North Korea’s Saber Rattling: Is the Bark Worse Than the Bite?
The world may finally be taking North Korean threats seriously. On March 28, after the United States announced that two nuclear-capable stealth bombers flew from Missouri to South Korea as part of a major military exercisewhich TIMEs Mark Thompson called unusual and Foreign Policy estimated might have cost $5.5 millionnews reports ran rampant that Kim Jong Un and his military were plotting for their missiles to hit military bases in South Korea and U.S.-owned ones in the Pacific Ocean.
Speculation about North Koreas apparent boost in military movements continued early Friday morning, when a photo from the young despots war room was released, showing him seated at a large wooden table and flanked by four senior generals in traditional military attire, who are watching him read through the supposed plans. A chart behind him is apparently marked US mainland strike plan with missile trajectories that state-controlled media claim end in Hawaii, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas. An accompanying image appears to show him signing an order for the rockets to be on standby. A Foreign Ministry statement warned of North Koreas right to a preemptive nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the aggressors.
He finally signed the plan on technical preparations of strategic rockets, ordering them to be on standby to fire so that they may strike any time the U.S. mainland, its military bases in the operational theaters in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in South Korea, reported the Korean Central News Agency, the secretive nations state mouthpiece. Later in the day, tens of thousands of people converged in Pyongyangs main square to support their leader, with some holding placards that read Lets crush the puppet traitor group and Lets rip the puppet traitors to death!
In response to the increased military movement, an American official was quoted as saying the isolated nation was not a paper tiger and that its provocative behavior should not be dismissed as pure bluster. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, continued: Whats not clear right now is how much risk Kim Jong Un is willing to run to show the world and domestic elites that hes a tough guy. But even despite the latest harmful threats, the official offered this opinion on the young Kim: His inexperience is certain his wisdom is still very much in question.
But many of North Koreas threats have proved hollow andmore often than notcomical. For much of the past half century, North Koreas proverbial bark has been much worse than its bite. Over the past decade or so, Pyongyangs taunts have been met with criticism, laughs, sanctions and silence.
http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-saber-rattling-bark-worse-bite-193017357.html
Adsos Letter
(19,459 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)How can anyone be pissed at Austin?
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)This is a total guess though, so I could be wrong. Kim Jong Un think George W. Bush lives there and doesn't know he lives in Dallas.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)"keep Austin weird", and read it as "Keep Austin wired"- as in tense.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)One in the west, one in the east, and one in the middle.