N. Korea Crisis - Updated as News come to hand

Originally posted by backinblack
I have to wonder if 94 minutes of live fire drill was worth the risk of war..

I know lil kim is not all there but I would of though common sense would have prevailed and maybe they could of at least moved the drill away from NK's border..

Just a thought...

I actually agree with you..... I mean... Regardless of who truly owns that water... Regardless of what country thinks they are right... SK did put their people at risk today. They knew that to. Which is why they warned their people to take shelter just in case....

That does bother me really... It does seem a bit..... provocative...

Originally posted by Vitchilo
reply to post by backinblack

 

It was never about ``drills`` it was about a political statement that the South wouldn't be bullied by the North anymore, also called ``saving face``.

No, the fact that they always hold war games near NK is provocative...
The US would't like say Cuba and mexico holding war games on the US border..

I'm starting to think this is some big game both koreas are playing.....

N. korea gets to act like they did not stand down because of the attacks last month...

S. korea gets to act like they did something about the attacks last month by carrying out these drills...

and the cycle continues...

Maybe some of TPTB understand if you can keep both sides thinking they are the winners then they can keep all out war from starting.....

For now atleast....

Even if N. Korea would loose a total war which is obvious they would.. I'm sure they could take out atleast a million in seoul......

Maybe this cat and mouse game is the best for now..

Well not to sound grim (I am grateful war didnt break out), but I am a bit dissapointed in the fact that North Korea did nothing when it threatened to do something, so we shall wait and see for the next week should anything occur. Here's to staying up all night with my ATS fellows

reply to post by thecinic

Even if N. Korea would loose a total war which is obvious they would.. I'm sure they could take out atleast a million in seoul......

And a lot of US personel stationed there...
That's why I just wonder why they push..

You'd think the US liked wars..

The next North Korean leader... a real nice guy...
Kim Jong-un 'Loves Nukes, Computer Games and Johnny Walker'

Kim Jong-un, the third son and heir of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, showed a strong affection for nuclear weapons since he was a child, according to Kim senior's former personal chef. Kenji Fujimoto quoted Kim Jong-un as saying uranium mines are the North's "sole assets."

Fujimoto was Kim's chef for 13 years until he fled the communist county in 2001 and knew both his second son Jong-chol and Jong-un since they were small. Having recently published the Korean edition of a book entitled "North Korea's Heir, Why Kim Jong-un?," Fujimoto told the Chosun Ilbo in Seoul on Friday that Jong-un briefly returned to North Korea from his studies abroad in the early 2000s and said, "Our industrial technology lags behind. All we have is uranium ore."

Kim Jong-il told Jong-un since he was 15 that a man had to hold his liquor and allowed him to drink, but ordered him not to smoke. Jong-un favored Johnny Walker whisky and secretly smoked Yves Saint Laurent cigarettes with Fujimoto. He had a Mercedes 600 sedan and was fond of South Korean pop music and the Super Mario Brothers and Tetris computer games.

Fujimoto recalled Jong-un once told him, "I roller blade, play basketball and go jet skiing in the summer, but I wonder how other people live." he visited Tokyo Disney Land with his mother Ko Young-hui.

Asked about the heir's podgy shape, Fujimoto speculated that Kim Jong-il made Jong-un gain weight to give him more of a leader's gravity."

And this is hilarious :

Kim Jong-il classified his female dance troupes into four categories according to their height (155 cm, 160 cm, 165 cm and 170 cm) and had them compete against each other. Once, he ordered dancers to perform naked and told senior officials to dance with them. Fujimoto said Kim was apparently trying to recreate the strip shows of the West.

Island residents watch news of drill with anxiety from afar

S. Korean businesses back live-fire drill in Yellow Sea
Really? They love the danger of investment getting the hell out of Korea if war breaks out? I doubt that.

reply to post by xynephadyn


Why are you disappointed?

Do you realize the ramifications of this conflict?

Obviously not. Too busy wrapped up in your fear porn/war fantasy to care about the people who will suffer if this thing explodes!

reply to post by backinblack


Since South Korea is believed to belong to North Korea, it doesn't matter where the drills start at, it can be considered provocative. Do you think the North Korea is bluffing? All bark but no bite when the drills were commenced? All that threats...North Korea would look weak and needs to start attacking again.

Originally posted by The Sword
reply to post by xynephadyn

 

Why are you disappointed?

Do you realize the ramifications of this conflict?

Obviously not. Too busy wrapped up in your fear porn/war fantasy to care about the people who will suffer if this thing explodes!

