Need proof there’s a new sheriff in town? Seoul has responded to a North Korean demand that the South apologize for Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Kim Tae-young telling the National Assembly that the South would strike North Korean nuclear sites in an emergency by essentially telling Pyongyang to fuck off:
At 10am, military authorities sent the North a radio message in the name of Major Gen. Kwon Oh-sung, the head of the South Korean delegation for intra-Korean military talks, saying, “We think it’s inappropriate for you (the North) to arbitrarily interpret and make an issue out of remarks made by a figure on our (the South) side… We find this very regrettable.”
The South also told the North that its “willfull slander and tension-creating behavior” was not helpful to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, and demanded Pyongyang cut it out.
UPDATE: This is why you’ve got to love the North Koreans. The Chosun Ilbo notes that in yesterday’s Rodong Shinmun tirade, the North managed to insert this:
“Like we did in the past, we can survive without South Korea. South Korea will see how it will live should it turn its back on us.”
This, the Chosun correctly points out, is a threat to raise military tensions on the peninsula in an effort to hurt the South Korean economy.
Coincidentally, just for fun, I took a peak at the original Rodong text at the KCNA website. It’s really quite nasty in tone, frequently referring to the Lee administration as the “Lee Myung-bak gang.” And in case you thought the North might be grateful for a decade of South Korean aid:
If Lee Myung-bak had even a basic sense of discernment, he’d know who has helped whom, and who owes whom.
South Korea, which was in a state of bankruptcy some 10 years ago thanks to the financial crisis that swept up Asia, was able to survive because of the dawn of the June 15 era.
Moreover, if it wasn’t for our Songun politics, could one believe that the US provocations for nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula could have been stopped, or that the South Korean economy could have survived in such a total war?
Seeing that Lee Myung-bak hasn’t any ability to understand this sensitive political reality on the Korean Peninsula, he’s talking senselessly without realizing who’s to thank for the South Korean economy.
Oh, and that visit by the New York Philharmonic really helped, too:
If we’re to speak of “openness,” we’ve never closed our doors to anyone, and the door of improved relations is open to even the United States, a hostile country. One example of this is the performance in Pyongyang of the New York Philharmonic.
If I had to guess, I’d say North Korea is going to try to push Lee as hard as it can until one side says “uncle,” which means I’d say we’re due for another “incident” in the West Sea sometime soon.
42 Comments
ROK on!!!
Roh Moo Hyun ain’t around to kiss up to you Li’l Kim, so suck it up!
Sweet! I am so happy about this I can’t believe it. Man if I could have voted for 2MB I would have!
If Kim Jon Il and Hee Myong Bak got into a fistfight, who do you think would win? My money is on Hee Myong Bak because he’s got a lot of experience picking up and throwing garbage…and Kim Jong Il would probably fit in a 50L garbage bag.
Even though his presidency is over, Noh Moo Hyun continues to look like more of a loser by the day.
I don’t mind that LMB take a new attitude towards NK. I just wish he did so after they fully gave up their nukes. Then they would have less to saber rattle with.
Now they can use this as an excuse to restart the fuel rod processing.
A midget shaking his fists at your is not a scary thing. A midget shaking a fist AND aiming a gun at you is.
“Even though his presidency is over, Noh Moo Hyun continues to look like more of a loser by the day.”
Amazingly, yes. In retrospect, Roh really was a shitty president! I’m not crazy about the new sherrif - nor for many of those he’s got in his posse - but he hasn’t made me the least bit nostalgic for the last guy.
By the way, when does the next season of “Deadliest Catch: Korea” start? I reckon it might be at least as bad as in 2002. Maybe worse.
They (NK) create these situations as a means of justifying their reluctance to get rid of their nuke program.
Think I’ll stock up on soju, bottled water and canned tuna.
#5 did you ever think NK would ever actually give up the nukes?
No way, Jose.
Don’t believe the hype.
It was all using the possibility of giving them up as a bargaining tool.
They would never actually do it!
Hey, if we’re really lucky, maybe we’ll get another minisub commando raid on the East Coast.
“Hey, if we’re really lucky, maybe we’ll get another minisub commando raid on the East Coast.”
I just hope that a local taxi driver is around to spot the next submarine that the beaches on the East Coast, because there’s always a chance the ROK military might not notice.
