N. Korea Crisis - Updated as News come to hand

TimothyS Some reporters in Asia starting to notice that SK playing a pretty dangerous game of drills off, drills on - all while demanding NK "deeds." 4 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Ya think?

China Blames S.Korea for Clash with Chinese Trawler

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is calling South Korea to account for the dead and missing crew of a Chinese fishing boat which rammed into a South Korean coast guard patrol boat while illegally fishing in the West Sea last Saturday.

Not good.

Russia Distances Itself from China Over N.Korea

Russia distanced itself from China in discussions about North Korea at the UN Security Council on Sunday, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said Tuesday. "In the process of adopting the statement, Russia clearly stated its intention to join international condemnation," Kim said. "I do not believe Russia is acting in concert with China."

Well not 100% but at least 75%+.

Inter-Korean trade falls sharply amid heightened tensions
Who would have thought

BTW, the naval exercise on the South Korean East coast starts today.

EDIT :

#ROK naval exercise confirmed as underway in east sea. It'll last 3 days. #Koreas 11 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# FLASH: S.Korea mobilising 6 naval ships in firing drill off east coast - Yonhap news agency 14 minutes ago via web

# FLASH: S.Korea firing drill off east coast taking place about 100 km south of border with North - Yonhap 14 minutes ago via web

# FLASH: S.Korea holding 3-day firing drill off east coast starting Wednesday - Defence min official 16 minutes ago via web

100 km from the border this one... so no danger.

China Says N.Korea Has Right to Nuclear Power

Beijing says North Korea has the right to use nuclear power but should be subject to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The North recently agreed to the return of IAEA inspectors to nuclear facilities.

"China's position is that the North also has the right to use nuclear power in accordance with the principles of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the Sept. 19, 2005 joint statement and that it is also subject to the IAEA's inspection," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Tuesday.

Yeah...

The other massive LIVE FIRE drill is right on the BORDER and starts tomorrow.

I dont think i see what the big deal is. So another SK war game? NK isnt going to do anything so why do folks get so worked up. Go to bed.

reply to post by princeofpeace


This hammer of this trigger has not been pulled this far in a long time.

The N.Korean infantry is literally starving.
All it would take to light this unimaginably large powder keg right now, would be for one (1) rouge starving artillery commander to take a pot shot at the Christmas tree.

And for how much longer do we think this game of chicken (aka:brinksmanship) can go on? 50 more years??

^
^
I give it 3 years TOPS.

Once it starts, after a fierce battle, it will ultimately be the END of NK. The whole JONG-IL administration would LITERALLY need to have been on mushroom tea for the last 40 years to even think logically they could defeat NATO... and they'd need to be ever higher to think China and or Russia, in front of the world, would stand up for them militarily.


I still think John McCain or Sarah Palin would have already had this show on the go years ago....

You should actually see the good in the Obama administration.

reply to post by CanadianDream420

I give it 3 years TOPS.

I think that 3 years is optimistic.
But I hope I am wrong.

Little Kimmy Jr. is slated to take the "throne" this year, I believe.

Once it starts, after a fierce battle, it will ultimately be the END of NK.

Yes I completely agree with that.

The whole JONG-IL administration would LITERALLY need to have been on mushroom tea for the last 40 years to even think logically they could defeat NATO... and they'd need to be ever higher to think China and or Russia, in front of the world, would stand up for them militarily.

Well, Yes high on that and drunk on Hennessy cognac.
www.dickipedia.org...

With reported annual purchases topping $700,000, Kim Jong-il is the single largest consumer of Hennessy cognac worldwide.

Thats a lot of booze. I don't think he shares it with his Army...but lets hope not!

Russia and particularly China won't like a unified Korea. Unless they rule it.

I still think John McCain or Sarah Palin would have already had this show on the go years ago....

Yep, they would have smoked em out pretty quickly. Bing, bang, BOOM!

You should actually see the good in the Obama administration.

Um, I think thats a stretch. His secretary of state is STILL in the war room.. She is still trying to come up with the best spin for a preemptive strike.He is still in the dark on this one I believe.

reply to post by Vitchilo


Arrrrgh Vitchilo!...now I'm gonna be glued to this thread again until the South Korean drills are over -_- ^^.

Nice Job on keeping posted.

New South Korea exercises to test border tension

South Korea has said it will hold new large-scale military drills involving ground and air live fire on Thursday.

Artillery, jets and about 800 soldiers will take part, the government said, alongside separate naval exercises that began on Wednesday.

Tension has been high since North Korea shelled the South's Yeonpyeong island last month, killing four South Koreans.

Drills by the South on Monday near Yeonpyeong sparked Northern threats of retaliation that did not materialise.

Huge scale



An army spokesman said Thursday's drill would be held at Pocheon, 20km (12 miles) south of the border - about 50km from central Seoul.

