President Obama’s administration is very thankful for the positive media surrounding the North Korean nuclear weapons negotiation peace talk because North Korea tried to ship nuclear weapon manufacturing equipment to Iran recently, luckily, that shipment was stopped in the UAE and inspected. The label said it was oil field equipment, yet, it turned out to be materials needed to build nuclear weapons.

Additionally, there are many questions that are not being asked, that should be. Namely; why is it that “no one” is addressing the reality that China originally sold all the nuclear technology and long-range missile systems to North Korea in the first place, which North Korea quickly replicated and reverse engineered? China is part of the problem here, and therefore, ought to be expelled from the talks, but agree to “harsh” and even devastating economic sanctions.

Some military intelligence analysts believe that China doesn’t want the North Korean nuclear problem solved any time soon, because they realize it is a thorn in the side of the US military, bogging them down in the region and China doesn’t want any interference from the United States in the future when it tries to take Taiwan back into its arms.

China also doesn’t want to be told what to do, or be bothered in Burma, Tibet, or other areas along its southern border where separatist groups are causing the Chinese government problems. Suffice it to say, China, or much of its military leadership probably would like to see the North Korean standoff with the United States last for a decade or more.

Therefore, they don’t believe it is in their best interest to see any conclusion to this standoff. Thus, in my humble opinion it is completely laughable that China is involved in four party talks, if anything they will work strategically to undermine the negotiation.

North Korea is shaking its fist at the world again. In the past 2 weeks, it performed a nuclear test and then sent off several test missiles in violation of United Nations’ agreements. This isolated totalitarian regime has nuclear weapons and an enormous army, but can’t feed its own people. North Korean citizens live at the point of a gun. They do not enjoy the rights of free speech, fair elections or foreign travel.

It would be fascinating to travel to North Korea to meet its people and learn about its culture. This will not happen unless the current regime changes or unclenches it fist. Even South Korean citizens are not permitted to visit their own relatives who are figuratively imprisoned in North Korea. North Korean leadership understands the political power of travel. If free people of the world were permitted to travel to North Korea, then its citizens would learn how they have been manipulated, exploited and enslaved by their leadership. This could light a long fuse which ultimately could threaten the regime. North Koreans cannot tolerate a free press or an enlightened population.

Travel is not just a leisure or a business experience. It is an opportunity to spread ideas and exchange views. This is why every American university strives to recruit international students and to send its own students abroad.

There will be a time when North Korea will be an international travel destination. After the walls of isolation come down, as occurred in Berlin in 1989, a curious world will want to step inside and look around.

At Travel Clinics of America, we protect travelers against yellow fever, malaria and typhoid. We provide travel vaccinations and travel safety advice to international travelers who are traveling all over the world. When the time comes, and it will, we will protect travelers headed for North Korea. Sadly, its own suppressed people need protection against a force more dangerous than infectious diseases. Regrettably, Travel Clinics of America has no vaccine available against the threat they face.