Reuters: North Korea can be more isolated after missiles: US

[Eugene]

North Korea can be more isolated after missiles: US

By Jon Herskovitz
Reuters
Sunday, July 9, 2006; 6:45 AM

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States is keen to pursue diplomacy with North Korea
after its missile tests but would have no qualms in seeing Pyongyang further
isolated, a top U.S. diplomat said on Sunday.

"The North Koreans are isolating themselves. This missile launch, if it was
calculated at all, it was calculated badly," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Chistopher Hill told a small group of reporters.

"If they want to negotiate, we are prepared to do so within the six-party process,"
he said referring to stalled talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and
the United States on ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs.

"If North Korea wants to isolate itself, we will do our best to oblige them,"
he added.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/09/AR2006070900137.html

[AlamoDemoc]

1. N. Korea is untouchable at this point...why not negotiate!

[AlamoDemoc]

2. more here

N.Korea braced for 'all-out war' as tensions mount

SEOUL (AFP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has vowed no compromise and said he was braced for "all-out war" as tension mounted ahead of a UN vote on whether to impose sanctions on Pyongyang for its missile tests.

<snip>

But Kim, in his first reported remarks since his regime test fired seven missiles into the sea Wednesday, pledged not to give up his weapons programs.

"The General has declared that not even a tiny concession will be made to the imperialist US invaders, our arch enemy," said a broadcast on North Korean state television, as monitored by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060709/wl_asia_afp/nkoreamissile

[Posteritatis]

3. Or hell, just wait for Kim to keel over

Dude's sixty-five; that level of paranoia and the office in general have gotta have an impact on life expectancy from stress alone, even without things like the possible coup attempt in 2004. Considering his heir's 25, I'm not sure the system could survive his loss without imploding - which it will, by force or not, sooner rather than later - at which point the neighbors can start picking up its pieces.

I dunno, really. A lot of the supposed trouble spots on the planet - Cuba, North Korea, Iran - would probably turn out a lot better if folks just stood back and were willing to let a few decades' work do the job instead of searching for an epic legacy.

[daleo]

4. Supposedly, stress was hard on a certain 64 year old's heart

Namely, Ken Lay. Maybe Bush should offer Kim a nice vacation in Aspen. It has been known to take care of Bush's problems.