No need to go to Global Security.org to learn about North Korean nuclear doctrine. Kim Jong-il’s “unofficial spokesman” Kim Myung Chol will gladly tell you all about it:
Besides the DPRK, there are eight nuclear armed countries: the US, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan and Israel. The UK and France are US allies; India, Pakistan and Israel have no reason or means to strike the US mainland. Russia and China are capable of destroying the US many times over. Yet, they have no motive to engage the US, because they are now counted among friends of the US.
The DPRK is different, however. Of those eight countries, only the DPRK finds itself locked in fifty-plus years of belligerency with the US as a result of Washington?????s policy of hostility. The North Koreans keep their finger ready to push the button to fire nuclear missiles at a minute?????s notice to hurtle toward American bases in the neighboring areas and the Metropolitan USA. Needless to say, the US forces are also ready to launch their nuclear weapons toward the DPRK.
What distinguishes the DPRK from the US in nuclear war preparedness is that the DPRK has all necessary steps in place to protect its population from nuclear attacks from the US. The entire population can be evacuated into deep underground shelters in less than twenty minutes, whereas the American population has no such access. The DPRK is more likely to survive nuclear exchange than the US. The DPRK government wants to save its population, while the US government plans to allow millions of its population to die in a first nuclear strike from its enemy.
It is important to note that the non-nuclear DPRK alone has a proud record of defeating the nuclear-armed US in full-scale regular war and awing the US into backing down in four major confrontations. Now, the DPRK has the motive, capability and means to strike the US mainland with nuclear arms.
You know, I could almost believe this. I mean, the populace of the DPRK is likely to find just as much food below ground as it does above it. Don’t know what they’ll do for tree bark, though.
Just so there’s no mistaking, while I don’t believe Kim Jong-il is insane, Kim Myong-chol is certifiable (see this interview from August). Actually, sometimes I wonder if KJI himself hasn’t occasionally called him up in Japan to tell him to shut the hell up.
(Hat tip to NKzone)
5 Comments
Unless China’s nuclear arsenal went up by a factor of 10 or 20 it does NOT have the ability to destroy the US one time, much less “many times over”.
Notice that whenever Kim Myong Chul always talk about NK-US issue, he never bothers to talk about the role of South Korea. It’s as if he assumes 600,000 South Korean soldiers are just there for show. Kim Myong Chul always LOVE to compare North Korean vs US capabilities but he always convenient forget that North Korea has zero allies. Then again this man is so obviously deluded, what’s the point of shooting him down?
Then again this man is so obviously deluded, what?€™s the point of shooting him down?
Absolutely none whatsoever. I linked to him for entertainment purposes only.
Economic hardship in the fatherland has made it impossible for Dr Kim to stay on his meds.
It seems to me that Kim Myong-chul is playing the “bad cop,” while KJI can play “good cop.” Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger played these respective roles while negotiating with the Vietnamese in 1972-73. Nixon’s skill in this was supposedly inspired by none other than Syngman Rhee, who played the trustworthy ally when he needed to, and the completely insane and demented old grandfather who was willing to pull the whole show down at the drop of a hat when he needed to (like when he released all of the POWs from Koje Island prison in 1952 when the US was trying to negotiate an end to the war instead of “liberating” NK). I’m not sure, but putting out conflicting messages in this way may be an effort on the NK government’s part to keep their adversaries off-balance and/or on their toes.
And about the “underground facilities”: With everything that the NKs can build underground (evidently, much of their military infastructure is), it’s a wonder they didn’t put their reprocessing facitilties (is that what they were?) of nuke fuel underground, too. Maybe they WANTED American spy satellites to see them? Maybe this was an effort at deterrence and/or getting the US to engage with them?