Spokane7
57°Quick links: 2012 graduating seniors • Summer camp guide • Jobs: The Road Ahead • Prep sports • News quiz
Good morning, Netizens…
North Korea has created world enmity and discontent with its actions the last few days, from launching 5 test missiles and ostensibly exploding an underground nuclear device. As if to add insult to injury, this morning North Korea threatened to launch military strikes against South Korea if any of its ships were stopped or searched as part of an American-led operation to intercept vessels suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction.
Of course, after the successful test of another nuclear weapon, South Korea hustled to join the global interdiction program, despite the fact the North Korean government warned them not to participate.
The United States is apparently choosing to ignore the threats and is proceeding with a plan to begin aerial verification of the atom bomb test and to stop ships suspected of carrying materials and/or WMD to North Korea.
To further quote North Korea, “Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels including search and seizure will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty and we will immediately respond with a powerful military strike.”
My opinion is if the United States keeps messing around with North Korea, something bad might happen and sooner than we may have been led to believe. I would not put it beyond them to put an atomic bomb on South Korea.
A North Korean newspaper, Minju Joson, said in a commentary Wednesday that Pyongyang, North Korea does not fear repercussions.
“It is a laughable delusion for the United States to think that it can get us to kneel with sanctions,” it said. “We’ve been living under U.S. sanctions for decades, but have firmly safeguarded our ideology and system while moving our achievements forward. The U.S. sanctions policy toward North Korea is like striking a rock with a rotten egg.”
What the North Korean newspaper omits is that striking a rock with a rotten egg always stinks to high heaven.
Dave
[portions dedacted from the New York Times and Yahoo! News sources]
999 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201
P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210
Main switchboard: (509) 459-5000 • (800) 338-8801
Newsroom: (509) 459-5400 • (800) 789-0029
Customer service: (800) 338-8801
© Copyright 2012, The Spokesman-Review
Terms of use • Privacy policy • Copyright policy
lewis8457 on May 27 at 9:51 a.m.
another bully on the block, now it is not only us and a few others, Korea is getting into the act.
All it takes is one power hungry leader and BLAMO!
George_Sands on May 27 at 5:19 p.m.
Saber Rattling. Often used by politicians to justify their existance and keep them in the spotlight.
I cant remember in any scenario where we actually PLAN to use nuclear weapons. None of the Oplans(4700 series) I saw called for them. The world outcry for us retaliating at them would be enormous. Plus the refugee problem..is unimaginable. We couldnt even katrinaize them with trailers.
and what would the world reaction be if DPRK actually tossed one over the fence? Do we have the fortitude (let along the military power) to do a land invasion of DPRK? DPRK is a very mountainous country as much as Afghanistan and it has horrible winters. and what about the China Card? What would be their reaction? Saviors or suppliers?
The Korean Peninsula problem has festered since the mid fifties and we still haven’t comeup with an solution except for isolation. I imagine that the prison mentality is fed to them constantly and that the rest of the world is the big bad enemy which keeps them subjugated.
Jeffrey_Grey on May 28 at 7:38 a.m.
“[A]nd what would the world reaction be if DPRK actually tossed one over the fence?”
That’s the $64 dollar question, isn’t it?
Honestly, I don’t know what the world reply would be. It’s my sincere and profound hope that all the divisive squabbling would get put aside when the threat suddenly isn’t a hypothetical for politicians to bat back and forth, but rather is man-made disaster of biblical proportions right here, right now.
I would hope in the event that it will be one of those situations where the bickering cavemen can stop bickering and unite in common cause when a rabid rat is actually chewing on one of their number’s ankle.
That’s the optimist in me speaking.
The realist in me is saying, ‘Wanna bet?’
George_Sands on May 28 at 1:23 p.m.
Well we couldn’t embargo them anymore than we do now. Cant attack major population centers. Hard to bomb a country back to the stone age thats still in it. Whatcha gonna do?
I think its WAY past due that someone figures out that thing known as a carrot and stick.
Noticed the US and ROK’s went on higher alert (how much higher can it get, when the gomers are on the wire?). Another chance for co-lateral sabre rattling. Guess that means few trips to the Yongsan Shopping district and the Dragon Inn for the soldiers at Camp Casey. Drink up boys the Soju bar is closed.
Jeffrey_Grey on May 28 at 4:26 p.m.
George,
I’m usually a big believer in the carrot and stick approach.
And you’re certainly correct when you say that there really isn’t a whole lot of ‘stick’ left - not unless we make it a club and start beating people bloody with it.
But what carrot could we possibly offer The Beloved Leader that he wouldn’t see as a sign of capitulation? In the past, any carrot he’s gotten he’s gobbled down and then almost immediately started demanding another.
And it seems to me that we tried appeasing a megalomaniac with as many carrots as he demanded once before in the not too distant past. If I recall correctly, it didn’t turn out so well. (“Peace in our time!” - not so much.) See, that’s the problem with megalomaniacs: by definition they always want more than they can realistically have.
Look, as I say; I’m not opposed to this in principle at least. But to be frank, I’m not too optimistic about the chances. The history on this isn’t encouraging.
I’ll be honest; I don’t really know what to do, short of getting the community of nations to finally stop treating ‘The Korean Question’ as a partisan weed patch they can farm for political capital, but instead address it as the serious problem it is with one, unified voice.
Which I grant is probably about as likely as getting The Beloved Leader to be satisfied with only one carrot.
JeanieSpokane on May 28 at 4:53 p.m.
My son was stationed along the “bridge” from South Korea to North Korea for the Army ten years ago. I worried about him like all parents worry about Iraq. It was tense then and every day was suspenseful. I was so relieved when he finally made it home. We weren’t as aware of the potential for war then as we are today – but little tidbits would make it in the paper, on the last page, towards the bottom. Just enough to give me nightmares. It is not a very big country and I would think that if they actually fired a nuclear weapon, it would become just Korea – no south, no north. Not to mention how it would affect the rest of the world in lost manufacturers – Hyundai comes first to mind and there are many others.