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)

[AmericanInTokyo]

Thank you. I basically just pass on what I see in the Northeast Asian press and TV! (and a few sources here and there).... :-)

[AmericanInTokyo]

Good analysis and dissecting the situation. Remember, things that are contradictory are, by nature, in a Western sense, at odds with each other and cannot co-exist.

I might take a third, Asian path, and that is to say that your it is the case of both 1) and 2); in other words, he has intent to arm himself w/ nukes even more and skirt suicidal armageddon, and two he is also using bargaining chips to get more of a lifeline to his expiring dictatorial rule (food, oil, money, medicine).

[AmericanInTokyo]

thank you for the kind words. we All contribute around here! I'm just a cog in the wheel. Cheers,

AIT

[AmericanInTokyo]

Not very nervous yet, in Japan, at the man-in-the-street level. But they are busy in the halls of Japanese power about this whole damned DPRK thing, over at Kasumigaseki, Ichigaya and Nagatacho.

[AmericanInTokyo]

What an excellent, and spot-on report! Please, don't LURK anymore. Keep posting!

[GOPJ]

Nice post. Thanks.

[unspun]

I'd kinda like to go fight in Sudan, myself.

[GOPJ]

Gore would have cracked. We're blessed President Bush is our leader.

"Good God. Will George Bush ever get a break? What next?" Almost my exact thought when I first heard of the Columbia tragedy. Next? How about that zany bunch in India and Pakistan? Or maybe some kooky former Soviet Republic trying to make a name for itself? How about a Turkish and/or Iranian land grab during the Iraq operation? Wars and rumors of war........

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

And all the while, the people voted to re-elect Bill Clinton and say "the economy is the only thing that matters to me. Leave the guy alone, even if he is immoral, I'M DOIN' FINE."

The Faustian bargain that we will be paying off for many years time to come. Domo Arigato.

[unspun]

Good post.

This is a regional problem, first and foremost, is it not? --even if we get involved in conflict. It's time the East pony up to its responsibilities in those nations' new-found "sophistication."

If war it is, it needs to be an Eastern war.

The Unites States of America may strike preemptively with nuclear weaponry against a coming attack upon our nation, but we can clearly tell NK's "neighbors" that we don't intend to do that, for their sake.

It's up to them, to defend themselves against the worst that NK can do. Period.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Thanks for the rant and thanks for your service for our country and my family. IMO there is a lot that could be done in response to an invasion of SK by the NK commies. None of it is pleasant to think about, to be sure. But IMO GW will not allow SK to be rolled while dealing with Iraq. On the contrary, I imagine that war plans against NK have already been submitted for approval. Stay safe, and again, thanks.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

And all the while, the people voted to re-elect Bill Clinton and say "the economy is the only thing that matters to me. Leave the guy alone, even if he is immoral, I'M DOIN' FINE."

The Faustian bargain that we will be paying off for many years time to come. Domo Arigato.

[DaGman]

"Actually, I think you'll find NK and Iraq are very closely tied together and this is not a surprise to Bush..."

Actually, I haven't found that and I've been looking. Yeah, there's been some issues like a few rockets. Nothing substantial, IMHO.

I am gravely concerned Bush is not handling N Korea at all. I'm gravely concerned when I see someone like Bill Richardson mediating between N Korea and the WH. I'm gravely concerned that N Korea is saying, "hey, we've got nukes. Whatcha gonna do about it?" Sadaam has inspectors crawling up his wazoo. N Korea kicked the IAEC inspectors out that they previously agreed to. N Korea is playing the brinkmanship game and winning. Sadaam is in a box and isn't going anywhere.

So we put a few thousand more troops off the peninsula and sail a ship around. We rattle a sabre at N Korea. N Korea has access to 1 million Chinese troops probably with a phone call. Sadaam is boxed in and isn't going anywhere and no one's lining up to help him.

I think its time we looked at where the real threat is. N Korea.

[L,TOWM]

And I'll keep saying it; Right now, Douglas McArthur is b!+c#$lapping Harry Truman from one end of Kingdom Come to the other.

[Lion's Cub]

That said, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the things that is keeping us from having to appear more alarmed is that this whole scenario was expected, and NK is already under the gun and has been for some time. Whether they know it or not...

I agree with your assessment--but I'd say they know it, since they've said so several times.

[Braak]

Uh, guy, I wouldn't ask that, you might jinx Dubya, and he needs all the help he can get..but yeah, I am wondering if at this rate, are the aliens from ID4 going to show up...

[Braak]

Darn Nick, beat me to it...

[Cindy]

FOX NEWS.com (AP): "NORTH KOREAN LEADER CALLS HIS SAILORS 'HUMAN BOMBS' DEFENDING SOCIALISM" (February 4, 2003)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77509,00.html

[johnny7]

Douglas McArthur is b!+c#$lapping Harry Truman from one end of Kingdom Come to the other.

You armchair generals crack me up. MacArthur lost his marbles after Inchon.

They took Pyongyang but he drove the Marines, Army and ROK forces north in a severe winter.

All the while, a 100,000 Chinee volunteers were streaming across the Yalu.

Seoul was lost for the second time. “Iron tits” Ridgeway finally re-took it.

[WatchNKorea]

"All thanks to the super-geniuses Clinton and Carter, let's not forget."

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

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