70 years after the Korean War started, peace remains elusive

When war broke out in the Korean peninsula seven decades ago this month, the Philippines was the first in Asia — and one of two countries in Southeast Asia — to respond. The Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea numbered more than 7,200, and among them was a young lieutenant who would later become president of the Philippines, Fidel V. Ramos. More than 100 of those Filipino soldiers were killed in action.

Filipino journalists were also deployed to cover the conflict, including a young Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. whose assassination in 1983 led to a series of events that culminated years later in the EDSA People Power Revolution. Mr. Aquino, then only 17 years old, was there as a war correspondent for The Manila Times. Some still remember the old joke — that it was a good thing Mr. Aquino was not a good journalist; otherwise he might not have gone into politics.

The subject of Korea draws few laughs these days. The Korean War has not officially ended, although fighting had ceased after the signing of an armistice in 1953. The peninsula remains divided. North Korea has languished in virtual isolation, while South Korea has prospered economically and culturally.

Under three generations of Kims, North Korea has excelled mainly in threatening the world with its nuclear arsenal and other weapons of mass destruction. Its current leader, Kim Jong Un, seems to be worse than his predecessors, despite some early promise generated by his historic summits with the United States and South Korea.

When peace talks faltered over issues of denuclearization, however, Mr. Kim returned to his belligerent ways. When the novel coronavirus broke out, for instance, he ramped up missile testing and military drills. And when South Korean nongovernment organizations would not stop sending propaganda flyers on balloons over the 38th parallel, Mr. Kim blew up the joint liaison office and threatened to move troops into the demilitarized zone.

Then after weeks of saber-rattling, with Mr. Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong chiming in, the North Korean supreme leader earlier this week suspended military action against its southern neighbor. This game of alternating threats of war with gestures of peace has been part of the North Korean playbook for 70 years.

Leadership, not games

True world leaders and strong national figures do not play games of distraction, but face reality head-on and do what is best for their people. Smart leaders know that acting on personal immediate frustrations only leads to undermining their long-term goals. Mr. Kim’s actions are not clever, but an obvious, crude attempt to distract North Korea from his regime’s domestic failures.

Mr. Kim’s motivations are not only transparent, but worse, are counterproductive. Only a weak, incompetent or desperate leader lashes out violently and expects a positive reaction. Bad behaviors will not convince the United States and South Korea to suddenly accept bad proposals made in the past by North Korea.

Washington, Seoul and other governments — even North Korea’s allies — will likely see Mr. Kim as a petulant child who is destroying his own toys in a desperate bid for attention, even if such attention is negative and the destruction leaves him and his country worse off than before. The 36-year-old Mr. Kim must mature as a leader if he wants to be taken seriously on the world stage and by his own people.

Mr. Kim had a face-saving opportunity this year to divert critical resources from his illicit, pointless weapons program to domestic projects that would improve the lives and health of the North Korean people. A stronger, more respected Mr. Kim could have then, in turn, re-engaged Washington in denuclearization negotiations to further help his people shed the hardship of international sanctions. Instead, he chose to play childish games. He should expect the international community of adults to view him accordingly.

So for now, there is no closure for the Filipino veterans, and others in Southeast Asia and elsewhere, who fought and died in the Korean War. We can only hope that the next chapter in this saga will see the emergence of better leadership in North Korea, denuclearization in the peninsula and, ultimately, peace in the region.