Removal of Rods @ Nuke Plant Touches Off Increase of US Forces Near Korean Peninsula (Developing)

SBS TV (Korea), KBS TV (Korea) and a bunch of other sources in Korea and Japan ^ | 4 February 2003 (Asia Time) | AmericanInTokyo

[AmericanInTokyo]

[Images from S. Korean TV last night]

News agencies throughout Asia are reporting this morning (afternoon/pm Monday US Time) of the incremental building of US Pacific Command military forces in and around the Korean Peninsula.

SBS-TV from Seoul, South Korea confirms the Pentagon move to fortress up more US forces around the area including one US aircraft carrier, increased mobilization of F-15s and B-1/B-52 bombers (with support from US Forces Japan and increasing force in Guam of long range bombers), cancellation of transfer orders from Korea, increasing by nearly 3000 US Airforce personnel. (Moderator note: Open Source Info).

Top story on South Korea's KBS-TV and SBS-TV,and written press.

The SBS-TV news reporters indicate the decision (although claimed by the US not to be representative of a departure from diplomacy vs. the DPRK) came as a recent reaction to North Korea's move during January to remove the 8000 nuclear fuel rods from Yongbyon facility, in an possible effort to begin immediate mass production of nuclear weapons.

It also said it is a signal of US international military strength to Pyongyang that although the USA will be attacking Iraq shortly, Kim Jong il would be best advised not to be emboldened or mistaken that the US will avert its attention from the Korean peninsula and the latest troubles there.

Additional sources showed the conciliartory, liberal government of Kim Dae Jung in Seoul, had not confirmed the removal of 8,000 fuel rods from Yongbyon, despite recent concern and sudden action by the US in the region).

(Developing)

[Guillermo]

Wonder is S Korea is still blaming this whole thing on the USA...

[Robe]

I like the "suicidal" part. (:^)

[AmericanInTokyo]

The radical (spoiled/rebellious/naive) S. Korean students are for sure.

Not the rank and file people, though.

My impression is the anti US demonstrations have cooled significantly as just the radicalized elements and organizers with roots to North Korean espionage (in the South) are the only ones left on the street corners in Seoul these days bitching about the US forces in Korea.

[Republic of Texas]

I'll make the sacrifice and do my part...

[Guillermo]

They should be sent for summer "vacation" to a North Korean co-op.

I'm sure they'll be longing to return to the "imperially controlled South" in short order.

[aruanan]

The funny thing about those two reactors for electrical power built for North Korea thanks to Clinton: there are NO transmission lines.

[Republic of Texas]

They have a very effective recruitment program. Instead of "Army of One", it goes something like "Wanna Eat? Join the Military!". That's a rough, but I think accurate translation.

[Republic of Texas]

Ironically, Rumsfield mentioned that weeks ago in one of his live briefings. It was totally ignored by the press.

[redhead]

Bumping again...Good read, all. Thank you for this information and commentary.

[mikhailovich]

I'm left thinking that...back when George gave his post-9-11 speech and cited North Korea as being part of the "Axis of Evil"....and many of us were left scratching our heads, thinking, "huh?"....that, boy, did he ever nail that one.

[happygrl]

Living in Seoul and aware of the threat

On a personal note: Do you have a bug-out plan?

[Cindy]

An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding a FOX NEWS.com article: "NORTH KOREA LEADER CALLS HIS SAILORS 'HUMAN BOMBS' DEFENDING SOCIALISM" (February 4, 2003)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/836009/posts

CNS NEWS.com: "EXPERTS WARN OF POTENTIAL BOMB BUILDUP IN NORTH KOREA" by Patrick Goodenough (February 4, 2003)
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=\ForeignBureaus\archive\200302\FOR20030204a.html

GOOGLE Search Term: "NORTH KOREA"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22NORTH+KOREA%22&btnG=Google+Search

[Cindy]

The latest propaganda....KOREAN NEWS FROM K.C.N.A. OF D.P.R.K.:

