Our last chance

President Park Geun-hye who would be heading the largest economic entourage of 236 business and industrial leaders to her May 1-3 state visit to Iran will be leaving the country with heavy heart as Pyongyang is feared to be readying a fifth nuclear test.

North Korea from May 6 will hold ruling party congress for the first time in 36 years to proclaim the established leadership under Kim Jong-un to audience both at home and abroad.

Observers believe Pyongyang would carry out the fifth nuclear test as a kind of display for the advance in nuclear weapons program which the young leader wants to take credit for.

Local ministry authorities believe North Korea has completed preparations and is ready to push the button to activate a nuclear device any time.

It may want to advance the schedule of nuclear test to make up for recent launch failures in ballistic missile.

Seoul, Washington, and Beijing have strongly warned against another nuclear provocation by Pyongyang which is under toughest-yet United Nation sanctions.

Park bluntly said the Kim Jong-un regime will have no future if it carries out with a fifth test. Chinese President Xi Jinping said China fully complies with the U.N. Security Council resolution on North Korea and warned that the country “will absolutely not permit war or chaos on the peninsula.”

Before he puts his hand on the red button, Kim Jong-un should seriously consider the consequences from the warning of the world leader. It will be crossing a bridge of no return if it goes ahead with another test.

The young leader must remember that recklessness is different from boldness. The international society must shake out its complacency towards North Korea. It must not give up on Pyongyang, believing it cannot be tamed no matter what.

It must work harder to bring the intransigent state to the negotiating table for denuclearization process. This could be the last chance for both the international society and North Korea to make things right.

JoongAng Ilbo, April 30, Page 26.