Current Events & Trends: Fifty years of North Korean threats
Threats of nuclear and conventional strikes on one's territory and its allies can be every bit as important as economies going awry in Europe, if not much more so.
A list of recent headlines included: "North Korea Approves Nuclear Strike on US," "North Korea Says It Has Approved the Use of Its 'Cutting Edge' Nuclear Weapons," "North Korea Nuclear Weapons Usher in Perilous New Era of Instability," and "Kim Jong Un Dismantles Years of Diplomacy."
A sidebar to a March 26, 2013, USA Today article titled "North Korea Threatens Guam, Hawaii, Rest of U.S." recounted 24 major North Korean provocations from 1965 through 2012. They continue today unabated.
The text of the main USA Today article counters: "'The U.S. is fully capable of defending ourselves and our allies against an attack' by North Korea, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Jack Miller said. 'We are firmly committed to defending the Republic of Korea [i.e., South Korea] and Japan'" Hopefully, if tested, this commitment would turn out to be genuine.
In reality, however, America seems to want to rely on China to calm the reckless outbursts of Kim Jong-un, supported by his unruly rogue regime. Have we forgotten that Red China came to the rescue of North Korea after U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur's forces had driven the North back inside their own territory?
This five-star general belonged to an old world, traditional school of thought. He understood, along with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, that the objective of war was victory. MacArthur was willing to use the full power of American military might to achieve total victory in Korea.
America and Britain had the power, but at that time had begun to lose the will to wield that power for decisive victory. God told ancient Israel that He would "break the pride of your power" (Leviticus 26:19), and this prophecy certainly applies to Jacob's descendants today in both America and Britain. (Read the Bible study aid guide The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy to learn more.)
Rightly or wrongly, President Harry Truman did not agree and fired Gen. MacArthur. The end result, however, is that the North Korean threat stubbornly remains very much with us today—some 60 years since the Korean War ended by dividing North and South at the 38th parallel on the map. An agreed-on armistice had ended the fighting, but periodic North Korean threats continued.
Of course, while the increased threats of recent days may be mere bluster and bravado, the fact that these are coming from an emerging nuclear power means they must be treated very seriously. (Source: USA Today.)
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
