past few months have seen the belligerent nation carry out several missile tests, despite sanctions and resolutions. While Trump has threatened and taken a tough stance, Kim Jong-un has ploughed ahead building up nuclear warheads and missiles. It’s time Kim’s destructive motives are assessed and curtailed.

If Trump strikes North Korea’s nuclear and missile sites, the regime can retaliate by striking Seoul. The US has in the meantime agreed to revise a treaty that caps the development of ballistic missiles in South Korea as a boost to Seoul’s ability to defend itself. But any strike, even if defensive, would lead to an acceleration of tension. The next option is to continue on the beaten track of exerting economic pressure, more UN sanctions and threatening military force. That, however, has not reached anywhere. The third option is to get North Korea’s only ally, China, to mediate. But Xi Jinping seems to have lost patience with Kim. Diplomacy is the only way out. Though belated, Trump should consider this a challenge and an opportunity to start talking directly to Kim to initiate a change in Pyongyang’s stance. This will augur well for the region, the world and be a diplomatic triumph for the US president which he is badly in need of.