“Moreover, if it wasn’t for our Songun politics, could one believe that the US provocations for nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula could have been stopped, or that the South Korean economy could have survived in such a total war?”
Well, it’s a start. They have the taking drugs part of gonzo journalism down.
“I just hope that a local taxi driver is around to spot the next submarine that the beaches on the East Coast, because there’s always a chance the ROK military might not notice.”
The story of the taxi driver finding the sub sold countless cellphones. A lot of people I knew traded in their beepers for cellphones, not wanting to lose out on a reward if they saw someone who looked like one of the escaped spies.
the silver lining is that it will push korean stocks down again. the next few months may be a good time to start poking around for companies connected to LMB. surely those are the ones that’ll be getting contracts.
And how was that supposed to have happened? Divine intervention? I recently heard a very senior member of the Unification Ministry admit in so many words that the sunshine policy was a failure because it did not succeed in obtaining even the rather minimal objectives originally envisioned by its architects. At the same time, the perception is that it did create enough dependency of the Norks on the ROK at the margin that it now appears to make sense to use that dependency to put the squeeze on. In response to a question, he also claimed that the ROK and China are on the same page, and that the latter won’t make up any shortfall resulting from ROK disengagement.
Not sure how this will all turn out, but it does feel good to see a Korean president who has a pair.
north korea HAS NO NUKES! THEY HAVE NO AIF FORCE@ THEY HAVE NO NAVY!
#16,
Well, they do, but it’s all 2 or 3 generations behind what South Korea has. They still have the old WW2 Russian tanks, which are basically tractors with a few inches of armor plating on them. Shells from these would simply bounce off South Korean tanks…not that it will matter if North Korea attacks. The war will be over before North Korean tanks can make it through the DMZ.
The NORK tanks, of course, are grossly overmatched by the ROK rip-off of the Abrams, but in their day the Russian tanks were top-of-the line, vastly superior to the tin cans fielded by the US and a match for the best the Germans had on offer, at least in terms of ruggedness and survivability
Not like it matters much when even Merkava’s can’t withstand RPG fire
Not like it matters much when even the latest Merkava’s can’t withstand decades old RPG attacks.
“ROK rip-off of the Abrams”
I believe the K-1s were built in cooperation with General Dynamics and with technical consent.
“Not like it matters much when even the latest Merkava’s can’t withstand decades old RPG attacks.”
In order for an RPG to knock-out any modern tank it has to get at its ass, where the armor is thinner. Easier (but still pretty hard) to do in urban combat, where Hamas generally fights, but a lot harder in a face up battle between conventional forces on open ground.
ROK rip-off of the Abrams
The Abrams, in turn, is a rip-off of British armor and German guns.
Is this the “musical diplomacy” that the Philharmonic was talking about?
Yes, that musical visit really helped things, didn’t it, guys?
Of course, any concession or gesture of good will that the US or SK (or anybody else) makes is just going to be used as ammunition for the Nork propaganda cannon.
Thanks, NYC Philharmonic!
When SK ceases its attempt to convert the peninsula to a god-tithing territory of the US, then perhaps it will be time for K-Jong to turn off a few reactors.
Sometimes, newer isn’t better.
Kim Jong-il has no intention of giving up his nuclear program.
The six party talks are nothing more then a process for Kim to get what aid and concessions he can without giving anything up. Plus it is buying time to perfect the North Korean nuclear program and improve their tactical ballistic missile capabilities:
http://rokdrop.com/2007/07/01/.....way-talks/
Once this is done Kim Jong-il will be able to implement what Richardson calls the Strategic Disengagement policy:
http://www.dprkstudies.org/200.....explained/
LMB seems to understand what KJI is doing and by demanding that Kim fullfill his side of the nuclear agreement to receive aid will not get him to give up his nuclear weapons but at least it is causing the regime to receive some punishment for not living up to their side of the agreement.
Ah hello #22, Rheinmetall, a German company, designed the 120mm (and 105mm)smoothbore and the Abrams was made to accept it. It was not “ripped off” as you say.
Nice blamket statement though. It shows you really know what you are talking about.
At best you might say the composite armour is similiar to that developed by the British and was therefore “ripped off.”
blanket statement
#25, one can also conceivably argue that the entire US space program leading up to the Apollo Mission and the tandem development of the ballistic missile was a rip-off of the Nazi Vergeltungswaffe 2 rocket.
do they even have oil and gas to run those tanks? and whatever else?
it seems like there is so much corruption, i could easily foresee that their oil and gas has all been stolen.
see, all this idle speculation is worthless. I wanna stop wondering “what if” and start saying “I remember when…” I want to see this situation resolved, by force of arms or diplomacy, once and for all.
