KOREA-NORTH/WARNING (URGENT)

[cory777]

Source: Reuters

SEOUL, May 24 (Reuters) - North Korea threatened on Monday to fire at South Korean equipment if it is set up at their heavily armed border to broadcast anti-Pyongyang messages, and vowed to take stronger measures if Seoul escalated tensions.

The warnings came in a statement from a military commander carried by the North's KCNA news agency.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/TOE64N04U.htm

[Posteritatis]

1. I love living a hemisphere away from that. Guh. (nt)

[dencol]

2. We need another war.

Because they do wonders for the economy. :sarcasm:

[aquart]

3. CHINA's problem. Not our problem. CHINA's.

It would be so nice if they started doing their own dirty work instead of using us as mercenaries.

[haele]

7. Unfortunately, we still have at least 22 bases of various sizes there.

Including a major Army battalion, it's support contingent bases, housing for US civilian and U.S. dependants (wives, husbands, and children) and both a large Air Force and Naval base. Which makes it our problem, even if we don't want to get involved.
It will take at least two/three years to pull all our troops and critical/classified resources out of Korea, even if we attempt a evacuation to get troops and their family members out when the shooting starts.

Haele

[Adsos Letter]

9. I honestly don't think we would pull our troops out if the shooting starts

I believe we are fully committed to S. Korea, militarily.

[haele]

13. I know that would not be the option we would choose -

But there are a lot of people who will be screaming about why we are still there or why we would be getting involved if the shooting does start.
I'm just speculating ahead of the curve, as it is. We had no reason to break or modify the treaties we had with the South Korean government prior to this, so if we were, as a country, to suddenly re-consider our bases there, it would take two or three years to BRAC them out at the very least.
And because of some of the bases and functions of those bases that are over there, the DoD (and other government agencies) will want to ensure anything that is left behind has no clearance or security issues associated with it.

Haele

[aquart]

17. Yes, a distant reminder of the idiotic moronic domino theory.

When men get together, do they NEVER think?

[ixion]

19. Rarely, if ever

from what I can see.

[proteus_lives]

11. Allies with South Korea since WWII.

Very much our problem.

[Arrowhead2k1]

4. That is one of the scariest headlines I've seen in a while.

I hope it's all just posturing. Will be interesting to see if SK goes ahead with its promised broadcasts...

[Bluebear]

6. Agreed, arrowhead

[Strelnikov_]

29. Agreed. An attack on South Korea could lead to collapse of our economy.

My overriding concern is for the people of both South (and North) Korea.

The South has come a long way in a short time.

Those saying "this is not our business" may want to review the large percentages of worldwide production of ships, heavy equipment and critical components South Korea produces.

Those saying "this is not our business" may want to consider the interconnected nature of the modern day complex industrial society.

Those saying "this is China's problem" may want to consider where the production will go if South Korea is destroyed. They have about as much interest in calming N/S tensions as Putinist Russia has in calming tensions in the Persian gulf.

[amandabeech]

5. This is the last thing that the world needs.

I wonder if the North Korean sinking of the South Korean warship had anything to do with Japan's approval of maintaining the U.S. Okinawa base.

When the North Koreans shot a missle over Japan, the Japanese were not amused.

The NYT reported today or Sunday that the Chinese, in private, say that they are frustrated with the North Koreans, but they see themselves without a lot of good options. They could isolate NK, and let the place go crazy, then be invaded by the S. Koreans and the U.S. The U.S. at the Yalu is not a pleasant thought for the Chinese. The Chinese could also promote a coup, but they don't want problems with refugees on the Yalu, either.

This is a nasty business.

[Lasher]

10. Maybe China could invade North Korea.

Kick their asses and put some sane people in charge there. I wonder if they've ever considered it.

[Adsos Letter]

12. I suspect they have a contingency plan for it

look what they did to Vietnam when they began going further than China was comfortable in Laos, Cambodia, etc.

[Ex Lurker]

18. but that didn't work out so well for them n/t

[amandabeech]

30. They'll only invade if Kim Jong Il goes completely berzerk and

starts shooting missles over China.

The Chinese haven't been going on the offensive recently except within what they think are their borders.

I've never heard of the Chinese thinking that North Korea is within Chinese borders.

