<p>Just wondering if anyone else finds these threats disturbing. Although the media is minimizing the whole affair, I must admit that it concerns me. How can a new leader get up on the international stage and make these types of threats without the intent to follow through? Certainly he must know his reputation is on the line here. I just hope we know what we are doing. I think he is seriously unstable or being totally truthful about his intentions. Either scenario doesn’t bode well. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>NK does this periodically so we send them money. I hope we do not send them anything.</p>
<p>IBTL</p>
<p>I think they’re funny. </p>
<p>Given what we know of NK, they seem to have two goals. First, they are getting rid of the people in the hierarchy the new boss and his faction want out. This comes from looking at photos of people at high level functions and noting the old faces are dropping out fast. This kind of noise is a great way to carry out a purge of some kind. Second, they have a history of making noise as an excuse for diverting money and resources to the military. This may be a way the new leader and his group mollify the military; they may have feared money and resources might be directed toward civilian use instead of the military.</p>
<p>It does worry me, and I have been wondering why there isn’t more news on this. I saw a brief headline on my news service and then nothing. More bally hoo over the Duke-Louisville game then that.</p>
<p>Tom1944, I was unaware that we sent them money. When have we done this and for what?</p>
<p>You have as much to worry about with North Korea as you do of a meteor falling out of the sky and hitting you and you alone.</p>
<p>North Korea is a terribly poor and repressive country. Its people are only permitted to eat what the government provides for them, and it doesn’t provide very much. The US has given aid for decades for humanitarian reasons, but often the food is usurped by governmental officials and sold on the black market. </p>
<p>Two excellent books – Nothing to Envy, and Escape from Camp 14 – provide fascinating insights into North Korea. It’s absolutely terrifying.</p>
<p>This new leader is either trying to show his chops to impress his people – he’s only 29 or so – OR, worse, the military has taken over and is forcing him to act this way.</p>
<p>I’m really, really not worried about what it’s going to do to us. I think it’s laughable to assume they’re going to be able to do anything. </p>
<p>I am worried about what they continue to do their own people.</p>
<p>Maybe Kim Jong Un is still miffed at getting rejected by MIT despite building a reactor in his parents’ garage. :D</p>
<p>There was a scene in the movie The King and I where Anna the teacher arrives to see the royal children getting a lesson in history/geography/social studies. The map of their tiny country made it appear that it was enormous. They weren’t allowed to see a map of their country in context and in true scale.</p>
<p>I wondered a few times recently if Kim Jong-un had received a similar type education, being taught that North Korea was more powerful and feared than in reality. Maybe he really believes that he can inspire fear and submission in the rest of the world. Or, more likely it is merely posturing. But I do wonder how much propaganda he received and believed his whole life.</p>
<p>The day news broke #whyaustin trended on twitter. Had a lot of fun with it.</p>
<p>I do worry about his instability, but I’m not worried about this particular threat.</p>
<p>ETA: x-posted with pp, but along those lines, I do think that this was more for his own people to see how “tough” he is.</p>
<p>If they start a war, they’d lose… although they could do considerable damage to South Korea and/or Japan by military means, and to China by dumping refugees as they collapse.</p>
<p>Bluffs, all of them. His reputation is already gone; he’s not much different from his late father. The only overweight man in NK can’t be dumb enough to think NK would win a war, especially against the U.S. They send one rocket to our base and Pyongyang would be wiped off the map.</p>
<p>It’s very sad. The North Korean people suffer because of the idiots they have for leaders who only care about the military and nuclear weapons. It’s a very tricky situation. First step would be getting rid of Kim Jong Un and the stone age senior generals that advise him.</p>
<p>He’s young, untested and trying to prove his mettle to the generals in N. Korea. Couple that with a new President in S. Korea and possibly China using NK as a proxy and one miscalculation could result in World War 3…Hopfully it backs down and comes back from the abyss but miscalculations can have truly horrific ramifications…</p>
<p>It’s comical that we worry about Iran getting the bomb and don’t worry about North Korea who has the bomb</p>
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<p>“World War 3” wouldn’t happen because of North Korea’s actions and/or any attacks.
Sure, China is North Korea’s best (and perhaps only true) ally, but China wouldn’t want to go to war with us over North Korea because</p>
<p>a) We could destroy each other
b) We owe China too much money and China has too many economic investments here to risk losing over war for north korea.
c) Even China is getting tired and weary of North Korea’s ridiculous behavior.</p>
<p>Any military action by NK will result in short and swift action by south korea and our military presence there.</p>
<p>I agree that NK would be stupid to start a war. But I worry about what’s going to happen in the future. South Korea does not want reunification at this point. They recognize that the North Koreans are uneducated and severely malnourished, and they would be a tremendous burden on South Korea if they reunified. NK is not in the 21st century. In fact, they kind of stopped in 1953.</p>
<p>Cortana,
Valid points however if the US is preoccupied by military action on the Korean Peninsula, China could use that as a distraction to act on Taiwan or the disputed islands with Japan…
Germany never though that invading Poland in September 1939 would lead to war, just mtore acquescing by Britain/France.</p>
<p>I don’t think Nazi Germany and NK is a valid comparison… Very different scenarios that aren’t comparable IMO.</p>