“If we’re to speak of “openness,” we’ve never closed our doors to anyone, and the door of improved relations is open to even the United States, a hostile country. ”
Yeah, the door is open to anyone but North Koreans who want to leave.
If we are all going to bloviate on how the North had no intention of giving up its nukes through the Six-party talks, maybe we should also debate exactly what the NPT commits nuclear weapon states to do with their arsenals.
Good faith negotiations anyone?
Nobody’s bloviating — North Korea doesn’t intend to give up its nukes. If you want to argue that Pyongyang isn’t party to the NPT and has a right to nukes, that the “American threat” justifies North Korea’s nuclear program, or whatever, go right ahead. But pointing out that North Korea won’t give up its nuclear program and the US and South Korea shouldn’t pay Pyongyang to do something it won’t can hardly be called “bloviating.” “Bloviating” would be what the Bush administration has been doing in talking up meaningless “agreements” with the North in an attempt to salvage some sort of foreign policy “victory.”
#33: “North Korea doesn’t intend to give up its nukes.”
Robert knows this because he has a direct phone-line to Kim Jong-il.
Indeed I do. KJI asked me to say hi, BTW.
I’m certainly not arguing that the North needs the nukes, although I can understand why they may think they do if they read too many comments from mateofmiguel. I’m just pointing out that talking the talk about self-disarmament while at the same time having no intention of disarming is nothing new in nuclear arms negotiations. If the Six-party talks are a waste of time then so was the whole NPT. Having said that, I have no doubt that some round here will think that the NPT is a complete waste of time.
#35: Well, one thing you both seem to agree on is strong border controls.
Frankly, I pretty much agree with that. The NPT hasn’t stopped Chinese allies like North Korea and Pakistan going nuclear, and it hasn’t mattered much with US allies like Israel and (I guess now) India. Seems to me who you let go nuclear and who you try to stop is a function of geopolitics.
#38: “Seems to me who you let go nuclear and who you try to stop is a function of geopolitics.”
I don’t think the Maverick got that memo.
#38: Thought you might say that. I agree with the geopolitics comment.
Obviously the NPT doesn’t have much clout with countries that don’t sign up to it. Getting countries to sign up to it seems to have had some benefit in cases like South Africa and arguably Brazil and Argentina.
What little control the international community has over Iran is only augmented by having IAEA inspections. Don’t forget that much of the legal basis for sanctions against the Iranians is based on the IAEA’s contention that they have violated the NPT. Strangely the Iranians seem to put up with the NPT despite the fact that the Shah signed them up to the treaty in the first place.
The six party talks did get the Yongbyon reactor shut down (again). That’s one less plutonium factory, which means less bombs, which means everyone round here has a greater change of living to a ripe old age.
The North Koreans probably don’t have enough material for many bombs and the bombs they do make probably aren’t too reliable, (as a kiloton scale test would seem to indicate). It’s a lot harder to make the materials in secret than use the facilities every knows you’ve already got.
Call it meaningless if you like.
“North Korea makes warship claim”
North Korea has accused Seoul of sending warships into its waters, amid a growing row between the countries…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asi.....327848.stm
The Marmot is undoubtedly psychic…
#13 “… it will push korean stocks down again. the next few months may be a good time to start poking around for companies connected to LMB. ”
Yup! Maybe, NK playing this card to get some commissions from invisible hands. And perfect timing as the election is just few days away.
3 Trackbacks
[...] Robert Koehler reports that the South Korean military has politely told North Korea to go F*** Off: At 10am, military authorities sent the North a radio message in the name of Major Gen. Kwon Oh-sung, the head of the South Korean delegation for intra-Korean military talks, saying, “We think it’s inappropriate for you (the North) to arbitrarily interpret and make an issue out of remarks made by a figure on our (the South) side… We find this very regrettable.” [...]
[...] South Korean military source says North Korea has refused to accept yesterday’s radio message from the head of the South Korea delegation to intra-Korean military talks, calling it “an [...]
[...] South Korean military source says North Korea has refused to accept yesterday’s radio message from the head of the South Korea delegation to intra-Korean military talks, calling it “an [...]