Posted on 10/15/2004 3:50:56 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
China sends more troops to N. Korea border
WASHINGTON - China has dispatched thousands of additional soldiers to its border region with North Korea, prompting an alert among intelligence officials in South Korea and the United States, says a diplomatic source here.
'Based on the US satellite photos and South Korea's human intelligence, the two countries concluded that China has recently deployed 10,000 elite troops to the North Korean border,' the source in Washington was quoted by South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo as saying yesterday.
Last Saturday, Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper also reported that China had sent 10,000 troops earlier this month to three border areas along the Tumen River, running between China and North Korea.
The Washington source said: 'China already has two divisions of troops guarding the border. Seoul and Washington are now analysing why China had to send another division of its best-trained troops to the area.'
China reportedly already has some 150,000 People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops stationed along its 1,400km border with North Korea, with which it signed a Border Cooperation Agreement in June.
In response, Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that it had deployed troops to the border, but denied media speculation that the move was aimed at stopping North Koreans from defecting or in protest against Pyongyang's continuing nuclear arms development.
In a related development, two North Korean refugees, including the wife of an economic official, were to fly to the US yesterday to seek political asylum, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.
Ms Chang Sun Young, the wife of a senior state-run trading company official, and Mr Chung Sung Il, are to arrive in the US via Japan and Germany, Yonhap said.
Ms Chang has information regarding the family tree of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, it said.
The two would be the first North Koreans to apply for political asylum in the US after the US Senate approved a Bill last month pressuring North Korea to improve its human rights conditions.
This summer was definately a show of force, but all 7 carriers weren't in the Pacific, in fact only 2 or 3 were. There were also some in the Atlantic, the Gulf, and possibly the Mediterranean. The "Seven Carriers sent into Pacific" was put in one article, and as usual the idiots in the media all just printed the same thing without checking it out. It was later realized what had happened, and later articles get it right. I was on a naval base as an intern this summer, and alot of people there were pretty amused by just how easy it is for one incorrect article to spread.
Thanks for the correction.
Good analysis.
Thanx for the ping. Interesting read and commentary.
I wonder myself if this is just an annual winter show of force or if the liberation of N. Korea's starving is imminent.
That portion of our Atlas has not changed since the end of U.S. involvement in Viet Nam, could be time for a shake-up.
More study is needed.
Wow! that post stirred some good discussion, especially on the China/NK relations issue (my own feeling side with the "junkyard dog" scenario).
Wonder what country these people are defecting from? Obviously not China, which normally doesn't even let them defect directly to SK (and I have a feeling they like the US accepting NK defectors even less). I'll be glad when this damn election's over.
When Bush crushes Kerry, we are going to settle many overdue scores, starting with N. Korea. China will be more cooperative.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.