North Korea -Threats Against the U.S.

[viphan]

<p>Yes, hence the nullification.</p>

<p>Sent from my SPH-L710 using CC</p>

[Nrdsb4]

<p>

"This is a good explanation of the current climate to family & friends that are concerned about the threats from North Korea to South Korea.</p>

<p>Dear friends around the world,
Every spring, South Korea and The US run military exercises together. At the beginning of every spring, North Korea answers this drill by threatening to blow things up. EVERY SPRING…for the 5 years that I’ve been here! Their people are starving, and bombs don’t feed them as well as the Chinese who give them money at the end every spring to shut up and stop threatening people. Keeping in mind that the Korean peninsula is about the size of Maine, and the North could not nuke the South without killing themselves, life in South Korea is perfectly normal and no one here is concerned."

</p>

<p>Wow, interesting. Thanks for posting.</p>

[GMTplus7]

<p>

the North could not nuke the South without killing themselves

</p>

<p>Let’s pray that Kim Jong Un will act rationally. But the world is a strange place today. Until a few weeks ago, it never would have occurred to me to type ‘North Korea’ and ‘Dennis Rodman’ in the same sentence. A news analyst commented that you know things are crazy when Dennis Rodman knows more about Kim Jong Un personally, than all of the CIA and NATO combined.</p>

[ucbalumnus]

<p>Rational acting from his standpoint may mean balancing on the knife-edge of trumping up the fight against external threats to keep people distracted from domestic economic problems and not actually triggering a war that they would lose.</p>

[cobrat]

<p>And for a bit of levity on this serious thread:</p>

<p>[Top</a> Gun - North Korean style - YouTube](<a href=“Top Gun - North Korean style - YouTube”>Top Gun - North Korean style - YouTube)</p>

[soccerguy315]

<p>

Belligerent warmongering nationalism is a typical staple of politicians in any country who are trying to get more domestic political support, or distract people away from their domestic failings.

</p>

<p>… this is true. Kirchner (in Argentina) is rabble rousing about the Falklands (errr… Malvinas) again because there is 25% inflation.</p>

[soccerguy315]

<p>

Rational acting from his standpoint may mean balancing on the knife-edge of trumping up the fight against external threats to keep people distracted from domestic economic problems and not actually triggering a war that they would lose.

</p>

<p>that’s fine, but it only takes one wrong move</p>

<p>I am firmly in the camp that most likely, nothing will happen. But “most likely” is not necessarily enough to bet all your money on when the stakes are this high.</p>

[soccerguy315]

<p>

Friend of mine who is currently living in S. Korea posted this to FB yesterday - seems like a good place to share it!</p>

<p>"This is a good explanation of the current climate to family & friends that are concerned about the threats from North Korea to South Korea.</p>

<p>Dear friends around the world,
Every spring, South Korea and The US run military exercises together. At the beginning of every spring, North Korea answers this drill by threatening to blow things up. EVERY SPRING…for the 5 years that I’ve been here! Their people are starving, and bombs don’t feed them as well as the Chinese who give them money at the end every spring to shut up and stop threatening people. Keeping in mind that the Korean peninsula is about the size of Maine, and the North could not nuke the South without killing themselves, life in South Korea is perfectly normal and no one here is concerned."

</p>

<p>Life in South Korea is not perfectly normal. Perhaps among this person and their circle of friends it is, but not in their national security apparatus. South Korea will only sit calmly so many times (see the links I posted earlier in the thread) in response to provocation from the North.</p>

[Nrdsb4]

<p>

Until a few weeks ago, it never would have occurred to me to type ‘North Korea’ and ‘Dennis Rodman’ in the same sentence.

</p>

<p>No Kidding!!! Unbelievable, really.</p>

[briannanlc]

<p>You have to realize the reality of the situation. Yes, it is disturbing that they would threaten such a thing, but if NK actually tries to start a war with nukes, the rest of the developed world wouldn’t stand for it for a second and bomb the country of the face of the planet. They also threaten this fairly often.</p>

[cortana431]

<p>

@maidenMom

"This is a good explanation of the current climate to family & friends that are concerned about the threats from North Korea to South Korea.</p>

<p>Dear friends around the world,
Every spring, South Korea and The US run military exercises together. At the beginning of every spring, North Korea answers this drill by threatening to blow things up. EVERY SPRING…for the 5 years that I’ve been here! Their people are starving, and bombs don’t feed them as well as the Chinese who give them money at the end every spring to shut up and stop threatening people. Keeping in mind that the Korean peninsula is about the size of Maine, and the North could not nuke the South without killing themselves, life in South Korea is perfectly normal and no one here is concerned."

</p>

<p>Excuse me for being a little dubious; first of all the Korean peninsula is quite larger than Maine- more than twice the total area of Maine actually- and secondly I don’t recall nuclear capable B-52 stealth bombers partaking in training drills in South Korea every year too, not to mention the new presence of destroyers in the region. And the top U.S commander in South Korea expressed concern over NK’s recent actions and rhetoric, calling the situation ‘volatile’ and ‘dangerous.’</p>

<p>And I find it hard to believe South Koreans aren’t worrying, regardless of how futile and weak NK may be and acting, about the threat of nuclear action from their only neighbor.</p>

<p>In fact, NK just closed SK access to a joint factory zone (they will allow SK workers to return though), after announcing the intention to reopen a nuclear reactor. Your friend says life is ‘perfectly normal’ but the situation has been nothing but escalating.</p>

[ucbalumnus]

<p>

@soccerguy315

that’s fine, but it only takes one wrong move</p>

<p>I am firmly in the camp that most likely, nothing will happen. But “most likely” is not necessarily enough to bet all your money on when the stakes are this high.

