Publication

North Korea defied warnings from the international community and launched a rocket on 13 April 2012. Though the rocket suffered a structural failure shortly after launch and plummeted into the Yellow Sea, it threatened to cause a further deterioration in the relationship between the reclusive state and its neighbor. Though South Korea and Japan favor punishing North Korea, there is also a worry that the isolated state could respond to new UN sanctions with a third nuclear test. Accordingly, the international community cannot afford to abandon dialogue with North Korea.