U.S.-U.N. Command: North Korea violated Korean War armistice

USA Today / AP ^ | 12/27/2002 | AP Staff

[ex-Texan]

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)

[maquiladora]

That may be what the NK's are thinking, but on the other hand wouldn't it be better for them to bring all this up at a time when there are no crisis/conflicts on the horizon and the US has nothing to worry about only NK?
Right now, the NK issue is playing second fiddle to Iraq.

[MonroeDNA]

That would be great for the US, but not for NK.

They think we are so distracted that we will cave to blackmail, and they are wrong.

[riri]

I agree with your assessments, however you have left out one very important variable (IMO). The dying and desperate regime will be selling whatever they can to whoever has the cold, hard cash. So, what are we to do about that? Can we afford to let them proliferate to their hearts content?

[Man of the Right]

If they attack, the rationale will be to trade Seoul for aid and to punish the U.S.

They have 800,000 troops forward deployed along the DMZ, they have 10,000 artillery tubes, they have crude medium range ballistic missiles, they have at least one nuclear weapon, and above all, they have a lunatic at the helm.

I'm going to say a prayer tonight for the men and women of the Second Infantry Division and the Korean people.

[maquiladora]

A good point, another reason why NK might want to rapidly increase it's production of nukes is an economic factor.
Rather than keep them in their own stockpile for use against SK, they may wish to sell them to states like Syria/Iran/Iraq/Libya etc. for rather high prices.
If there's one thing NK needs badly it's cash, and lots of it.

[maquiladora]

"There is evidence that North Korea is working hard on the Taepo Dong 2 (TD-2) ballistic missile. The status of the system's development cannot be determined precisely. Nevertheless, the ballistic missile test infrastructure in North Korea is well developed. Once the system is assessed to be ready, a test flight could be conducted within six months of a decision to do so. If North Korea judged the test to be a success, the TD-2 could be deployed rapidly. It is unlikely the U.S. would know of such a decision much before the missile was launched. This missile could reach major cities and military bases in Alaska and the smaller, westernmost islands in the Hawaiian chain. Light-weight variations of the TD-2 could fly as far as 10,000 km, placing at risk western U.S. territory in an arc extending northwest from Phoenix, Arizona, to Madison, Wisconsin. These variants of the TD-2 would require additional time to develop and would likely require an additional flight test."

Rumsefeld said that, all of 4 years ago now. Check up some recent info on NK's missile capabilities, they are far from crude.

[Political Junkie Too]

Does this mean that Mike Farrell gets to be on M*A*S*H again?

-PJ

[Lunatic Fringe]

Thats already happening- some fat radio talk show host was on Fox News Channel wailing on W for this mess.... It was all I could do to keep from laughing and kicking in the TV.

[MonroeDNA]

"The dying and desperate regime will be selling whatever they can to whoever has the cold, hard cash. So, what are we to do about that? Can we afford to let them proliferate to their hearts content?

They have been, and will, do that no mater what. If we allow them to survive, by capitulating, they will still do it, only more so.

The SCUDS they are trying to deliver to Iraq are just one example.

If their electricity is off, they can only sell what they have made so far.

If their electricity is on, they will sell what they have made so far, and what they are making today.

[Man of the Right]

A matter of semantics.

The DoD plays down NKPA capabilities. They're not as accurate as First World rockets. On the other hand, we're not a starving Third World nation.

I suspect we agree on the central point which is these people are armed, dangerous and unpredictable.

I'm not a big fan of the post-Cold War unilateral disarmament. We could use those divisions, air wings and carrier battle groups now. We may soon find out whether the U.S. can win two regional wars simultaneously.

[Light Speed]

"Mr President..this is happening because ......
only Nixon could go to China"

"Trust me Mr President...all the North Koreans want is to build little cars"

[metalurgist]

Isn't the DMZ border area the most heavily mined piece of realestate on the planet.

Are the stories true that some of these mines are nuclear?

Are our troops equipped with battle field nukes? Does the North think they are?

How long would it take for enough air power to arrive to slow an invasion?

I'd appreciate any answers you have. Thanks

[orfisher]

>>keep underestimating Bush.<< ....I don't underestimate him, his admin is more political than Klintoon's.

[MonroeDNA]

Uh....yeah.

(Looking like Bush did when Algore charged the stage)

[MonroeDNA]

We're not going to withdraw our troops, we won't launch a preemptive strike, we won't be blackmailed into letting the oil flow.

We WILL watch while another communist country implodes under its own dying weight.

Kinda like watching the berlin wall fall.

[eastforker]

There is no way,no way,NK could invade the south.They have no means of resupply,none.They have a very large stationary army with no way to mobilize or supply them.This is not 1953,we would wipe them out and never have to use nuclear arms,on the other hand ,if they used them first,wich I doubt,we will be able to smell the burnt squid from here.

[aristeides]

Isn't that whole border heavily mined?

[section9]

If NK attacks..our men on the front will die...people will then blame bush. He better understand this..it will be the end of his admin...Just when he thinks hes got things under control this could bring him down.

He needs to pull our guys out immed..tell china ans sk to handle it..then politically he can still blame on Klinton policy. If he doesnt act the press and even right thinking people can place blame on him,

Comments??

Yes, I have one. You presuppose that the American people would not be even mildly upset while thousands of our men were being killed by the North Koreans.

People will not blame the President. Rather, in response to a set-piece attack, we would have no alternative but to mobilize the reserves, reinstitute the draft, and go all out. Which this President would. Which we, as a people, would fight. We are made of sterner stuff than you suppose.

I have an awful feeling in my gut that the War on Terror has passed into history. The Third World War is about to begin.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[SuziQ]

We should make it quite clear that any military incursion into the South will result in Pyongyang becoming another Hiroshima.

I don't think it would be necessary to destroy the whole city. Just figure out where the 'dear leader' hangs his hat and direct a few smart bombs to where he and his ruling gang are. I doubt very seriously that the NK people will be sorry to see him go. Maybe then they COULD start getting some food and some lights at night.

Have you ever seen that great picture of the world at night taken from the space shuttle (or is it the Space Station?) Anyway, most every country in the world is lit at night except for N. Korea. It looks like a black hole!