</p>

<p>Well, that’s why it is a balancing act on a knife edge for the DPRK government. If they start war, they will lose (although causing a lot of damage to others in the process). If they make actual peace with everyone, then the internal pressure from dissatisfaction will increase, since they will no longer be able to tell the people that their sacrifices are “for the defense of the nation against evil imperialists” or whatever. And, without an external enemy to face off against, the armed forces might look inward and overthrow the government.</p>

[great_lakes_mom]

<p>maidenMom, what you posted is the impression I’ve had from Korean friends historically. We may have alarming news in the USA about north Korea. Those in the South, ROC, see the saber rattling as more of the same, and don’t seem especially concerned. </p>

<p>Perhaps a new leader makes it a new story. Or not.</p>

[cobrat]

<p>

And, without an external enemy to face off against, the armed forces might look inward and overthrow the government.

</p>

<p>If there wasn’t such a tight check from close association of the earlier Kim dictators with the North Korean armed forces, periodic purges, kicked upstairs type promotions to powerless posts, rotation of commanders from region to region, extensive fanatical use of propaganda, extremely tight control over information<em>…especially from the outside, and especially…the extensive use of political officers</em>* down to the lower unit levels to ensure party loyalty, the armed forces might have already done so. </p>

<p>Only signs of strain in this system has been an increasing trend of defections by military officers during the '90s…especially Air Force pilots. Ironic considering they are very privileged and favored when it comes to housing, food, etc…especially compared with the regular populace. </p>

<ul>
<li>Much more tight than what existed in many Eastern Bloc countries…especially those bordering Western NATO countries.<br></li>
</ul>

<p>** This has been considered one stock stereotype of Soviet/Combloc militaries even though the practice actually originated with the French Revolutionary Armies after 1789 as a means to ensure loyalty from experienced military officers…most of whom were commissioned during the Ancien Regime and still harbored varying degrees of royalist sympathies.</p>

[sorghum]

<p>

Belligerent warmongering nationalism is a typical staple of politicians in any country who are trying to get more domestic political support, or distract people away from their domestic failings.

</p>

<p>Any country, even the most powerful …</p>

<p>

I don’t recall nuclear capable B-52 stealth bombers partaking in training drills in South Korea every year too, not to mention the new presence of destroyers in the region. And the top U.S commander in South Korea expressed concern over NK’s recent actions and rhetoric, calling the situation ‘volatile’ and ‘dangerous.’

</p>

<p>Not unrelated to the first quote …</p>

[maidenMom]

<p>Not sure it matters, but the friends who are living there are Americans - husband there for work.</p>

[musicprnt]

<p>North Korea does these things to make themselves look important, and also to screw aid out of South Korea, the US and other countries. The only reason North Korea stays the way it is because of China, they keep North Korea propped up because they are afraid if the regime falls, refugees from the north will flood into China, so they keep them propped up. The problem with north Korea is it is very hard to tell whether this is all bluff, or if they are that insane. They sunk a South Korean ship a couple of years ago that killed Korean sailors, and they have been test firing missiles that could hit Japan (they don’t have anything that likely could hit the US), and one missile from a US sub could literally melt north Korea down, but the north banks on China supporting them. It is a kind of cold war standoff in this case, where China has replaced the USSR as ‘the other side’ so to speak. Probably the only answer is convincing China that regime change is needed in North Korea and figure out a way to do that while addressing China’s concerns. South Korea too will have concerns, I suspect they don’t want a flood of poor refugees from the north flooding the south either. </p>

<p>As far as why people are more worried about Iran than North Korea, it is because Iran is in a volatile region that has a critical resource, oil. If it wasn’t for oil, Iran would have been hit a long, long time ago, right after the hostage crisis they would have been flattened (their taking the embassy like that was an act of war, pure and simple). You hit Iran, and oil prices are going to go nuts, and Iran could, for example, decide to hit Saudi Arabia and knock it out…in a sense, Iran and North Korea are similar, in that they think they have a get out of jail free card, oil in the case of Iran, China in the case of North Korea.</p>

<p>BTW, just to clarify, the sealth bomber is the B2, the B52 is the large capacity bomber that has been flying since the early 50’s…</p>

[Descuff]

<p>I do feel that this time the threats of war are more possible.</p>

<p>Sent from my LG-VM696 using CC</p>

[GMTplus7]

<p>

I do feel that this time the threats of war are more possible.

I agree. What I find particularly worrisome this time (as compared to the last decades) is now we have new leadership in both North & South. Both are keen to assert themselves as having caj0nes (yes, I realize the SKorea is led by a woman)-- Kim Jong Un, in particular who is young and inexperienced. He’s already dropped the armistice and has EXPLICITLY threatened to bomb us. Testosterone pumped up young men are not always known to think w the ‘big head’.</p>

[cobrat]

<p>

Both are keen to assert themselves as having caj0nes (yes, I realize the SKorea is led by a woman)

</p>

<p>South Korea’s Park Geun-hye may be a woman, but has already established a decade plus reputation as a tough political operator in her own right. She also has the fact she’s the daughter of Park Chung Hee, South Korean dictator from 1961-79 who also has a reputation for being a tough/harsh leader on her side…for better or worse. </p>

<p>In contrast, Kim Jong Un wasn’t even selected for the successor post until just a few years before Kim Jong Il’s death. Consequently, he’s the newbie who feels the need to prove his stones versus an experienced tough politician who also happens to be female.</p>