"U.S. talk about "dialogue" dismissed as hypocritical
    Pyongyang, February 4 (KCNA) -- The U.S. loudmouthed "dialogue" is a camouflaged peace hoax to cover up its nuclear blackmail against the DPRK and its moves to stifle it with the veil of "peace", hoodwink the world public and buy time to seize the DPRK by dangerous military means. Rodong Sinmun today says this in a signed article.
    It goes on:
    The U.S. much publicized "dialogue" is nothing helpful to the settlement of problems but a cynical ploy as it is designed to achieve a sinister aim.
    The U.S. is chiefly to blame for the outbreak of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and the extremely tense situation there.
    The U.S. stopped the supply of heavy oil to the DPRK and reduced the DPRK-U.S. Agreed Framework to a dead document.
    At the same time, it began putting its plan to invade the DPRK into practice. This caused a power vacuum in the DPRK and put its supreme interests in very serious jeopardy.
    If the U.S. truly wants dialogue with the DPRK, it should bear responsibility for the present crisis on the Korean Peninsula and opt for holding a direct dialogue with the latter on the principles of equality and impartiality.
    The nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula is the issue to be settled between the DPRK and the U.S. from the viewpoints of its origin and the circumstances of its outbreak and several legal documents and the responsibility for the present crisis.
    But the U.S. is using the International Atomic Energy Agency, its cat's paw which has discarded the principle of impartiality, in internationalizing the DPRK's "nuclear issue" in a bid to shift its responsibility and its commitment onto the international community.
    It is a daydream for the U.S. to try to evade its responsibility for having created the worst situation on the Korean Peninsula through its loudmouthed dialogue and internationally isolate and pressurize the DPRK and thus realize its wild ambition to stifle it by all means." (February 4, 2003)
http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm

[Cindy]

IAEA: "DPRK" (Full Coverage)
http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/Press/Focus/IaeaDprk/

[Cindy]

NEWSMAX.com: "Clinton Bankrolled North Korea's Nuke Program" ( October 17, 2002)
http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a=2002/10/17/80959

NEWSMAX.com: "Clinton Deal Gave N. Korea 100-Nuke-Per-Year Capacity" (October 19, 2002)
http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a=2002/10/19/114657

[justa-hairyape]

FYI - On my local news (Los Angeles NBC) there was a story concerning a raid that occurred in the area. It was in Santa Monica I believe. It occurred Teusday evening. Apparently the raid definitly involved 'National Security' and all other info is sealed. A Korean person was apparently arrested.

Concerning a hopefully non-related topic - Does anyone know the status of North Korea's involvement with other WMD ? Specifically Biological and Chemical ?

[AmericanInTokyo]

The North Koreans have an EXTENSIVE network of chemical and biological production facilities throughout the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Some are well hidden, others are right in downtown Pyongyang. The nasties of choice for the DPRK are the following: sarin, VX gas, botulum toxins, anthrax, smallpox, ebola, cyanide, etc. Their delivery weapons will be the following (to attack Japan for example): Taepodong missile and Nodong missile, and high altitude plastic bags filled with hydrogen, launched from the NorthWest Coast of the DPRK. Hundreds of such balloons, (absent WMD of course--they are just in the testing phase), have been recovered in Fukui, Aomori, Akita, Hokkaido areas of Western Japan.

[Cindy]

An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com: REUTERS.com: "NORTH KOREA UPS STAKES IN CRISIS AS REACTOR RESTARTED" by Paul Eckert (February 5, 2003)
http://www.FreeRepublic.com/focus/news/836562/posts

FOX NEWS.com (AP): "NORTH KOREA RESTARTS ITS NUCLEAR REACTOR" (February 5, 2003)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77644,00.html

[Cindy]

An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding an Informative Article by Scott Wheeler posted on the INSIGHTmag.com Web Site: "MISSILE TECHNOLOGY SENT TO CHINA" (February 5, 2003)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/836496/posts?page=1