SUN WOO LEE: What opinion do you have about the issues related to the human
rights of the North Korean people? Do you have any solution?
NOAM CHOMSKY: The solution is step-by-step reconciliation. It’s not going to
solve the problem tomorrow. But in the longer term, it can solve the
problem. I mean you know much better than I – the Koreans have always wanted
to be reunited. That goes back to 1945. I’m sure that that’s just as true in
the North as in the South.
(Note: Koreans today by and large only say they want reunification but when pressed on the issue, most just want to keep the status quo because the cost of reunification would be to great on the South. -Ed.)
People have families, [it’s the] same country
after all. So, a move towards reconciliation will reduce the human rights
violations. Not easily. There will still be people starving, there will
still be severe controls over the population. But the way to reduce them is
to move towards the sunshine policy, move towards reconciliation. Every step
that is made for reconciliation improves human rights.
(Note: Can anyone name any example of how human rights have improved in North Korea since the inception of the Sunshine Policy over six years ago? Does Chomsky not notice the masses still trying to escape the country through China despite his so called improvements in human rights due to the Sunshine Policy? – Ed.)
So every threat makes
human rights violations worse. That’s almost true everywhere. Syria and
Iran. Take Iran. You know Iranian democrats and reformers have bitterly
condemned the sanctions and they say that all it does is make the leadership
harsher, and give them popular support. So it undermines democracy, and it
undermines human rights.
SUN WOO LEE: How do you think we should solve the North Korean nuclear
weapons problem?
NOAM CHOMSKY: There’s a way to do it. There’s a very simple way to solve it.
In fact, it came pretty close to working. In 1994, there was a framework
agreement, which, as far as we know, stops nuclear weapons development in
North Korea. In return, the West, primarily the United States, pledged to
provide them with the capacity for nuclear energy development, which they
need. They don’t have internal resources. The West didn’t live up to that
bargain.
(Note: The North Koreans almost immediately began violating the 1994 Agreed Framework and the US still provided them with shipments of heating oil and began construction of the two light water reactors. The Bush Administration cancelled the 1994 Agreed Framework because North Korea cheated on it. Also the Bush Administration has never fancied any ideas of attacking North Korea. One of Chomsky’s least critical administrations the Clinton administration did. – Ed.)
And then when the Bush Administration came in, waving its weapons
of mass destruction, saying, “We are going to attack you!” Well, OK, it’s
the end of the framework agreement. They then began to carry out the uranium
enrichment for nuclear weapons. How far it’s gone, we don’t know. But the
way to reduce – you know, you can’t eliminate completely the possibility
that someone will be able to develop nuclear weapons. But you can reduce the
probability. There are many ways to do it. One is to work within the general
structure of the framework agreement. If you make nuclear energy available
that reduces the incentive to develop nuclear weapons. The other is to
reduce threats.
I am willing to bet that Chomsky thinks Iran only wants nuclear energy and live in peace with the world as well.
Chomsky claims he is a strong supporter of freedom of speech but the people that cozy up to his views are the same ones that deny it to their own people. One thing I agree with Chavez though on is that he wants to move the UN to Caracas. Let him have it along with pulling all US funding to the UN. I’m sure Iran will be willing to pick up the tab.
