NKorea says it won't retaliate for SKorean drills

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and AHN YOUNG-JOON Associated Press © 2010 The Associated Press
Dec. 20, 2010, 4:14AM

YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea — North Korea calls South Korean artillery drills on a front-line island a "reckless military provocation" but says it won't retaliate, as it had threatened.

The North said Monday after the 90-minute drills ended that it resisted striking back because Seoul changed its firing zones.

The official Korean Central News Agency statement suggested that the North viewed Monday's drills differently from ones last month because South Korean shells landed farther south of the North's shores.



Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7347136.html

[Lucinda]

1. Good.

Thankie for posting this. Sanity wins one.

[customerserviceguy]

2. Maybe the Chinese finally got something

through the Dear Leader's thick skull.

[Turbineguy]

3. Maybe Dear Leader

did not want anybody to find out that his goose-stepping soldiers carried broom sticks instead of rifles.

[Posteritatis]

25. Or they think that South Korea actually won't put up with them attacking any more. (nt)

[PavePusher]

4. How, exactly, doesone "retaliate" for someone else holding exercises?

More proof that N.K. needs to be fixed, though I don't see how to do it non-violently from the outside.

[BenzoDia]

5. Hats off to South Korea for standing their ground and going ahead

with the drills (which they were within their right to conduct). They called the bluff, which weakens North Korea's stance (and China's and Russia's imo).

However, hopefully the South will move cautiously, as an all-out war could have horrible consequences.

[cowcommander]

6. Dead man's bluff n/t

[jberryhill]

7. And they agreed to re-admit inspectors from the IAEA

Major win.

[bemildred]

11. Yes, hints of this a week ago. Bullshit will only take you so far.

Since they have now abandoned the "Crazy Guy" strategy, at least for the moment, things could get interesting in a good way.

[Javaman]

8. N Korea blinked. Thank goodness.

I bet the North chatted with China about gaining their support and China responded by saying, "are you fucking crazy?" LOL

[David__77]

28. Isn't it S. Korea that blinked? They're the ones that got shelled, not the north.

Just sayin...

[Javaman]

29. Um, no. NK vowed to attack if the south started the live fire exercise.

They tried the bluff and SK called them on it.

the north blinked.

Now the south is going to have their largest military exercise ever. If the north does nothing, which I completely expect them to do, this event effectively shuts them up.

The north proves itself to be the paper tiger that they are.

The north has everything to lose if they start a fight.

The south has the support of the UN and the rest of the world.

It helps nothing for the south to start a war. They are perfectly happy keeping the border intact.

The very last thing the south wants is a united korea.

It would cause a massive depression in the region, if it happened. It would have world wide economic implications, the least of which, would severely effect china.

[Harry Monroe]

9. I'm wondering what they got in return

Works every time for them. They rattle their sabers for attention and concessions. Wondering what we offered them in secret.

[Lucinda]

23. Yup. Me too.

[RZM]

10. They've pushed it as far as they can without real danger of repercussions

I hope that Kim Jong Jr. fails miserably and the government crumbles, though I doubt you'd see a genuine revolution -- if he does fail he'll probably be swept aside by the military. But that could present an opening. It's sad there's still a state like North Korea in 2010, but at least they are one of a kind.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. North Korea 'will not hit back' over Yeonpyeong drills

Source: BBC

North Korea 'will not hit back' over Yeonpyeong drills

The threat of a North Korean response has caused anxiety in the South

North Korea says it will not retaliate despite "reckless provocations" from the South, which held live-fire drills on the flashpoint island of Yeonpyeong.

The North shelled the island last month after similar drills and had threatened more retaliation this time.

But state media quoted the army as saying it was "not worth reacting".

Meanwhile US politician Bill Richardson, on a visit to the North, says it has agreed to allow UN inspectors back into the country.

The New Mexico governor, who is in Pyongyang in an unofficial capacity, said he had been told during meetings that members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be allowed renewed access to a uranium enrichment facility.


Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12039477

---

Thank you Governor Richardson. There are things that went behind close doors that helped defuse this...

Thank you SIR.

[MilesColtrane]

13. Just like a common schoolyard bully...

Stand up to them and they back down.

At this rate Kim Jong-Un will never earn his bones with the DPRK Generals.

[gratuitous]

14. Dang Commies

Didn't take the bait. They're an especially tricky people.

[aquart]

15. See? All they wanted was some respect and attention.

And an occasional rock concert and movie star photo op. THIS IS NOT HARD TO DO.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. And rice, problem is that one of these days

it will go too far. They are getting more and more agressive in their bouts for attention.

Here a tweet that made me smile this morning

Koreas, just simmer down. WWIII isn't very holiday-ee. Let's go to the mall, get a Starbucks & talk things out? Decafe for North please.

[aquart]

19. "They" are about to experience a transfer of power.

That's an opportunity for any opposition, internal or external. Which is why "they" are being so belligerent. Kim Jong Un has to prove he's hot stuff or someone will off him ten minutes after Daddy dies.

Expect a lot of this stuff until after the transfer of power settles, whomever it ultimately settles on.

If SK thinks this opportunity is too good to pass up, THEN we are in trouble.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. Of course it is also about the transition

and it could get really painful

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/10/12/preparing-for-mass-evacuation-from-korea/68276/

On evacuations for civies from Western Countries. It be a side show...

[bemildred]

16. Bill Richardson for Secretary of State.

At last a real diplomat.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Most diplomats don't get too much press

but this is how it is done. Person to person relationships.

[Politics_Guy25]

21. What's wrong with Secretary Clinton??

And this comes from a strong Obama supporter who HATED her during the primaries passionately but loves her now. Unless you meant like in the next term when she may have retired, etc.

[bemildred]

22. Let's stick with talking about Bill Richardson for now.

Ms Clinton is a whole different complicated subject with a long history behind it.

[Trajan]

24. This is North Korea being brought to heel by China ...

It would be extremely disruptive of Chinese and international commerce to have an escalation in the Koreas.

There were reports of high level contacts between both states, and I would bet that China told them to back off ...

Just a guess ....

[Akoto]

26. NKorea backs away from threat to attack South

Source: Associated Press

YEONPYEONG ISLAND, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea backed off threats to retaliate against South Korea for military drills Monday and reportedly offered concessions on its nuclear program - signs it was looking to lower the temperature on the Korean peninsula after weeks of soaring tensions.

But Pyongyang has feinted toward conciliation before and failed to follow through.

The North's gestures came after South Korea launched fighter jets, evacuated hundreds of residents near its tense land border with the North and sent residents of islands near disputed waters into underground bunkers in case Pyongyang followed through on its vow to attack over the drills.

"It appears that deterrence has been restored," said Daniel Pinkston, Seoul-based analyst with the International Crisis Group think tank. "The North Koreans only understand force or show of force."

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_KOREAS_CLASH?SITE=IADES&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Arctic Dave]

27. Well, that's special.