The meaningless bullshit continues, this time brought to you via the North Korean Foreign Ministry:
North Korea (news - web sites) said Thursday it would “physically display its nuclear deterrent force,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.
The remark by an unnamed spokesman of North Korea’s Foreign Ministry could be an indication that the communist regime intends to test a nuclear bomb.
“When the time comes, the DPRK will take steps to physically display its nuclear deterrent force,” the North Korean spokesman told Pyongyang’s state-run news agency KCNA, which was monitored by the South Korean agency.
More vaguely-worded threats. Those who read Korean can take a look at the original report from Yonhap News - not the most polite of statements, and simply a rehashing of their previous demands, i.e. a bilateral nonaggression pact and simultaneous concessions (i.e. we pay and pay and pay and the North promises to eventually dismantle its nuclear program). The Norks also expressed their opinion that if the Bush Administration wants to stall for time for 2004 re-election purposes, that would be just fine with them - gives them the opportunity to “perfect and strengthen” their “already-revealed means of necessity.”
On a more positive note, the Norks also said that they might not necessarily be opposed to the format of talks, explaining that “We do not oppose US-DPRK dialogue to solve the nuclear issue. If the US says that they intend to change their policy towards us, and sincerely coexist with us, our position - that we won’t be particular about any one dialogue format - still remains unchanged.” Whether or not that means the Japanese are “allowed” back in, I haven’t the faintest.
You know, there are times I truly feel bad for the North. It was so long ago during the Clinton Administration that talk like this would have resulted in ex-presidents going to P’yongyang. But now, the most they can get is the South Korean President soiling himself, and that’s hardly worth the effort.
UPDATE: The Big Ho appears to be of like mind - must be a Hoya thing.
One Comment
The demonstration of nuclear weapons fits into one of the two
strategies experts have suggested for building nukes but not the
other.
It fits with the blackmail thesis.
But it does not fit the idea the North is planning to sell the
nukes or material, at least in my opinion.
Getting caught selling nukes or material to make them would be a sure
fire way to start a war. China would really turn against the North.
Japan would harden its stance even more. And maybe even South Korea
would raise an eyebrow.
So if they wanted to deal in nuclear material, the best plan would be
to keep it extremely quiet and covert.
They wouldn’t announce it to the world.
But using nukes as a deterent and way to gain concessions does fit
with a desire to publicize the nukes.
And it works. In a poll taken by a group in Chicago - before the big
spike in hate last year - some 45% of Americans said they would not
support a war defending Korea even with UN backing!!
With verified nuclear weapons, how many Americans will agree to
seeing US soldiers potentially glow in the dark to defend South Korea -
with or without anti-Americanism?
This is why it is insane for the Korean media and politicians to
continue to say “the US-NK nuclear crisis”….
Another poll in Korea said that only 9% of SKoreans said believed
the nuclear crisis should effect government policy.