UPDATE: Well F-me—Major Gen. Kim Yong-hyun, who heads the operations team of the South Korean Joint Chiefs, just warned that if North Korea launches a provocation, not only would the South retaliate against the source of the provocation and support units, but also against command elements. And yeah, we’re fully prepared to do it. The warning was made all the more menacing by the fact that Major Gen. Kim looks like a really tough mo-fo. Seoul had threatened to go after support units before, but this is the first time I can remember them talking about going after command units.
- North Korea’s throwing its poo around again, this time threatening to nullify the Armistice Agreement. OK, now I’ve heard North Korea threaten to void the Armistice so many times I can’t really take it seriously, but I did find the “diversified precision nuclear strike means of Korean style” bit mildly amusing:
North Korea has also vowed to take unspecified retaliatory steps if the Security Council imposed more sanctions against the country for its third nuclear test on Feb. 12, and its latest warning amplified on such threats.
“Now that the U.S. imperialists seek to attack the DPRK with nuclear weapons, it will counter them with diversified precision nuclear strike means of Korean style,” the North Korean statement said, using the acronym of the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “The army and people of the DPRK have everything including lighter and smaller nukes unlike what they had in the past.”
They also threatened somewhere to “launch surgical strikes at any time and any target without being bounded by the armistice accord and advance our long-cherished wish for national unification.” With North Korea, anything is possible, and I wouldn’t count out some sort of provocation aimed at South Korea, both to get themselves in the news and to test new South Korean president Park Geun-hye.
- The UN is moving closer to slapping even more sanctions on North Korea, this one targeting, among other things, North Korean diplomats. China co-sponsored the resolution, which seems to me a good sign.
- What’s NOT a good sign is that according to the Chosun Ilbo, China is building five bridges across the Sino-North Korean frontier and expanding road and railroad connections between the two countries. Sources told the Chosun Ilbo that this could be to allow China to more quickly deploy troops to North Korea in an emergency. The North Koreans are reportedly spooked by the Chinese interest, too.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Wait. So it goes from turning Seoul into a sea of fire to surgical strikes with small nukes? The first implies total devastation. The second partial devastation to selected strategic targets. Is it just me or is the level of threat getting smaller?
Perhaps with all the infra spend going on in China, the bridges are an extension of this and could aimed at facilitating trade and commerce and perhaps open north Korea slowly to the outside world. Sure they’d handle more troops too, but would not be the primary reason for construction.
Not sure about opening up China to the outside world, but the article did note that there are economic factors at work, too, most notably mining resources in North Korea, including Asia’s largest open iron mine:
http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2012/09/13/dprk-mining-investment-woes-musan/
Is that like Gangnam Style?
How does China unilaterally build bridges over a river on an international boarder anyway? The North Koreans must have at least agreed to their construction.
Park Geun-hye is taking an even stronger stance against the North. Alright! I just hope it’s not all bluff and bluster, but that there is some steel behind it. A bully doesn’t stop until someone breaks his nose, then he runs to mama, (China?), and cries foul.
North Korea has also vowed to take unspecified retaliatory steps – after the NBA Finals – if the Security Council imposed more sanctions against the country for its third nuclear test…..
It’s all about sucking the minerals out from under the DPRK, the PRC’s M.O. everywhere.
Did you hear? North Korea has also threatened to nuke Washington. I’m not joking, they actually threatened that.
They said not only Seoul, but also Washington will turn into a sea of fire. I’m not sure exactly what they imply by that. Intercontinental nuke missile or terrorism?
This at least makes sense in the context of the momentarily-every-so-slightly-warming relations with the US. NK tends to up the anti-US rhetoric when something nice has happend btwn the two, in this case “basketball diplomacy.” You don’t want anyone in Pyongyang to think you’ve lowered your guard, so you unleash nonsense like this. Same thing happened after the Carters danced in Pyongyang on their anniversary, for example.
I can remember them talking about going after command units.
LM386
Calm people, this is another NoKo’s BS threat going nowhere. Even if they decided to launch some sort of assault, its going to be another sneaky sh*t like Cheonanham style. They know, we know- the day they wage war against SoKo- would just lead to the end of both.
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