Posted on 02/14/2005 5:28:22 AM PST by Mike Fieschko
With growing concerns about North Korea's nuclear ambitions, the United States is vowing to defend South Korea with much of its military power, a top official said yesterday.South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon confirmed a Financial Times of London report that a Korean Peninsula "emergency" would trigger a U.S. plan to send 40% of the Navy, half the Air Force and 70% of the Marine Corps to the region.
"We have been assured by ... the United States," Ban said of the emergency plan on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."
He said South Korea expects America to honor its commitment to protect it in an emergency despite the U.S. military being strained by the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We think that the United States has enough capabilities to deal with all three regional conflicts while they are concentrating their military forces in Iraq," Ban said. "I think the United States and Koreans in close combined defense capabilities can maintain and can deal with any threats."
Worries have intensified since North Korea boasted last week that it has built a nuclear arsenal to protect itself from the Bush administration's "nuclear stick."
The Communist country also pulled out of the six-party talks aimed at ending its nuclear programs.
"We ... have manufactured nukes for self-defense to cope with the Bush administration's undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the [North]," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said recently.
China pledged yesterday to try to get North Korea to rejoin the six-party talks, but a North Korean district official in Pyongyang said the U.S. would first have to withdraw its troops from the Korean Peninsula.
So now they're making nice eh?
The South Koreans have about that many troops in Iraq right now. They've been there for quite a while. They are doing a very good job.
Call me insensitive, but the South Koreans are not worth getting into a nuclear war over. It's time they've defended themselves. We've been there, what, over fifty years. That's more than enough. In that South Korea relies on us to defend them, they are parasitic.
First off, the Korean problem is a United Nations problem... left over from 1953. It is not exclusively America's problem... it's just in our 'interests'.
S. Korea has it's own military... if it is suddenly awaking to this 'problem', I would say, “It's about time!”
IMO, using our ground forces to slug it out with the scum-bag NK's is a waste of fine, highly-trained individuals. After 50+ years of American provided assistance, South Korea should have a crack military... withable to take a suprise strike... and deal back in spades.
But most of all, it should have the will and the fortitude to do so. Unfortunately, this cannot be bought or sold... it is acquired through lessons of the past.
The Japanese MSDF could easily take on & launch a blockade of North Korea on their own.But Im not so sure about the offensive capabilities of JASDF.I read that a study undertaken by the Japanese government showed that Japanese warplanes had a limited stock of precision guided munitions for use on strike missions(leaving them vulnerable to enemy fire as well) & they were also hampered by a limited number of aerial refuellers.
Phil, I disagree with you. First most of the S Koreans are worth protecting. The student demonstrators are idiots & always have been, but 49% voted for Kerry here.
The only reason we have spent 50 years in Korea is because of the UN and their brokered “truce”. The UN isn’t in the business of ending wars and solving problems. Yes we are a major part of the UN, but I would also say this is another reason to cut support to the UN completely and kick them out of NY.
The Chinese are our friends on this issue and will press Kim il without mercy. What do you think would happen to Chinese exports if Korea slowed down the export of cheap Chinese trash for 6 weeks? Tiananmen Square 100 fold with mass unemployment.
I agree with that. It's about time S. Korea starts looking after itself. They certainly have the population levels to support a large army. We need only provide a little military aid, reconditioned humvee's and such. Most of the population doesn't want us there anyways, so they can stuff their lefty attitude and look after themselves. I'll bet they will sing a different tune when they are forced to stare down the N.koreans at the DMV as part of their civil duty.
It's not like we would be completely pull out of the region, we'd always be around the region regardless. It would free up our equipment to provide rapid response to other areas, which would still include S Korea. One trident sub could take out N. Korea permanently.
I doubt the North Koreans get very far at all, even with no US reinforcements having arrived.
DMZ troop densities are very high and it's been fortified for 50 years.
Regarding Seoul and artillery, only a fraction of NK's tubes have the range to hit Seoul from the DMZ. A lot of articles make it look like every artillery piece they have would be firing on Seoul.
Anyway, the NKs would have invaded the SECOND they thought they'd be successful. They haven't. And the correlation of forces isn't getting any better for them. So they won't, I suspect.
Having strong landforces would also be of little help esp if you are talking about Japan invading North Korea or helping the US out(little chance of NK doing the reverse).They would have difficulty getting there & their lack of an offensive air capability will start to tell. & the North Koreans won't be pushovers despite the fact that many of them live on grass-there is a lot of bad blood between Japan & the Korean peninsula(including South Korea).
Yes, but I'm not talking only about Japan vs NK. Japan should generally build some serious armed forces. They can't forever stay under US wings.
There is no use of you & me talking about it!!The Japanese government & people have to take the plunge & shape a new destiny for themselves.
PS-I read in a newspaper article about 6-7 years back that India,Israel & Japan were 3 countries which could build a functioning nuclear triad including submarine launched missiles & even ICBMs in a matter of few years given the highly advanced state of their civilian space & nuclear programmes.Israel & India have more or less reached there-no sign of Japan wanting to reach there.
I was about to say that we have the same problem with our student idiots. ;-)
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