[EDITORIALS]Fire them all

A United Nations Security Council resolution seems to be the only option left to handle North Korea’s missile launches. China has failed in its efforts to sway Pyongyang; inter-Korean senior-level talks produced no positive results.
While the United States and Japan work for sanctions against the North, Russia and China oppose them. It seems that a UN resolution will be adopted within days, but worries arose that the crisis might worsen if North Korea reacts in a hostile way to any agreed resolution.
We wonder if the South Korean leaders in charge of national security and foreign affairs have made appropriate plans to handle such an eventuality. Their reactions so far to the missile crisis have proven to be an utter failure.
When a Taepodong-2 missile was reportedly erected on a launch pad, a senior government official said North Korea might be planning to launch a satellite.
When the missiles were fired, the head of the National Intelligence Service was abroad. Right after the launches, the authorities insisted that they had reacted the way they were supposed to, making lame excuses for their belated reactions.
Even though North Korea fired Scud and Rodong missiles that can reach South Korea, the South Korean government says the missile launches were political maneuvering. It did not try to calm the people’s worries with proper measures.
At the ministerial talks between the two Koreas, the North Korean delegates threatened to hold South Korea responsible for causing catastrophic problems in inter-Korean relations. But the Blue House says the talks were meaningful.
The unity of South Korea, the United States and Japan has been severely damaged. South Korea is in a serious conflict with Japan. Although South Korea is directly involved in this issue, its stance has not been reflected in either the Japanese resolution or the Russian-Chinese proposal in the UN Security Council. This suggests that Seoul has no diplomatic power or skill.
It is time for a simple question: What is the reason for the existence of government offices for national security and foreign affairs?
Officials may blame the president, but senior Blue House and cabinet officers cannot avoid their responsibilities. The people who have been in charge of national security and foreign relations activities should all be replaced.