The whole world was watching as North Korea launched their missile last Friday. Despite several warnings of the possible repercussions from the International Community, Pyongyang decided to go ahead with the launch.

After a minute of flight, the missile broke into pieces, making it yet another failure in North Korea’s long record of rocket launches. In the past, Pyongyang has been quick to release a joyous account of the test, testifying to its success. But this time at the reins of Kim Jong-un, North Korea has released a statement confirming the launch had been unsuccessful. The State claims the purpose was to drive a satellite into orbit, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, North Korea’s first national leader.

“The Earth observation satellite failed to enter its preset orbit. Scientists, technicians and experts are now looking into the cause of the failure,” state television said.

As the statement was released, tens of thousands of people celebrated the unveiling of two new statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jon-il in Central Pyongyang. North Korea has also announced that Kim Jong-un is a new member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, the nation’s top decision-making body.

The new title is a valid recognition of Kim Jon-un’s leadership. Kim Jon-un follows in the footsteps of his ancestors: Kim Il-sung is known as the “Eternal President of the Republic” and Kim Jon-il was given the title of “eternal general secretary” of the Worker’s Party.

Even though North Korea said that is was merely a satellite launch, most speculated that it was a missile test.

The UN Security Council condemned the launch for being a violation of two Security Council resolutions. Susan Rice, the United State’s UN ambassador, added: “Every time they go down a path such as this, their isolation intensifies, the needs of their people increase and they become more and more out of the bounds of the international community. That will be the case if they do so.”

North Korea’s neighbors, Japan and South Korea were quick to react to the launch and the White House released a statement regarding the situation.

“Despite the failure of its attempted missile launch, North Korea’s provocative action threatens regional security, violates international law and contravenes its own recent commitments.” Moreover, “North Korea is only further isolating itself by engaging in provocative acts, and is wasting its money on weapons and propaganda displays while the North Korean people go hungry.” said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

All we can do is wait and hope that North Korea chooses its people’s welfare over weapons.

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Amid growing deficits of food supplies in North Korea, which is under new leadership, the country recently elected for a new and surprising turn of diplomacy toward the United States. As previously reported by Toonari Post, the North Korean leaders has agreed to halt nuclear enrichment and missile tests in exchange for food.

According to the agreement, which was finalized in Beijing, North Korea will suspend nuclear weapons tests, enrichment of uranium, missile launches, and allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect Yongbyon nuclear reactor.

This rebirth of diplomacy between the United States and North Korea took place at a time when North Korea has been under the tight grip of dwindling food supplies. North Korea is evidently attempting to mend the nation’s food supply gaps with this nuclear deal. In return, the otherwise closed and secretive country will receive 240,000 tons of food supplies, an agreement that was in the pipeline since the last days of their late “Dear Leader”.

There had been a long standing promise that the year 2012 would mark the dawn of a new era and prosperity, according to reports by British paper The Guardian.

Admiral Robert Willard Commander of the US Pacific Fleet told the senate committee soon after North Korean announcement its diplomatic intentions that preconditions for food assistance “now include discussions of cessation of nuclearisation and ballistic missile testing and the allowance of IAEA perhaps back into Yongbyon [reactor].”

The most eligible aspect of this agreement is that North Korea has agreed to allow inspectors from IAEA inside their borders, after years of resistance where inspectors were expelled, negotiations around the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003 was abandoned and nuclear devices tested in 2006 and 2009.

Over the last decade, diplomatic relations especially with the US were badly affected due to rigid behavior and continued arrogance over development of nuclear weapons, perhaps leading to the food crisis that blew out of proportion when the nation’s economic isolation intensified.

Bijaya Rajbhandari, UNICEF’s representative in North Korea, said in a statement a few months back, “If the funding does not arrive, and we are unable to keep our nutrition program to treat those children who are severely malnourished, these children will suffer irreversible consequences on their growth and development capacity.”

UNICEF’s spokesman, Chris Tidey, have told Reuters that “one in five children in North Korea under the age of five suffers from moderate malnutrition, which can cause stunting and also hamper their cognitive development.” The North Korean food crisis multiplied at its current speed due to the turnaround in policy by South Korea and the US, which ended the food supplies to North Korea in 2008.

Newly enthroned Kim Jong-un seems to have taken a step forward in fulfilling the promise of prosperity and dawn of a new era in North Korea, keeping aside political and diplomatic arrogance for now.

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