North Korea Declares State of War.

This is nothing new. So this is what all is going to happen:

Posturing to look like they are going to fight it out, and in the mean time, China and the USA will go to the different sides and yank on the chains to pull both sides back down from this and it will pass over. Nothing new at all.

Meanwhile, in North Korea.....



I doubt anything is going to happen, it's a little more serious this time, but I still think they are just trying to flex muscles for attention. I hope so anyway, one of my friends is in Seoul at the moment.

a reply to: jude11

As I mentioned, MEN and their toys..

I was going to ask if you knew the leader of South Korea was a woman.....

a reply to: jude11

Classic propaganda* here, love it!

WAR WAR WAR!!!

*I seem to use this word on here a lot nowadays.... Wonder why?

a reply to: jude11

Just pointing out that your headline is misleading... for now.

You are right.. lets wait and see, and hope this does not escalate...

a reply to: jude11

Kim's a lunatic. I'm kind of surprised after killing his uncle and several close military advisors, there wasn't a military coup planned to remove this a'hole. South Korea needs to cut-off the head of this snake once and for all. The world will be a better place without him or members of his family.

If it does come to an all out war, South Korea needs to hit them hard and relentlessly. Send a missile with Kim's name on it right where the sun don't shine.

originally posted by: woogleuk
Meanwhile, in North Korea.....

I doubt anything is going to happen, it's a little more serious this time, but I still think they are just trying to flex muscles for attention. I hope so anyway, one of my friends is in Seoul at the moment.

Looks like Kim is logged onto ATS.....

a reply to: sdcigarpig

Actually there is something new here.

South Korea now takes a hard stance on any Northern aggression.
That is different and has the potential to escalate this very quickly.

In the past NK has launched mortar rounds and sunk ships,
and so far, they fired one,maybe two shots as a speaker system,
that is tame for them.

South on the other hand fired 29 (NK reports 36)
mortar rounds at the suspected area the other rounds came from.

That is a very heavy response from South Korea.

It changes how south and north will react to aggressiveness on both sides, adding another tinder into the box that has been filling up and ready to be lit for many years. There has been a lot of planning on both sides for a war to reunify Korea,
and it only takes one shot to set off the next full blown Korean war.

I don't think either side is bluffing,
and I don't think North Korea will back down from it's threat to take out the speaker system if they are not shut off.

But that is just my take on it. It has the potential for a nuclear war,
and needs to be treated as such.

Perhaps the time has come to deal with North Korea,
if they keep on their threat and do take out the speaker systems,
it will be interesting to see how the south responds.

This is a serious "game" the two sides play,
with the potential for not only a nuclear detonation somewhere,
but it could also put the US and China eyeball to eyeball again in Korea.

The doom porner in me is watching,
While the rational part goes
"bah! Just another cry for attention"

But like I said, this is just my opinion,
and I don't think anyone wants an all out war besides the generals who gather in their masses...

a reply to: Darkblade71

Some significant developments in this go around -

N. Korea made a threat over the speakers. N. Korea then lobs some artillery into S. Korea. In general when these threats are made there is never a follow through by N. Korea.

S. Korea is now allowing their commanders on the front line to respond to N. Korean aggression without having to get permission from the government. In the past it was a requirement before any action could be taken.

The US deploying forces in the manner they are, as a reaction to the North, is also an unusual development. It makes me wonder what is not being reported that is causing this reaction.

Un has boxed himself into a corner. If he is going to threaten the south in the manner he is now he will have to act less he lose face in the eyes of the North Korean people / politicians / military leadership.


As for China -
China does have a defense treaty with N. Korea however I don't think China will come to N. Korea's aid should they spark a continuation of a war. Un has executed some top officials who spent their entire lives being a liaison between N. korea and China. Those actions have pissed China off like no other. The last go around of nuke tests were done in direct defiance of the Chinese position, who warned them not to go thrugh with the test. The Chinese people also have had a change in their position on N. Korea. Gone is the ideological comradery. A lot of Chinese view N. korea as nothing more than a black hole of wasted resources. Couple that with the economic issues China is currently undergoing....

I think Un is going to be left twisting in the wind. I think one way or the other Kim will not make it to the end of the year.

a reply to: jude11

The South provoked the North and the North reacted , I don't think it surprising nor do I think it's anything other than more of the same rhetoric from the North.
The question in my mind is why the provocation by the South.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: jude11

The South provoked the North and the North reacted , I don't think it surprising nor do I think it's anything other than more of the same rhetoric from the North.
The question in my mind is why the provocation by the South.

Could it be for the land mines?
But who knows whats in lil kimmys mind.

a reply to: grayghost

But who knows whats in lil kimmys mind.

Suspicion I guess , the South and America are holding war games that relate to an imagined NK invasion of the South and the South have started up these speaker systems , I think I'd be suspicious too.

a reply to: gortex

Is there really a question of why the speakers are blaring? Land mines, soldiers legs blown off. No air of mystery that's all contrived. This is very simple legs blown off equals propaganda speakers blaring.

a reply to: TechniXcality

I'm cautious when governments tell me stuff about their enemies since weapons of mass destruction , the South have no evidence the North planted any mines , CCTV was obscured by weather and trees apparently , how unfortunate.