Exercises have been held at Pocheon before, but this would be on an unprecedented scale, the spokesman said.

"The scale of mechanised assets taking place is enormous. When we would normally have 6 K-9 mechanised artillery, we'll have 36.

"We'll have the F-15 jets firing. We'll have choppers. You can say most of the mechanised assets taking part will be firing live ammunition," the spokesman said.

"We will retaliate thoroughly if the North commits another provocative act like the shelling of Yeonpyeong," First Armoured Battalion commander Choo Eun-sik told Yonhap news agency.

"Through this exercise [at Pocheon], we will demonstrate our solid military preparedness," he said.

The BBC's Kevin Kim in Seoul says this is the largest winter live-fire exercise ever conducted on land here.

Separately, a "routine" four-day naval firing exercise has begun off the east coast of South Korea, involving six warships and helicopters.

The North Korean shelling of Yeonpyeong shocked South Koreans.

It sparked the replacement of the country's defence minister and the development of a more active defence and deterrence policy among South Korean planners.

South Korea and the US - with which it has a long military relationship - had already been conducting large-scale military exercises, following the apparent torpedoing of a South Korean warship by the North on 26 March, which killed 46 south Korean sailors.

The pace of military drills has been stepped up in recent weeks, despite frequent denunciations from North Korea and its closest ally China.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, a giant Christmas tree was lit on the southern side of the demilitirized zone, despite concerns in Seoul that North Korea could strike the position.

Richardson visit

Efforts to redirect the Korean issue back to the negotiating table have been unsuccessful.

China and the North say it is time to return to the six-nation talks about North Korea's nuclear programmes.

But the US, South Korea and Japan have said they will not return to such talks, which have previously involved rewards for the North if it cuts back on nuclear development.

After a visit to North Korea, the US politician, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, said North Korea agreed to let international monitors back into the country to inspect its nuclear sites.

China has also urged the North to invite staff from the International Atomic Energy Agency but there has been no word from the North on the subject.

"The six-party talks will be restarted again when the North Koreans display a willingness to change their behaviour," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

North Korea walked out of the six-party talks in April 2009 and expelled UN nuclear inspectors from the country

www.bbc.co.uk...

Some more sources:

www.telegraph.co.uk...

www.zeenews.com...

www.aaj.tv...

english.yonhapnews.co.kr...

Defending Home

While living here, one of the things a person becomes accustomed to is the constant stream of news about North Korea -- so much so that South Koreans and expats alike are rarely concerned about it, and routinely discard it on their way to work to focus on more immediate problems, such as their child's upcoming midterm examinations or a sporting event.

But the reaction to recent news has been different. Shortly after hearing about the artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island and while still trying to get all of the facts myself, I received a call from my mother. She had seen on the news that North Korea had attacked the South and wondered if the government had an evacuation plan for foreign nationals. She then politely suggested that I come home. This is not the first phone call or email I have received from my family about what they have seen in the news, but this time my mother was obviously quite worried. For the first time I had some doubts myself. I have heard plenty of stories from other expats who have received similar worried phone calls and emails from loved ones to make sure they are safe.

The attack has also been a popular topic among my Korean friends and the students I teach at university. The students, especially, feel a mix of anger, sadness and anxiety toward the North and are at a loss what to think. For them, this is not something happening on T.V. -- this is happening here and people are dying. War has suddenly become a real possibility for them.

These recent events have had people here wondering what they would do if North Korea invaded. When I tell people I would stay, their first reaction is always to ask why. Since many expats are only here for a one-to-two year sojourn, people find it difficult to understand what would make me want to fight, and it is a fair question. But in my own way I have come to love and admire the country. Living here, I have felt and observed the sacrifice that the older generations have made for the new, through work, war and serving under a military dictatorship for many years. I have come to respect and admire that struggle when I see what South Koreans have accomplished in turning their country from an impoverished postwar nation to one of the leading industrialized countries in the world in so little time.

This is different... and people know it... and indeed South Korea is a great country worth defending.


Lee administration pushes to strengthen censorship powers

In a move that is expected to create controversy, the Lee Myung-bak administration is pushing to allow the immediate deletion of posts on Internet bulletin boards and cafes in the event of an “unexpected incident” such as the sinking of the Cheonan or artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island. Critics say the move is essentially preemptive censorship that bypasses even Korea Communications Standards Commission (KOCSC) review procedures based on the single standard of whether the posts are “intended to cause social disruption.”

That is BS... This guy is like the Bush of South Korea...

Korea tensions came close to 'war', says China diplomat
Ya think? We were AN ATOM AWAY FROM WAR.

