N. Korea fires artillery towards S. Korean island, official says (houses destroyed, fire broke out)

Yonhap News ^ | 11/23/10

[TigerLikesRooster]

N. Korea fires artillery towards S. Korean island, official says

SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Tuesday fired several rounds of artillery towards South Korean waters and an island near the tense west sea border, the South's military said.

The North's artillery shells fell at 2:34 p.m. in the South's waters off the island of Yeonpyeong, some of them landing directly on the island, said Col. Lee Bung-woo, spokesman at the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The South's military responded with its artillery firing.

[AU72]

My biggest fear, is a coordinated series of major moves by our enemies such as a Hezzy coup in Lebanon along with NK incidents, Iran threatening to close the Persian Gulf etc.

I don't think what happened yesterday is part of that, but in the near future such a series of events is possible if not probable and would paralyze the White House and any reaction will be too late.

[chessplayer]

We would have to sacrifice something so we could respond to something else. For example, sacrifice the Sorks so we could respond to Iran.

[chessplayer]

From the article;

“The islands were the scene of three skirmishes between the navies of North and South Korea in 1999, 2002 and most recently in 2009 when a North Korean patrol ship was set on fire by South Korean gunfire.”

Maybe we`re working ourselves into too much of a lather. They`ve been fighting over this island for a long time. I still have`nt heard what SoKo targeted in response to the shelling. For all we know they may have shelled an empty patch of dirt.

[jhpigott]

South Koreans express frustration with inaction

http://alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/TOE6AN06C.htm

[jhpigott]

Interesting comments by the former ROK Defense Minister:

I am sorry that the government has not carried out ruthless bombing through jet fighters during the North’s second round of shelling,” said Kim Jang-soo, a lawmaker of ruling Grand National Party and a former defence minister.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/20.../16289426.html

[Carry_Okie]

The reason they are shelling is that the Bush Administration placed preconditions on talking to the NorKs. /canned o-bot reply

Talk to them Zero! TALK to them!!!

[AU72]

The fate of the current government is now in Obama's hands.

Not a good place to be.

[neutronsgalore]

Sometimes I wonder if they're hoping for war and defeat. After all, what is the usual end result? They lose a lot of military personnel and civilians, reducing the number of people to feed, and then they get rebuilt at the expense of the victors.

Couldn't we just go for the Budget Plan and carpet-bomb them with neutron weapons? Then after a week, when the residual radiation has dropped to safe levels, we can quickly bury all the sterilized bodies and call Century-21. We could make a lot of money selling half of North Korea to South Korea and the other half to China. Maybe in trade for forgiving some of the debt we owe them.

[caww]

Interesting link...scroll down for N.Korean Military capability...pros and cons...also areial views of the landscape and photos of the equipment. Additionally comments reveal information...very interesting.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?162240-Bluffer-s-Guide-North-Korea-strikes!-%282009%29

[TigerLikesRooster]

Lots of good information there.
Thanks.

[Ptarmigan]

You cannot reason with North Korea. It is like trying to reason with a psychopath.

[caww]

Thought you’d appreciate that link. Amazing ariel views of bunkers etc. The guy has done extensive research to bring those shots and the potential attack areas.

Worth Posting “steve Hermans” Link again....even British dignitaries are following his tweets. Up to date and informative.

http://twitter.com/W7VOA

[AdmSmith]

Meanwhile, in a Soy Sauce Shop far, far away …

http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2010/201011/news23/20101123-21ee.html
It must have been a special sauce as Kim Jong Il was accompanied by Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, Kim Kuk Thae, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the WPK and chairman of the Control Commission of the Party Central Committee, Choe Thae Bok and Hong Sok Hyong, members of the Political Bureau and secretaries of the C.C., the WPK, Kim Kyong Hui, member of the Political Bureau and department director of the C.C., the WPK, Jang Song Thaek, alternate member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the WPK and vice-chairman of the NDC, Pak To Chun, Choe Ryong Hae and Thae Jong Su, alternate members of the Political Bureau and secretaries of the C.C., the WPK, Mun Kyong Dok, alternate member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the C.C., the WPK and chief secretary of the Pyongyang City Committee of the WPK, Ju Kyu Chang, alternate member of the Political Bureau and department director of the C.C., the WPK, Pak Jong Sun, alternate member of the Political Bureau and first vice department director of the C.C., the WPK, and Hyon Chol Hae and Ri Myong Su, department directors of the NDC.

[jhpigott]

North Korea says it “remains ready to fire”. Nobody likes to talk trash like the DPRK and Kim Jong Ill. However, these days I don’t think we can discount the verbal threats.

I am pretty confident we aren’t going to sail the USS George Washington right up to the Line of Demarcation, but I wonder if we will send some other surface combatants close to the line?

Also interesting to note that the ROK appears to be readying the public for news of additional fatalities as a result of the NORK attack.

- - - - - -

From: http://australianetworknews.com/stor...91.htm?desktop

“North Korea issues a fresh warning against South Korea

Last Updated: Thu, 25 Nov 2010 03:47:00 +1100

North Korea has issued a fresh warning against South Korea saying its military remains ready to open fire against it.

On Tuesday the North’s shelling of a South Korean island killed four people and injured 18 others.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, the artillery pieces of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea remain ready to fire.

Defending Tuesday’s action as a self-defensive measure in response to South Korea’s military exercise in waters around the island, the spokesman called South Korea an ‘’enemy.’’

South Korean authorities have warned that other people may be found dead as a result of the artillery attack.

[fallujah-nuker]

Couldn't we just go for the Budget Plan and carpet-bomb them with neutron weapons?

How about we let South Korea worry about what is South Korea's problem? These two young South Korean bucks performing on youtube (language warning) look they'd make good cannon fodder in a war with their North Korean brothers. The possibility of tens of hundreds of thousands South Koreans dead pales in comparison to the risk that a few of them might be killed in traffic accidents involving US military vehicles. Remember how loud mouthed they were about that? They are quite restrained about the people killed deliberately by the north.