Posted on 03/07/2011 5:40:01 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
Is N.Korea Planning Fresh Attacks?
North Korea's official news agency reiterated demands on Saturday that all 31 North Koreans whose boat drifted into South Korean waters must be returned. "We will not stand by and watch but mobilize all of our resources to deal with it," KCNA said.
Seoul plans to negotiate with North Korea how to repatriate 27 of the North Koreans, since four have decided to defect.
North Korea did not say what it meant by "all of our resources," but on Friday it jammed GPS signals in northwestern Seoul in an apparent attempt to disrupt the South's annual military drills with U.S. forces and is believed to have launched a massive hacker attack on government websites the same day. North Korea experts say Pyongyang made similar verbal threats shortly before the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan in March last year.
North Korea has customarily alternated charm offensives with threats and provocations. This year, the North has been pressing the South to hold talks since January. At the same time it has protested loudly against propaganda leaflets being floated across the border and has threatened "nuclear catastrophe" over annual South Korea-U.S. military drills and warned it will turn Seoul into a "sea of fire."
Experts say the North can no longer afford open military provocations like last year's sinking of the Cheonan and artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island, since it has further isolated itself with the attacks and now its staunchest ally China is losing patience. Song Dae-sung, a North Korea expert at the Sejong Institute, said the North "is highly likely to engage in irregular and unconventional forms of provocations such as electronic or psychological warfare instead."
Ryu Dong-ryeol of the Police Science Institute, said, "North Korea could launch an attack through electronic bombs or e-mail bombs." Such devices are hypothetical, but some experts believe they could use HPM or high-powered microwaves to destroy computer systems and communications equipment within a certain range.
South Korean intelligence believes North Korea operates a research center in Pyongyang specializing in electronic warfare and computer hacking. According to a classified report by the research center that South Korean intelligence agents obtained in June 2009, the regime ordered the center to develop a program that could quickly destroy South Korean communication networks.
Some experts speculate the North could revert to abducting South Koreans. "There are concerns that North Korea could abduct fishermen and seek to swap them for the 31 North Koreans," said an intelligence official.
P!
Seizing the moment while Middle East unrest dominates the news.
Just as soon as they return the sailors that went down with the ship they sunk.
Jerks!
Now is the time, with no leadership in the United States.
Does a bear crap in the woods...?
;'IWAH D/%*kJAH#(*^%&GCkn;hjd; jka wd;&#kJA39;HG-
Oops! sarcasm-induced gag reflex.
South Korea needs to ignore them and announce that anyone who is able to escape is free to stay.
Is N.Korea Planning Fresh Attacks?
Yes.
North Korea is always planning fresh attacks.
Tell ya what..
We’ll give you back your inmates (can’t really call them citizens) when you give us back our ship?
Deal?
The Norks tend to do something stupid (like stage an attack) while the rest of the world has its focus elsewhere.
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