Dont be dimwitted. Seriously I understand the ramifications of the conflict- thats why i said IM GRATEFUL that war DIDNT BREAK OUT. what I find dissapointing is staying up all night on threats by North Korea only for nothing to happen.

Clever bit of last minute diplomacy by the Chinese and Russians to avert bloodshed. China has already stated that reunification is their final goal (if Wikilieaks are to be believed). Of course, the long term interests of the region is for the Korean people is to reunify and not fratricide, like some posters here seem to be hoping for. You'd think that the USA regime is desperate to start a another regional war (China and Japan WOULD get involved).... but NK ain't biting.

reply to post by blablablaxyz


Trust me if US wanted a war there you can gurantee there would be one...

US does not want a war in the koreas right now bet your dollar on that....

reply to post by xynephadyn


"Dont be dimwitted. Seriously I understand the ramifications of the conflict- thats why i said IM GRATEFUL that war DIDNT BREAK OUT. what I find dissapointing is staying up all night on threats by North Korea only for nothing to happen."

So you are basically telling that you are good that war didn't break out, but at the same time dissappointed that it didn't start (because you are dissapointed North Korea did nothing and you expected something (You do realize that if something significant happens over there it means war, yes?)).

President Lee says artillery drills 'natural' for national defense

President Lee Myung-bak said Monday that the South Korean military's artillery drills from the western border island of Yeonpyeong were an appropriate move aimed at protecting the country's territory and that no other country can take issue with them, according to Lee's office.

"It is natural for a sovereign country to conduct a military exercise for territorial defense," especially as it is a divided nation with military confrontation, Lee was quoted as saying. "Nobody can meddle in it."

W7VOA US 8th Army: Korean peninsula remains stable, everyone encouraged to continue their normal activities. 1 minute ago via TweetDeck

Remains stable... no thanks to you.

Just now got back to the thread and trying to catch up....lots of people chiming in.

2:30am CST here. Drill appears to be over according to the news channels I am watching.

I think the North Koreans will sit back for 12 to 24 hours minimum and think about this....probably there will be some response, so they can save face, but I don't think it will be all that big....that way it gives the SKs/US less of a reason to hit back, or if so in only a small way. Then both groups can walk away saving face. The situation can calm down and probably back door talks through China resume.

But it depends on how "stable" and "smart" kim jong ill and un are. Can't help but thing of the Team America Caricature of him......

I would think that if NK were to stick to their word, immediately attacking SK while the war games were being held would not be such a smart thing to do, simply because you would want to attack the enemy when they are most unprepared to fight back. Considering SK are firing live rounds, and are actually practicing battle operations, it would make more sense for NK to wait for the day's games to finish, for the ships to return to port or wherever is further from NK, and then strike while their backs are turned. Also, aren't there like 30 different sites where the games are being held? Yeah, not a good idea to retaliate during that time. Gotta wait for the right moment, not just any moment. There was a report that the US is ordering all airforce personnel to be on alert across the globe. Obviously this is not over yet.

KyungLahCNN SK Jt chiefs: emergency order on the 5 border islands lifted. 4 minutes ago via web

N. Korea silent as S. Korea concludes live-fire drill near sea border

South Korea concluded a live-fire exercise Monday from a border island shelled last month by North Korea, but the communist nation has not made any provocative moves despite its earlier threat to strike back, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

U.S. cable news channel CNN said the North told the visiting New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson that it would allow U.N. nuclear inspectors back into its Yongbyon nuclear complex and negotiate the transfer of 12,000 fresh fuel rods out of the country.

The North also agreed to consider Richardson's proposals for a military commission among the two Koreas and the U.S., as well as a hotline to connect the Koreas' militaries, the report said. Richardson's trip included talks with Pyongyang's main nuclear envoy Kim Kye-gwan.

@REUTERSFLASH: Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui repeats China's call to avoid conflict between two Koreas”

Originally posted by Vitchilo
The next North Korean leader... a real nice guy...

If all that is true, well it sounds like he "might" be a nice guy compared to his father, he's open to other cultures, which is a good start at least, but it sounds like he is ignorant to the suffering in his country. It would be interesting to see if he follows in his fathers footsteps or not.

We'll see.

North Korea finally blinks!

FLASH: North Korea army says "it is not worth reacting to provocation" from South Korea's exercise - KCNA /@-Reuters less than a minute ago via oli2be

reply to post by Vitchilo


Ahh finally they gave up !

At the moment it looks like there won't be any war from these two sides which is a huge relief. Hopefully through it doesn't escalate further and turn into a war which would be a huge mistake.