North Korea, Sanctions, and Kim Jong-un

[McLaren]

Except maybe go over the brink of insanity. Kim Jong-BOOM (as he was inelegantly dubbed by the papers this morning) might see Anonymous as acting with the tacit approval of the American government, which to him might as well be the same thing as being the American government.

Again, in response to you.

North Koreans may be silly & misled, but they're not 🤬 stupid.

They're not going to do anything about being hacked.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

They may not do anything specific in relation to the breach, but it might just be one more little thing that they won't forget too quickly. It's not hard to see how they might construct it as some kind of defamtory attack (which it is) sanctioned by the US government (which it isn't) - especially if the White House doesn't distance itself from the actions and/or criticise those who did it.

 

[McLaren]

They may not do anything specific in relation to the breach, but it might just be one more little thing that they won't forget too quickly. It's not hard to see how they might construct it as some kind of defamtory attack (which it is) sanctioned by the US government (which it isn't) - especially if the White House doesn't distance itself from the actions and/or criticise those who did it.

 

[arora]

But on a serious note, our government doesn't like all this hacking nonsense and does try to catch and prosecute the clowns with vigor.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

The North has put a second Mudusan missile on the east coast:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-05/north-korea-move-second-missile-to-east-coast/4612746

Both are said to be ready to fire without warning.

The North blames the US government for every single injustice ever perpetrated on the world. Given that Kim has god-like status there, posting pictures of him with a pig snout and ears and a Mickey Mouse tattoo on his belly could easily be constructed as an attempt to subvert his leadership. And who, according to the North, would indulge in such ungentlemanly warfare? Why, none other than that great perpetrator of social evil, Uncle Sam. Given the North's behaviour to date, don't you think the White House's failure to distance itself from the hacking would be considered proof of their complicity in it?

 

[Touring Mars]

I reckon this whole 'saving face' thing is going to be pretty tricky - Kim Jong Un has painted himself into a corner and has made himself look like a prize wally in the process... as such, it is probably quite likely that the North will launch some form of limited/token attack on the South - and that could be potentially very dangerous indeed, since then they will effectively force the South to respond in kind, which could easily lead to a massive escalation. But either way, it's not going to end well for North Korea. For as long as North Korea stick to their Stalinist ideas and believe they can win concessions/sympathy from the outside world by threatening to murder millions of innocent people, they will remain in a no-win situation. The irony is, the North Korean people could really use a conflict to finally rid themselves of a brutal regime that forces them to adore their great leaders or face of a life of slavery (or worse).

 

[Lizard]

Cameron doesn't need to try to justify having nuclear weapons, it's a no-brainer. Want to attack the U.K? Risk a nuclear strike. Want to attack us with a nuclear strike? Here, have some M.A.D. We're a small country with a big voice solely because we have that capability.

If you watched the video you would know why.


It is a certainty that we need them but try telling those protest groups. He was not in the commons when he delivered the speech. And it's in Scotland which IIRC wants to scrap nuclear weapons should they become independent hinting a large public hatred of them.

 

[Famine]

I reckon this whole 'saving face' thing is going to be pretty tricky - Kim Jong Un has painted himself into a corner and has made himself look like a prize wally in the process...

...except domestically, where the news agency is reporting his proud, determined stance against the evil animals of the West and his assured victory against their cowardice.

 

[Spoil-t]

I'm sure many of us are rather keen on wiping them off the face of the Earth. However, with the exception of Kim and his army, North Korea is full of starving people who don't deserve to be caught up in this because of a corrupt Dictator with unjustifiable motives.

That's war buddy. The people always suffer because of the idiot government/leader.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I reckon this whole 'saving face' thing is going to be pretty tricky - Kim Jong Un has painted himself into a corner and has made himself look like a prize wally in the process... as such, it is probably quite likely that the North will launch some form of limited/token attack on the South - and that could be potentially very dangerous indeed, since then they will effectively force the South to respond in kind, which could easily lead to a massive escalation.

I was reading today that Kim "learned" military tactics by playing his Xbox.

The last time we were in a situation like this, the North shelled an island belonging to the South. It was seen as an act designed to place Jong-un in the forefront of the North Korean consciousness as a strong leader, and was interpreted as the clearest sign that he would take over from his father. However, the key difference is that Jong-un himself wasn't actually in control of anything - Jong-il was still running the country, and after seventeen years of leadership, there was a certain understanding as to how far things could go and what he could reasonably get away with before he went too far. Jong-un seems to lack that understanding; he has led the country for less than eighteen months, and has had full control of its armed forces for less than a year. And in the time since, he has reportedly been restructuring the North Korean military command, removing those who were loyal to his father and replacing them with his own dedicated followers. So they're probably telling him exactly what he wants to hear.

 

[BobK]

Although he is [s]trying to justi...y be the truth.[/QUOTE] There ya go, FTFY.

 

[Dotini]

Many of the preceding posts assume that Kim III is in charge of his country. But...
"There has long been tension between the ruling Korean Workers Party and the North Korean military, and apparently this ratcheted up to an unusual degree last year with reports of an assassination attempt on Kim Jong Un, culminating in a gun battle in the streets of Pyongyang.

