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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNorth Korea Threatens to Restart Korean War on March 11.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20130305/DA4QTUEG2.htmlSEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea vowed Tuesday to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War, citing a U.S.-led push for punishing U.N. sanctions over its recent nuclear test and ongoing U.S.-South Korean joint military drills.
North Korea's Korean People's Army Supreme Command warned of stronger additional countermeasures in a statement that came amid reports that Washington and North Korean ally Beijing have approved a draft of punishing sanctions for a U.N. Security Council resolution responding to North Korea's Feb. 12 nuclear test. The draft is expected to be circulated at the U.N. this week.
The United States and others worry that North Korea's third nuclear test pushes it a step closer toward its goal of having nuclear-armed missiles that can reach America, and condemn its rocket launches and nuclear tests as a dangerous threat to regional security.
North Korea says its nuclear program is a response to U.S. hostility that dates back to the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula still technically in a state of war.
North Korea warned it will cancel the Korean War cease-fire agreement on March 11, citing U.S.-South Korean military drills that began March 1.
North Korea said Washington and others are going beyond mere economic sanctions and expanding into blunt aggression and military acts. North Korea also warned that it will block a communications line between it and the United States at the border village separating the two Koreas.
NK is always making threats but this is the first time that I can remember them setting a date. Kim's act is getting very annoying. I am beginning to wonder if he believes his own propaganda. A restart of the Korean war would be a lose-lose for everybody
Javaman
(62,530 posts)subtleties of what has been going on since he took "power". It's clear to me that they are merely using him as an unwilling figurehead, because I honestly don't think he's nearly has hard line as his father or his grandfather and as a result the military is now running the government.
Don't get me wrong, I don't believe for a minute that Un is innocent, but he's certainly not in charge.
derby378
(30,252 posts)The personal guard was a creation of Kim Jong-Il himself, IIRC, and they are fanatically loyal to their departed Dear Leader. Worse yet, they're just as proficient and deadly as our Secret Service and Delta Force, if not more so.
Jong-Un would have a very hard time indeed convincing these zealots that reforms were in order. They might take it personally.
talkingmime
(2,173 posts)That leaves it in an ambiguous state at best. North Korea is and has been asking for trouble. They'll get it if they go on with this charade.
Javaman
(62,530 posts)We are now coming out of winter and given that NK has had to ask for various food subsidies for years, and really don't have a whole lot of farmable land, I think they are now using the nukes and the missile launches as a "on going reason" to maintain food shipments.
They seem to always rattle their sabers louder around this time of year.
It would be nice if they chose to be an adult nation and just ask for food instead of being such morons.
talkingmime
(2,173 posts)We wouldn't have to use nukes in retaliation. We could obliterate the entire country with conventional weapons and they should know that.
Javaman
(62,530 posts)I honestly believe that if it ever came to it, the "war" would be over before it started. Their airpower would be eliminated fairly quickly and their intelligence command and control would be quickly destroyed.
talkingmime
(2,173 posts)But we've got something like 50K troops stationed there and more than enough air power in the region. I'd hate to see it come to that, but if they launch anything at the south, we'll wipe them out with conventional weapons. It's hard to believe that they're stupid enough to think otherwise.
Lurker Deluxe
(1,036 posts)I do not think we would "wipe them out" but I do believe we would slap them pretty damn hard and make it beyond obvious that further aggression would be devastating.
I do think that they are believing their own hype and have this delusion that war is fought like it was back in the 50's, today pure numbers mean squat and lobbing some crude missiles over the DMZ would be responded to by precise strikes on command and control ... and the destruction of lots and lots of military equipment.
They really do think because those big ass missiles are on trucks we do not know where they are.
talkingmime
(2,173 posts)spanone
(135,844 posts)randome
(34,845 posts)slackmaster
(60,567 posts)talkingmime
(2,173 posts)It was a really sick thing to do to her (yes, I know it is fiction), but the scene was funny.
yellowcanine
(35,699 posts)The North Koreans really need to get with the program.
Taverner
(55,476 posts)Most NK army would defect, most NK weapons useless, most missles blow up on launch.
1-Old-Man
(2,667 posts)Let the North Koreans march across the border unhindered, let them go as far as they like without having to fire a shot. Keep all of South Korea functioning just like normal too, nothing shuts down, everyone goes about their daily business. Here is what would happen to the North Koreans. When they hit the first KFC, the first shopping center, the first auto dealer with inventory in stock, their war will be lost.
randome
(34,845 posts)jsr
(7,712 posts)It's always better to start a war on a Sunday.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)Our diplomats give them this message.
Thank you for your notification that hostilities will recommence on March 11.
And then watch as they shit their pants.