When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

North Korea

North Korea, Time To Face The Music

Playing the clarinet on a nuclear scale
Playing the clarinet on a nuclear scale
Tori Otten

-Analysis-

As Kim Jong-un again edges the world closer to an unthinkable nuclear showdown, the tribulations of a humble music store owner in Berlin may help explain why it's so hard to figure out what to do with North Korea.

German daily Die Welt spoke last week with Andreas Schmucker about a court case pending against him after he sold a flute and a clarinet to three North Korean tourists in 2015. Within a matter of days, German authorities had informed him that he had violated a European Union trade sanction against North Korea that forbids the sale of luxury goods, including musical instruments. The penalty is up to five years in jail.

Five years for a clarinet seems a little extreme, though Schmucker — who was unaware of the EU embargo on musical instrument sales — almost certainly won't serve any time. But what is no less relevant from this tale is the reality that three citizens of the so-called "hermit kingdom" were touring the streets of Berlin.

Is Kim Jong-un a veritable madman or just a skilled poker player?

No, the Pyongyang puzzle is not easy to solve. The sound heard early this morning by residents of Hokkaido, Japan, was of missile sirens, not music. North Korea had successfully launched a missile over the northern island. Although this is the third time in recent history that Pyongyang has fired a missile over their neighbor, the other two times — in 1998 and 2009 — were satellite launch vehicles. This time, the missile appears to be a Hwasong-12, a newly developed intermediate range ballistic missile.

The world reacted quickly. South Korea immediately ordered a live bombing exercise, in a show of "overwhelming" military force. Japan called on the U.S. to increase pressure on North Korea, calling the missile an "unprecedented threat." Experts urged the U.S. government to forget diplomatic talks and crank up the sanctions. While an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting was called, U.S. President Donald Trump — who had responded with incendiary threats after Pyongyang's previous missile tests — released a more nuanced statement early Tuesday.

When it comes to North Korea, the world seems at a loss. Is Kim Jong-un a veritable madman or just a skilled poker player? Should Trump really prepare to unleash "fire and fury" or open up secret back-channel talks? Tighter sanctions or more clarinet shoppers in Berlin?

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Green

How Miyawaki "Pop Up" Forests Spread Across The Urban Jungle Of Lisbon

Two years ago, forests planted according to a method invented by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, began to spread across in urban spaces in the Portuguese capital. It's a way to bring real enclaves of nature to urban realities in record time.

Photo of visit of Forest In The Middle Of Lisbon

People visiting a Forest In The Middle Of Lisbon

Ana da Cunha

LISBON — António Alexandre still remembers the the first lines that formed in front of the FCULresta forest, back in March 2021. Those were times of masks and disinfectant gel, with only one person entering at a time.

But many people were excited to visit the tiny forest, right in the center of Lisbon.

Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki created the concept, which involves native species planted in high density and allows the creation of new forests are born in record time — just 20 or 30 years.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

The latest