The atmosphere of crisis generated by the North Korean media, and the government’s wildly belligerent pronouncements, in all likelihood have to do with the internal political situation, and bears little if any relation to events outside the country"

And...
"the reality is that North Korean society is riven with fault-lines through and through. Historically, there have been no less than four major factions inside the ruling Korean Workers Party (KWP), with internal battles between pro-Chinese, pro-Russian, and North and South Korean factions playing out over many years.

It now appears that the new factional fault-lines are those separating the Party from the military"

So...
(Kim's) "fierce rhetoric can be seen as an effort to appease the military, even as he and his uncle dismantle the songsun system and restore the KWP to power. "

Ergo...
Don't panic and let them do their thing. Kim is trying to reform his system. Maybe that will result in peaceful reunification. Their army will have no stomach for war, as they know they surely must lose, and the army must feed itself by farming and herding. With planting season commencing April 15, that can't both fight and eat. Kim will win over the military, and talks may resume.

Source: http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2013/04/02/explaining-north-korea/

Respectfully submitted,
Steve

 

[Touring Mars]

It does strike me as odd (to say the least) that Kim Jong-Un is hanging out with the Harlem Globetrotters one minute, and threatening to nuke the USA just days later... maybe one of his advisers had a word...

 

[Grayfox]

Hilter 2.0 needs to think about nukes more and also learn math while he is at it.

He has about 10
America has about 8000

Last I checked 8000 is a bigger number compared to 10.

 

[Joey D]

Hilter 2.0 needs to think about nukes more and also learn math while he is at it.

He has about 10
America has about 8000

Last I checked 8000 is a bigger number compared to 10.

1 is all it takes to destabilize the world's political climate though.

 

[Blitz24]

Hilter 2.0 needs to think about nukes more and also learn math while he is at it.

He has about 10
America has about 8000

Last I checked 8000 is a bigger number compared to 10.

Hitler though was more cunning than Kim is.

 

[Wardez]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mouse_That_Roared

The tiny (three miles by five miles) European Duchy of Grand Fenwick, supposedly located in the Alps between Switzerland and France, proudly retains a pre-industrial economy, dependent almost entirely on making Pinot Grand Fenwick wine. However, an American winery makes a knockoff version, "Pinot Grand Enwick", putting the country on the verge of bankruptcy.

The prime minister decides that their only course of action is to declare war on the United States. Expecting a quick and total defeat (since their standing army is tiny and equipped with bows and arrows), the country confidently expects to rebuild itself through the generous largesse that the United States bestows on all its vanquished enemies (as it did for Germany through the Marshall Plan at the end of World War II).

 

[Grayfox]

1 is all it takes to destabilize the world's political climate though.

1 if it works.

America has 8000 working nukes that will hit their target.
N.Korea has 10 nukes of unknown working that may if very very lucky hit their target.

 

[Tired Tyres]

Notice how close China is to North Korea?

There is zero chance of the US firing anything nuclear at North Korea regardless of any provocation.

 

[Lizard]

There ya go, FTFY.

That as well.

Anyway.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22037008

 

[Peter.]

Hitler though was more cunning than Kim is.

And far more powerful.

 

[arora]

Notice how close China is to North Korea?

There is zero chance of the US firing anything nuclear at North Korea regardless of any provocation.

Well, how do you think China will feel about NK firing a nuke so close them?

 

[Touring Mars]

Notice how close China is to North Korea?

There is zero chance of the US firing anything nuclear at North Korea regardless of any provocation.

On the contrary, there is absolutely no way the US would not respond in kind if North Korea used nuclear weapons against them.

 

[Joey D]

1 if it works.

America has 8000 working nukes that will hit their target.
N.Korea has 10 nukes of unknown working that may if very very lucky hit their target.

The firing of one, regardless if it hit its target or not, will upset the world's political climate

 

[Grayfox]

Also surprised that the US is on Defcon 4.

Would have thought 3 maybe 2 since Un said he is preparing for an attack on the US.

 

[Dennisch]

If N.K. launches a missile towards the US it will be shot down over the Pacific, and it suddenly starts to rain metal in N.K.

 

[Joey D]

If N.K. launches a missile towards the US it will be shot down over the Pacific, and it suddenly starts to rain metal in N.K.

The chances of NK shooting a missile at the US is really low, the chances of them firing one at SK though I'd say is pretty high. They know they can't hit the US without a ton of luck, but even super outdated tech can still hit Seoul.

 

[Dennisch]

Oh yeah, hitting S.K. wouldn't be a problem. It is just that I see people getting scared about Un's comments about bombing the US, which will never ever ever ever ever happen, unless a NK submarine beaches itself on the west coast, and fires from there.

 

[Jet Badger]

So NK would nuke SK, join the two K's and have half of the territory empty of life plus glowing green? Somebody has eaten too much cake.

 

[Exorcet]

So NK would nuke SK, join the two K's and have half of the territory empty of life plus glowing green? Somebody has eaten too much cake.

Just for reference here's Hiroshima today

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/NagasakiHypocentre.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A-Bomb_Dome.jpg

Yeah nukes are bad, but it's not like one going off will destroy the Earth.