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| China-Japan-Koreas | ||
| N.K. says not bound to armistice | ||
| 2009-05-27 | ||
"Our revolutionary forces will consider the full participation in the Proliferation Security Initiative as a declaration of war against us and will immediately and effectively respond with military strikes against any attempts - including inspections and crackdowns - to inspect our ships," said the North's permanent military mission to the joint security area of the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom. Pyongyang's statement also said since it will no longer abide by the armistice, it could no longer guarantee the safety of South Korean and U.S. military ships and private vessels moving along the western sea border. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a statement pledging a "stern response to any provocation by the North." The military tightened security on the West Sea. The Navy forward-deployed a 3,500 ton-class KDX-I destroyer and readied additional artillery and missiles near the maritime border, military officials said. Seoul also activated an exclusive task force to keep North Korea's nuclear activities in check. President Lee Myung-bak ordered the government to respond calmly to the North's threat while he met his foreign affairs advisers. The North's latest threats came a day after South Korea announced its decision to fully participate in the PSI, a U.S.-led campaign to fight the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction and related materials. Under the campaign, member countries are encouraged to interdict and seize ships and planes suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction. Pyongyang has said it considers the exercise a violation of the Korean War armistice, which bans attempts at naval blockage in the region. Seoul's decision to upgrade its status in the PSI to full-membership from its previous observer status followed on the heels of North Korea's second nuclear test conducted on Monday. It had been planning to become a member since March, but delayed the announcement to support the efforts for reconciling with Pyongyang. The North also fired five short-range missiles between Monday and Tuesday. Pyongyang said the tests were to help strengthen its nuclear deterrence. Government sources are now expecting possible further military activity in the West Sea, as the North has banned ships from the area, suggesting the communist state is preparing to launch short-range missiles there. In 2006, North Korea had coupled its first nuclear test with the launch of seven launches, including a long-range missile. The latest nuclear test from the North was in line with the threats it issued shortly after the United Nations Security Council denounced its April 5 rocket launch. Pyongyang has also since boycotted the six-nation talks aimed at denuclearization. Considering that the North has slapped away the United States' offers at bilateral talks, some experts now believe that the North may be seeking official nuclear power status. But others, citing the crude level of North Korea's nuclear technology, say Pyongyang has set its sights too high. "While North Korea might have a few nuclear weapons, their capabilities are both quantitatively and qualitatively well below the capabilities of even the small nuclear powers (India and Pakistan), let alone China or Britain or France or Israel, and North Korea is immensely less capable than the United States or Russia," said Bruce Bennett, a senior researcher at the U.S.-based RAND Corp. "If the term 'nuclear power' refers to these other eight states, North Korea is not of comparable stature and should not be referred to in a manner that makes it a peer of the other eight."
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| Posted by:Kofi Claitle6576 |
| #19 2012 |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-05-27 22:28 |
| #18 So when do we start bombing? |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-05-27 22:18 |
| #17 you get a pass |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-05-27 20:46 |
| #16 apologies for my spelling of "peninsula" LOL. |
| Posted by: GirlThursday 2009-05-27 20:36 |
| #15 The risk of Nork Nukes is not that NK will use them, against SK, Japan or US. It's that they well sell them to somebody else who very well might use them against the US or US interests. Say, somebody with lots of oil dollars, little value of life, and no specific home to be counter-attacked. And that threat can become a very valuable card for NK to play to get more aid (blackmail) from the US. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-05-27 20:19 |
| #14 The good thing about tunnels is that they can be collapsed with thousands inside. Ask the Japanese. It's a lot easier now with precision weapons and no grave digging is required. |
| Posted by: ed 2009-05-27 20:14 |
| #13 As someone who has patrolled the DMZ area in full battle rattle, and been close enough to NK to hear propaganda music they pipe over loudspeakers on the other side of the fence, the Norks ain't no disco dance ensemble. But neither are the South Koreans. South Korea (and the US) have the will, capability, the equipment and the hairtrigger temper to F-THEM-UP!!!!! When you hear US troops are evacuatiing family off the penisula, you'll know its about to get serious. |
| Posted by: GirlThursday 2009-05-27 20:09 |
| #12 Can you say USS Pueblo? I think you can. Obumble's response would not be any different than then. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-05-27 19:54 |
| #11 DRUDGEREPORT > seems NOKOR is also NOT guaranteeing the safety of US, SOKOR = INTERNATIONAL NAVAL + MERCHANT SHIPPING, ETC. whom get too close to its maritime borders??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-05-27 18:32 |
| #10 REUTERS/INTERFAX > RUSSIA FEARS KOREA CONFLICT COULD GO NUCLEAR; + PRAVDA > NORTH KOREA READY TO FIGHT WORLD WAR III. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-05-27 18:29 |
| #9 The problem here is if this business is not about them and us, but them and them, internal NK politics. They have stayed in their little hole all their lives, and even for their big players we (anyone outside of NK) may not seem real. We are no personal threat to any of them, or they have no experience requiring them to take us into account in their internal politics, we must all seem almost like parts of the scenery. Someone in NK could well go the extra mile in a dominance game without thinking too hard about the consequences. There haven't really been any after all. |
| Posted by: buwaya 2009-05-27 16:51 |
| #8 I wonder about that infiltrating capability. At one time it was more or less true, or at any rate was regularly attempted. But they have been consistently unsuccessful for decades, and there haven't been any attempts in many years. I'm guessing their abilities in that line have greatly deteriorated. |
| Posted by: buwaya 2009-05-27 16:41 |
| #7 Saddam also said and acted accordingly that he wasn't going to abide by the ceasefire agreement. So, they're looking to the same results? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-05-27 15:21 |
| #6 "The Norks also have a strong infiltrating capability" The standard wisdom over there is that the Norks also have tunnels extending under the border and all the way to Seoul (built by the seemingly inexhaustible supply of starving proletariat slaves). The SKors have found several of these, but not all. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2009-05-27 15:07 |
| #5 What is this now - the sixth or seventh 'international test' Obama had to face (ala Biden's prediction). And its only been just over four months. And he (Obama) hasn't passed one yet. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-05-27 14:59 |
| #4 The Norks might be able to mount one of their crude plutonium bombs onto a short-range missile. It's doubtful but one can no longer dismiss the possibility. The Norks also have a strong infiltrating capability. A crude plutonium nuclear device that is too big for a missile could be put on a freighter, container ship, etc. With suitable deception such a container could be smuggled into an SKor or Japanese (or U.S.!) city and set off. One cannot blithely dismiss these possibilities. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-05-27 14:24 |
| #3 Actually, SKOR could do a hella lot of damage. I have heard from several informed that over the course of at least two decades, the US was there to keep SKOR from invading NORK. There have been times that the ROK army got damn close to losing its temper. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2009-05-27 13:51 |
| #2 I don't understand why people talk like NK would just pop off a bomb or two against Japan, SK or whoever. If they are stupid enough to blow their wad that way then they will deserve to get blown off the face of the earth. These bombs and missles are extremely valuable to the NORKS as playing cards, not as weapons of mass destruction. Already the little rogue nations are lining up to get their fantasy weapons from them. Meanwhile, they have just juiced up the various mating games with the big boys. China, US, Russia, and Japan will bribe them because of their new attractiveness. North Korea has done well for itself, very well, indeed |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2009-05-27 12:44 |
| #1 Yes, but the only way to get one close enough to SKOR to do any damage would be an air drop. Do you think their chance of that is very good? |
| Posted by: bigjim-ca 2009-05-27 12:38 |