Yep... Ole n Korea beating the war drum again...

Oh the rhythm and blues...

a reply to: gortex

So with the bombastic rhetoric and also the crazed actions previously attributed to North Korea and mr Kim
, we now are going to leave the door open and suggest that this was indeed South Korea who blew their soldiers legs off in order to start a devastating war that will leave both sides broken and shattered and rebuilding for many years to come should it kick off. That's kind of like shooting yourself in the foot, or speaking out of by sides of your mouth, except in this situation the stakes are much higher. The use of common sense would do well here

originally posted by: Darkblade71
South Korea now takes a hard stance on any Northern aggression.
That is different and has the potential to escalate this very quickly.

I think SK has been far too placating for far too long. There is no other nation on this Earth who would stand by and allow a neighbour to threaten them constantly in such a way, and I really think this is perfectly acceptable action by the South.

originally posted by: Darkblade71
In the past NK has launched mortar rounds and sunk ships,
and so far, they fired one,maybe two shots as a speaker system,
that is tame for them.

I'm torn on this.
While I agree that previous action has been more significant in a more obvious way, that was before the SK government made the clear declaration that they would fire back with greater force, and yet NK still decided to fire on them. In addition, previous acts by NK were not against SK proper. Previously they've fired on ships and an island, which technically could be kind of dismissed more easily than shots fired over the DMZ.

originally posted by: Darkblade71
South on the other hand fired 29 (NK reports 36)
mortar rounds at the suspected area the other rounds came from.

That is a very heavy response from South Korea.

But again I think that response is justified.
It was a good attempt to put NK in their place and show them that SK is no longer willing to play the victim and seek diplomacy. They've been trying that for years, and I think the SK people now demand that their government starts kicking some NK behind.

Being soft has done nothing for SK so far. Diplomacy hasn't worked. NK is still aiming guns at them and still working on Nuclear weapons. The only thing I'm surprised about is that it's taken this long for SK to say enough is enough.

For every single shell NK fires on SK, they need to fire back at least double, and increase that until NK learns to stop digging that hole.

originally posted by: Darkblade71
I don't think either side is bluffing,
and I don't think North Korea will back down from it's threat to take out the speaker system if they are not shut off.

I don't agree, I think it's likely NK will back down the second it has an opportunity to do so without losing face. The question is whether SK is willing to give them that opportunity. I don't think they are, but that might mean NK manufactures its own excuse to stand down.

Something NK released in a statement earlier gave indication of an attempt to pull back from this, saying that they thought it was possible SK fired "accidentally". This was a way for the NK government to give the SK government an opportunity to take blame and call the whole thing off, but of course the SK government didn't take that opportunity, and nor should they.

So, this attempt could show that NK isn't actually wanting to experience an all-out conflict, they messed up, but they can't admit they did.

originally posted by: Darkblade71
But that is just my take on it. It has the potential for a nuclear war,
and needs to be treated as such.

There's isn't a potential for Nuclear war here. No one would allow that to happen.
You can bet that if NK had managed to put any nuke on any delivery option we would all know about it and the US, Japan and probably even China would have agreed to take military action.

The belief right now is that NK has the capacity to build Nuclear weapons, but probably not safely, and probably not deliverable.

If they could, NK would probably have been decapitated and occupied already.

originally posted by: Darkblade71
Perhaps the time has come to deal with North Korea,
if they keep on their threat and do take out the speaker systems,
it will be interesting to see how the south responds.

I agree that now is probably the right time to take action, before things get any worse. We'll ultimately have to deal with NK eventually, and it would be far better to do that now than wait an indefinite amount of time until someone has the balls to do it.

If NK does fire on those speakers tomorrow, SK will fire back on NK positions, there's no doubt about that.
Will NK then retaliate again?
The ball is firmly in NK's court here.
They have the option not to open fire, and if they do then the world will have a clear indication of just how crazy they really are.

It all now hinges on NK.

a reply to: jude11

This has been a huge mess waiting to happen for so long now. Hoping cooler heads prevail in this case...

a reply to: Xcathdra

I agree with pretty much everything you've said, I think NK is being tested here. If it does carry out that threat then SK is going to go ott in the response to it.

Either way, technically SK has won already.

Kim Jong-Un has a choice to make right now, either he stands down and loses face and shows that he's weak (something that will not go down well with his military, who have been itching for a fight with the South for a long time) or he carries out his threat and then faces the consequences of an all-out war, one which he will definitely lose.

It seems to me the only choice he can make is to stand down. He's taken the threat too far this time and there's no way he can win. But, does he have that capability?

a reply to: TechniXcality

I'm not saying they didn't do it just there is no proof they did.

The use of common sense would do well here

On the part of the US and South Korea , when the world is on the brink don't provoke another confrontation.