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For our government to reveal its intention to quickly send aid in connection with the catastrophic train explosion in North Korea was the proper attitude to take. Granted, the North has yet make any official announcements, nor has the cause of the accident or the scale or extent of the damage been confirmed, but one can guess from the news alone of thousand killed or injured and factories and homes demolished that this is a disaster too great for the North Koreans to handle alone. In particular, since the site of the incident ? Ryongchon Station ? is a densely populated area and there are metalworking factories using chemical machinery nearby, the losses are likely to mount. Even if that¡¯s not the case, the hard-pressed North Korean economy may be forced further into the tank.
Still, out of all the misfortune, the one lucky thing is that news of this tragedy came early. In North Korea, incidents and accidents big and small have occurred regularly, but because of its tight press controls, news reached the outside too late; even if the international community wished to provide humanitarian assistance, there was nothing it could do. The very fact that unlike in the past, news of this accident reached the outside on the same day it took place says a lot in and of itself. Of course, the geographical factor that this event took place not far from the Chinese border played no small role in this. Aside from that, however, social changes within North Korea, like the larger numbers of people going back and fourth between China and North Korea and the fact that mobile phone conversations have become possible in some areas, are known to have also played their part.
Several nations like the United States, China and Australia have stated their intentions to assist North Korea. If North Korea would actively and minutely announce the scale of the losses and the situation, the number of nations that would be willing to help would increase. If North Korea accepts the good intentions of the international community, this could become an opportunity for it to learn that joining hands with the international community brings in the end benefits, not losses.
Before one reckons these greater meanings, however, the urgent matter at hand is to save the lives of those terribly wounded in the accident and quickly reconstruct that which was destroyed. Like our government has already said, we must make ready food, medical supplies and, if the case warrants it, medical teams for direct deployment with the attitude that we will do whatever we can to help. Citizens, too, must take an active interest in the situation and engage in support activities.
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