South Korea vows to 'punish the enemy' as it prepares for military drills

[Turborama]

Source: AP Via The Guardian

South Korea today vowed today to "punish the enemy" as hundreds of troops, fighter jets, tanks and attack helicopters prepared for new military drills near the heavily armed border a month after a North Korean artillery attack.

Although the North backed down on Monday from its threat to retaliate over the drills in west coast waters claimed by both countries, South Korean forces have been on high alert, warning of surprise attacks.

Pyongyang responded to a 23 November artillery drill on South Korea's frontline Yeonpyeong island with an artillery bombardment in which four people, including two civilians, were killed.

=snip=

"We will completely punish the enemy if it provokes us again like the shelling of Yeonpyeong island," Brigadier General Ju Eun-sik, the chief of the army's 1st Armoured Brigade, said.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/22/south-korea-military-drills-north-korea

[originalpckelly]

1. Not this shit again.

When will this dick waving contest be over?

[Poll_Blind]

2. Don't discount South Korea's ability to snatch Armageddon from the Jaws of Peace.

Do not be surprised if South Korea does something incredibly idiotic- outside of this idiotic rhetoric, that is. If you haven't read up on it, it is so worth anyone's time to check out The Axe Murder Incident. And don't skip over Operation Paul Bunyan (Jesus, who comes up with these names?!?) because that's where you find out just how crazy the South Koreans can be.

Just read this snippet:

In addition, a 64-man ROK special forces company accompanied them, armed with clubs and trained in Tae Kwon Do, supposedly without firearms. However, once they parked their trucks near the Bridge of No Return, they started throwing out the sandbags that lined the truck bottoms, and handing out M-16 rifles and M-79 grenade launchers that had been concealed below.<2> Several of the special forces men also had Claymore mines strapped to their chests with the firing mechanism in their hands, and were shouting at the North Koreans to cross the bridge.

PB

[RZM]

3. I see

So it's the South that's crazy. What about the North? Wouldn't you say that an unreconstructed Stalinist state with a leader cult is crazier? Particularly one that, despite a starving population, maintains one of the world's largest standing armies?

[Poll_Blind]

4. Stop thinking in black and white. North Korea is obviously one of the most repressive, dangerous...

...and arguably insane things masquerading as a government on this planet.

But just because the North and South Korean governments are at war does not imply that the South Korean government is any less likely of behaving just as dangerously or unpredictably, even in and maybe especially in a crisis situation.

PB

[RZM]

5. Wrong

N. Korea is much more inclined to behave dangerously and unpredictably. Their government is not accountable to the people and they are almost totally isolated internationally, save one very unhappy ally. There's not much stopping them from doing whatever they want, save the threat of force. The South, on the other hand, has a representative government, a real economy, and extensive ties with countries around the globe -- the government can't behave however it wishes without worrying about political or economic consequences.

I'm not saying every last South Korean is rational, but on a state level, the comparison just doesn't hold up.