More than 800 military personnel will take place in the exercise in Pocheon, roughly 15 miles away from North Korea, and it will begin at 2 p.m., a media officer from the South Korean army said. There will also be six fighter jets, anti-tank missiles, and will involve more than 100 types of weapons, the army said.
00.00AM December 23 ET the drill starts. And the US won't participate because of some ``training holiday``... which is weird.

South Korea's navy also opened regular exercises in the East Sea on Wednesday that will run for four days.

And the navy drills are underway now for 4 days.

A few pics from Wolf Blitzer in NKorea

S. Korea denies responsibility in sinking of Chinese boat

South Korea is at no fault in last week's sinking of a Chinese fishing boat in the Yellow Sea because the country was legitimately enforcing a law on suspected illegal fishing, an official said Wednesday.

Hopefully this is solved fast and peacefully.

SK Pres's Office: Drills are part of SK life. We don't cancel our schedules on behalf of North Korea. 43 minutes ago via web

What about on behalf of the world?

egalite_twitted Another shining piece of propaganda from NK: Kim Jong-il's mother led 100 fighters to repel 10,000 Japanese forces in 1935 by rolling rocks. about 1 hour ago via web

That is funny!

So let me get this straight, South Korea does provocative drills to deter North Korea from provocatives actions? That's right!

Obama having guts against China?
"US Issued Strong Complaints over NK to China"

The Mainichi Shimbun quoted various diplomatic sources as saying Wednesday that Obama told Chinese President Hu Jintao during a telephone conversation earlier this month that the U.S. has its own plans should China continuously refuse to actively address issues related to the North. He apparently was complaining about China’s handling of the North’s artillery attack last month.

The US has it's own plans? Meaning we bomb the hell out of NKorea if China does not control the North? Interesting.

What does NKorea have to say about these new drills?

At this point...if North Korea retaliates nobody else can be blamed but South Korea...This time it seems like SK wants full on war...or should we say the USA...NK is being pushed and pushed...but NK has to make the first serious move, otherwise it will look suspicious I guess.

Originally posted by Plan2exist18
What does NKorea have to say about these new drills?

Nothing yet. Probably will say that it's provocative and that they will strike back with all their might if even an inch of their territory is violated or something like that.

Or just say nothing.

North Korea is still deploying more anti-ship and anti-air missiles... and have their fighters jets ready to fly...

And the South are still at their highest alert, with fighters always in the air, destroyers deployed...ready to strike back.

Either side does something violent and full scale war ensues. It's as dangerous now as it was monday.

Probably will stay that way for a while...

North Korea wants war because they are puppets, and someone is making those puppet strings and controlling them, and puppets do not know what war means.

So, some world power is leading North Korea into war.

Could it be the US?

The most lying country in the world is the US.

The British are more honourable .


And NZ is the very best. We don't lie here. Also we are the first country in the world to accept gays in our armed forces - something Obama is about to do - well, duh.

reply to post by catwhoknowsplusone


Hello there in New Zealand.

egalite_twitted Source tells Yonhap military will deploy Israeli-made, infrared-guided Spike missiles on Y'pyeong. The Isle seems turning into an arms expo. 3 minutes ago via web

They are retards... the Spike missile is an anti-tank missile. What the hell are they gonna do with that on the island?

hey man great stuff Vitchilo i see other people dont realize or if they care if this thread is continuing keep it up!! we know who keeps contributing to this thread!

Originally posted by ajniss
hey man great stuff Vitchilo i see other people dont realize or if they care if this thread is continuing keep it up!! we know who keeps contributing to this thread!

Well it's been a month now... That's quite a workload.

I wish they would just end this BS... I need to do something else.

reply to post by catwhoknowsplusone


Umh...both SK and NK are being led into war I would reckon

Hmm..has anyone picked up on the fact that no US troops will be involved in this one? On monday's drill, I personally thought the main reason NK didn't retaliate was due to the US troops and UN observers, they couldn't risk killing any of those. That would isolate them from any sympathy.
Now with no US/UN involvement in these drills, the north may be more inclined to go for it. Intentional? Who knows? I hope i'm wrong though.

reply to post by Vitchilo

They are retards... the Spike missile is an anti-tank missile. What the hell are they gonna do with that on the island?

They have cars there with petrol tanks...
Maybe some islanders have fish tanks...
Don't be so harsh..

Originally posted by Morgil
Hmm..has anyone picked up on the fact that no US troops will be involved in this one? On monday's drill, I personally thought the main reason NK didn't retaliate was due to the US troops and UN observers, they couldn't risk killing any of those. That would isolate them from any sympathy.
Now with no US/UN involvement in these drills, the north may be more inclined to go for it. Intentional? Who knows? I hope i'm wrong though.

Yeah I thought it was real weird... The US troops have a ``training holiday``... really? Since when do they have those? I know it's Christmas soon but come on.... The exercise is on the 23... not the 24...

Yep real weird... you could be right. Hopefully not.