North Korea: Threat or Blackmailer?

It really depends a lot on how serious the NK's first surge would be. IF the military got the ok, their goal would have to be capturing the SK supply depots. It is only 200 miles from Seoul to Busan (south end of SK).

We would win because we have a lot more overall resources, but it would be painful.

And ultimately, it just depends on how stable K-Un and his advisors are, I worry about him, because, although he did grow up with some western training, most of his life has been indoctrination to his grandfather and father's beliefs. And when the NK press continues talking about being thrice cursed for disrespecting the grandfather and father, it just sounds like a bad episode of SVU where the criminal goes off the deep end.

The good thing is that China would be highly unlikely to take up for the NK's like they did in the Korean War. They have a heavy trading dependency with SK now, and I am sure they want to keep the status quo. Let's hope they are getting that through to NK.

It really depends a lot on how serious the NK's first surge would be. IF the military got the ok, their goal would have to be capturing the SK supply depots. It is only 200 miles from Seoul to Busan (south end of SK).

We would win because we have a lot more overall resources, but it would be painful.

And ultimately, it just depends on how stable K-Un and his advisors are, I worry about him, because, although he did grow up with some western training, most of his life has been indoctrination to his grandfather and father's beliefs. And when the NK press continues talking about being thrice cursed for disrespecting the grandfather and father, it just sounds like a bad episode of SVU where the criminal goes off the deep end.

You been watching alot of SVU lately, too?

I honestly believe the "plan" is to hurry up and wait for North Korea to collapse from the inside so the process of re-unification can begin without a bloody war, which technically we would easily win but not without a good amount of property damage and casualties to South Korea civilians, which as I mentioned before could easily be over 100,000 during an initial assault.

Obvious problems with reunification among others are that North Korea is decades behind in terms of technology and education. You also have a large portion of people who genuinely believe that the Kim dynasty are God like figures and have been indoctrinated beyond repair. You also could easily have a power vacuum where someone just as bad as the Kim's could take over and keep the status quo. In short, its a mess.

Usually I consider myself an isolationist. I look at countries like Israel and find myself frustrated with all the trouble we have to go through with keeping them safe in a part of the world that will likely never find peace. However then I look at South Korea and I can't help but hope that if an invasion from the North ever took place our military would give them nothing less then our full support.

I don't know, I guess that I feel like that part of the world has a lot to offer and if we're going to serve as the world police we might as well pay special attention to protecting countries like South Korea.

I dont see a runification happening.
Its been over 50 years.
They are totally different countries.
I doubt the south would want it, they would have to pay a lot to feed and prop up the north.
On the other hand if it came to blows...we win....Kim is gone.....we may inherit another Iraq style country full of Kim-heads. We may as well let China annex the north. Let them deal with it.

I dont see a runification happening.
Its been over 50 years.
They are totally different countries.
I doubt the south would want it, they would have to pay a lot to feed and prop up the north.
On the other hand if it came to blows...we win....Kim is gone.....we may inherit another Iraq style country full of Kim-heads. We may as well let China annex the north. Let them deal with it.

China doesn't want them. One thing I wonder, is how strong the re-unification feeling is in SK. When E/W Germany re-united, there was a lot of support at first from West Germans. But when they started having to incorporate the failed economy and infrastructure they were very quickly frustrated. So i wonder if SK would have that same "Yay" moment, or if they view themselves as two separate entities. I don't know, but I don't get the feeling that they really want to be re-unified.

Just so you know why SK will lose :cheeky-sm

Army Devoid of Right of Operational Command (1)



Operational command is essential to an army. The right is as good as its life and soul.

But, the south Korean puppet army was deprived of the right of operational command by its foreign master and serves as cannon fodder and bullet-shield for it.



Right of Operational Command Lost to U.S.

On June 25, 1950 the U.S. and the Syngman Rhee puppet clique of south Korea launched an all-out surprise armed attack on the DPRK.

The invaders were so foolish as to brag that they would take breakfast in Haeju, lunch in Pyongyang and supper in Sinuiju. But, the result turned out contrary.

The Korean People's Army immediately went over to counterattack, liberating Seoul in three days and advancing on southward.

Much upset, on July 7th, 1950 the U.S. prodded the UNSC to pass a resolution on dispatching armed forces of UN member states to the Korean war and attaching them to the U.S.-led combined command.

According to the resolution, the U.S. hurried to conclude an agreement on putting the right of operational command of the south Korean puppet army under its control.

On July 14th, 1950 MacArthur, the then commander of the U.S. Far East Command, had talks with traitor Syngman Rhee in Taejon.

At the talks, traitor Rhee signed an agreement to hand the right of operational command of the south Korean puppet army over to the U.S.-led combined command.

The conclusion of the "Taejon Agreement" enabled the U.S. to use the south Korean puppet army as its war servant at will.

As a result, the south Korean puppet army was reduced to a jackstraw army that cannot use even a single shell without the U.S. approval and a bullet-shield army that must go into the jaws of death if the U.S. army orders.

Of course, even when the south Korean puppet army had the right of operational command, its position had been little different.

U.S. military advisers attached to corps, divisions and regiments of the puppet army controlled the puppet army with absolute authority.

The conclusion of the "Taejon Agreement" transferred the seeming right of operational command of the puppet army openly to the hands of the U.S.

So Nam Il

interesting article

US military chief in Beijing warns of North Korea 'miscalculation' (http://news.yahoo.com/us-military-chief-beijing-warns-north-korea-miscalculation-192123559.html)

China doesn't want them. One thing I wonder, is how strong the re-unification feeling is in SK. When E/W Germany re-united, there was a lot of support at first from West Germans. But when they started having to incorporate the failed economy and infrastructure they were very quickly frustrated. So i wonder if SK would have that same "Yay" moment, or if they view themselves as two separate entities. I don't know, but I don't get the feeling that they really want to be re-unified.

The more people that pass away from the Korean War generation the less the desire for reunification. A big part of the desire for reunification has been bringing families back together. Among the younger generations these family ties are detached, consisting of relatives they never knew (aunts/uncles and cousins if that). In the 80's and 90's you had brothers and sisters, even parents reuniting with Children. Now the only people left with such close ties would be among defectors who have family back in North Korea.

Of course as mentioned previously theres the fact that North Koreas economy is stuck in 1972 while South Korea has evolved with the rest of the modern world.

Ironically theres a reunification memorial called the Statue of Brothers in South Korea consisting of a North and South Korean embracing each other. In this memorial the North Korean was purposely made shorter then his Southern counterpart as this is now a reality after years of famine and malnutrition in the North that has produced a stunted generation, emotionally, intelectually, and most of all physically.

South Koreans are typically taller and weigh more than North Koreans, with the average North Korean adult being as much as 5 inches (about 12.7 cm) shorter and about 14 to 27 pounds (about 6 to 12.5 kg) lighter than their South Korean counterparts.

BREAKING: South Korea warns of "grave measure" if North Korea rejects talks on shuttered inter-Korean factory park (via @AP)

Korean newspapers phrase it as serious measures. There are 180 SKs in Kaesong still and no supplies have been allowed to go from SK to NK for a while, although apparently they aren't being kept there as about 4-8 people leave every day.