Posted on 07/05/2017 11:37:10 AM PDT by Enlightened1
Pyongyang claims a further breakthrough toward a nuclear-tipped missile that can reach American cities
SEOUL—The U.S. warned North Korea that it is ready to fight if provoked, as Pyongyang claimed another weapons-development breakthrough following its launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile a day earlier.
The regime, having demonstrated its capacity to reach the U.S. with a missile, on Wednesday touted another achievement of the test launch: It claimed that its missile warhead—the forward section, which carries the explosive—can withstand the extreme heat and pressure of re-entering the earth’s atmosphere.
If true—the claim couldn’t be independently verified—that would clear another hurdle in developing a nuclear-tipped missile that can reach American cities.
As tensions between Washington and Pyongyang rose, Gen. Vincent Brooks, the top American military commander in South Korea, said in a statement Wednesday that the U.S. and South Korea are prepared to go to war with the North if given the order.
Earlier in the day, allied armies conducted a rare live-fire drill, launching tactical surface-to-surface missiles off the east coast of Korea—an action they said was aimed directly at “countering North Korea’s destabilizing and unlawful actions on July 4.”
The drill and tough language appeared meant to reassure Seoul after North Korea’s successful ICBM test, a significant advance.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described the development as an escalation of the threat to the U.S. It came despite years of sanctions and warnings aimed at preventing Kim Jong Un’s regime from reaching the milestone.
Washington has considered military action against North Korea, but pulling the trigger presents serious risks. Seoul, a city of 10 million, sits just 35 miles from the North Korean border, where Pyongyang has assembled artillery that could inflict devastating damage on the densely populated South Korean capital.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
China and Japan should have taken care of Chubs a long time ago.
Yeah, yeah, I know, Japan will whine for the US to protect them. Grow up already.
China has no excuse.
China’s not stupid. They have everything to gain from a crippled US.
Cut the head off the snake.
A lot of feints. Once fatso’s taken out, it could just be that his underlings will be less likely to want to go on.
It will quickly escalate to a world war - one which will largely be fought with ballistic missiles. WW1 killed 20m; WW2 50m; WW3? Armageddon. God help us.
Time for Chia Head to meet his maker.
I am not at all sure WW3 will come from this. Syria - yes, but the norks - nah.
Author Gordon Chang suggests the answer is to cut off Bank of China from the U.S.
Then they will solve the NK problem.
No POTUS ever had the nerve to do this.
Oh . . . and don’t worry about China dumping U.S. debt. THEY ARE DOING THAT ANYWAY AS PART OF THEIR CURRENCY MANIPULATION.
Nothing to fear! And we WIN ON CHINA TRADE TOO!
China has time to build military Obama islands in the South China sea, but cannot handle a mentally unstable neighbor with nukes in its border ?
Tongil!
Fat boy is China’s responsibility. Xi.
5.56mm
That’s not entirely true. Without a healthy US that can fund the huge trade deficit, China collapses in short order. And they know it.
yup - little fat man trolling us big time.
best to ignore him. let Tokyo & ROK deal with this guy
Best Korea better watch out....there is a new sheriff in town.
*...Pyongyang has assembled artillery that could inflict devastating damage on the densely populated South Korean capital...*
Hit them both simultaneously...
Show me a howitzer or any other heavy gun with a 35+mile range and I’ll concede there’s a problem.
All this hokey about Seoul being within artillery range of the DMZ is a dangerous LIE.
A LIE that could cause the loss of an American city...or a dozen.
And even IF Norklandia has artillery with such range (they don’t) would any one of you trade Seattle to save Seoul?
Everyone assumes there are no means of destroying the North’s artillary. They assume we and the South are going to sit and watch.
I also assume that the Koksan self-propelled artillery, which NK has, does not exist since there is no gun with the range to hit Seoul.
Anyway, since it is an obvious lie I am assuming that we will see a massive attack on Pyongyang any moment now. After all, the biggest ace North Korea has - its artillery - is a lie, right? That's why all the nations around it bend over backwards to placate the three fat oafs that have ruled North Korea ...a lie.
As for your last point - trading Seattle for Seoul. That's a real question, and the answer is simple. It's not even about trading one for the other. It's the simple fact that the best time to have stopped NK was decades ago, but because that wasn't done, the best time to stop NK is NOW. More time only makes their capabilities (even the ones some consider to be 'lies') to become more effective. It will cost lives, and may even cost Seoul to be honest (and yes, I am one of those who believe the 'lie' that NK can annihilate a good part of Seoul), but the fact is that if nothing is done NOW that in the FUTURE it will be the cities of Tokyo and Seattle that get used as basically city-wide hostages.
The choice is simple - lose big now, or lose bigger later.
However, POTUS Trunp is a different flavor of President from the weaklings that have held the seat before, and Kim may have decided to play a game of chance against the one person he shouldn't have played against. POTUS Trump is different enough to show Kim a few tricks that NK will not like.
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