[Adsos Letter]

8. Well, this increases the sense that things may be getting out of hand

White House backs South Korea move to punish North
Source: Reuters
Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

WASHINGTON, May 24 (Reuters) - The White House on Monday gave strong backing to plans by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to punish North Korea for sinking one of its naval ships.

"We endorse President Lee's demand that North Korea immediately apologize and punish those responsible for the attack, and, most importantly, stop its belligerent and threatening behavior," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

"U.S. support for South Korea's defense is unequivocal, and the president has directed his military commanders to coordinate closely with their Republic of Korea counterparts to ensure readiness and to deter future aggression," he said.

Sorry: I forgot to grab the link; it was from the same site as the OP's.

[lurky]

14. WTF could possibly be motivating these guys?

Even with seemingly unhinged countries like Iran, Libya, or Iraq under Hussein, you can see some kind of political calculation behind their provocative actions. They may miscalculate, and their actions may backfire, but there is obviously a rational strategy to their madness.

What possible benefit could come to North Korea from starting a war? All foreseeable outcomes are extremely bad for them. I just can't see a rational thought process working here. :shrug:

Anyway, I hope China can smack some sense into them before this turns into something very very ugly.

[Lurks Often]

23. That's because

there is no rational thought process as we recognize it over there. Their leadership has a world view that bears only a passing resemblance to reality.

[GreenStormCloud]

26. Kim is batship crazy and surrounds himself with Yes-men.

He has come to believe his own bullshit, and all around him are terrified of telling him anything different.

A few years ago they lost 10% of their population to starvation, but Kim refused to change policies and refused international aid.

[Alhena]

15. South Korea's capital is within artillery range of thousands of North Korean

heavy artillery pieces. It's almost certainly the most vulnerable capital city on earth- you wonder why they didn't move their capital to another city.

As things stand now, though- North Korea is holding all the cards militarily.

[Ex Lurker]

16. that's true, although once they're reduced Seoul to rubble, there's not much else they can do

no doubt they have sabotage teams scattered all over the South, but their army is not mobile. They'll never get more than a day's walk south of the border before they're slaughtered by ROK-US firepower.. It's a losing proposition for them, but like was said upthread, they're nuts.

[izquierdista]

21. Put out bowls of food

No need to shoot, put a nice bowl of onban in front of the North Korean soldiers and their hunger will overcome their indoctrination, they will drop their weapons and eat for the first time in years.

[happyslug]

34. Seoul is the heart of Korea and has been for centuries.

And Seoul has been the Capital more often then not since 551 AD (and continuous the Capital since 1394)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Seoul9

This was known even the the US in August 1945, when Japan surrender after the Russians had taken Manchuria And started to prepare to continue into Korea). The US wanted to stop the Russians NORTH of Seoul, so the US could control the Koran Peninsula for even then Seoul was the center of Korea. By 1953, the importance of Seoul was re-affirmed when the US decided to return to the 38th parallel for the same reason the US had imposed it in 1945, it was North of Seoul and as such Seoul was in the American dominated part of the Korean Peninsula.

[Blandocyte]

20. Get Hawkeye, Hot Lips, and Beej outta there!

Ye gods, man!

[Blue_Tires]

22. can someone please tell the Koreans NOW isn't the time for this shit?

Oil disaster, climate change, economic crises in Europe and North America...I would ask the Koreans to postpone this for at least a year...

[slackmaster]

27. It's their country. They can shit themselves all they want.

For all I care.

[Joanne98]

24. SO!

[Odin2005]

25. China needs to yank on their lap-dog's leash before Kim does something stupid!

[Xolodno]

28. Kim visited China very recently....

...if I recollect. It was played off as NK considering to return to the Nuclear talks and so on and how China was its still key ally, blah blah yackety yack schmack. But it was also soon after the sinking of the ship. Which was probably what the real talks were about since nothing has come of the "official" reason.

It all boils down to is, what is China going to do? And what are they telling SK and the US.

[Socal31]

31. Young American males should have a keen interest in this....

[Ex Lurker]

32. young Americans in uniform should have a keen interest....

whatever happens will be ugly and brutal, but won't last long enough to get civilians off the street, through training, and over there before it's finished.

[NickB79]

33. Look on the bright side: nuclear winter will cancel out global warming

See, there's a silver lining to everything.