Proposal on Dealing With a Spoiled Child: A Simple, Effective Sanction for N. Korea's Kim Jong-il

On October 9, 2006, in violation of international law, North Korea claimed it had tested its first nuclear weapon in an undisclosed, underground test site. Since Mr. Kim's rise to power in 1994, neither the Clinton nor Bush administration, nor the U.N. has been able to reign in this loose cannon.

Kim Jong-il is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK's) sixty-five year-old leader. His portrait is displayed throughout North Korea and state-run media describe him as a genius military tactician. Mr. Kim has been called "loathsome" and a "pygmy" by President George W. Bush, who branded North Korea in his 2002 "axis of evil" speech.

In reality, Kim Jong-il is a reclusive Stalinist-type leader known for his "cruelty and unpredictability"[15]. Kim lives the inferiority complex of every child not taught his place, or any 5-foot 3" male. He tends to overcompensate his macho side. His favorite Hollywood features (besides women) include Rambo and James Bond films.

Although he is a fan of bicycle racing who owns a number of high-end Bianchi models, Mr. Kim rides none of them, because racing bikes with training wheels tend to destroy one's image. Like his father, it is also widely reported that Kim has a profound fear of flying, preferring always to travel by private, armored train in state visits to Russia or China.

This brings us to the proposed sanction: What infuriates a spoiled child no-end? Prohibit Kim from any air travel. He would have to fly, land and be photographed disembarking to prove he still could. But that he will not do, because he is too afraid. The result would tarnish his image as a DPRK leader. He would soon request participation in the six-party talks desired by the U.S.