With its nuclear test and worldwide isolation, North Korea turns the last remaining Cold War front into a first-rate hot zone | Mindy Belz, Becky Perry
At the edge of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea, tourists peer into the residual morning fog. South Korean soldiers in combat fatigues patrol a concrete balcony, enforcing the yellow no-photo line painted on asphalt tiles. A stretch of spiraling barbed-wire fence snakes through the lush valley below. Barely visible on the other side: the border with North Korea.
With countless landmines strewn but obscured in the Korean buffer zone, the most heavily fortified border in the world embodies the converse of the Berlin Wall: The DMZ is a vast expanse of danger and suspense rather than a marked-off line of physical demarcation. By arming itself with nuclear devices, North Korea has escalated political turmoil not only on the Korean peninsula but throughout North Asia and the world. Here the DMZ remains a tangible, daily reminder not only of past conflict but of the present standoff.
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A special edition of Yomiuri Shinbun newspaper was issued on Tuesday to cover the announcement of the test, even though it was a press holiday. Wednesday morning's front page has nothing but articles dealing with the issue. The TV news shows are all about it as well.
The new prime minister Shinzo Abe has been known as one to advocate a hard line toward North Korea. Now his mettle will be tested right away. Japan will propose that the UN Security Council implement tougher sanctions than those proposed by the United States. These will include a ban on imports of all products from North Korea; a ban on port calls by ships and planes from North Korea; a ban on allowing senior North Korean officials to enter or pass through UN member countries. In any case, Japan is prepared to implement unilateral sanctions similar to these.
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