North Korea: Threat or Blackmailer?

1) SK is pulling all its workers out of Kaesong. The North apparently is letting them leave. That's a good thing.

2) China is increasing it's military presence along the NK border (http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/04/26/2013042600683.html) to prevent floods of refugees if war breaks out. That's a bad thing, because if anyone at all knows NK's plans it is the Chinese, and if they are doing this because they don't know what NK is going to do, then that's bad too. Also, NK could easily mistake China's increased air sorties as a wink and a nod that China will come to their aid like they did in the last war.

3) NK has miracle doctors:
Seriously Burned Soldiers Completely Cured

Yun Kwang Jin and Kim Un Hyok, soldiers of the Korean People's Army, who had gotten serious burns on their bodies, were completely cured and left the Kangwon Provincial People's Hospital thanks to the sincere devotion of its medical staff and people of Wonsan City.

They were admitted to the hospital on February 20 after getting two or three degree burns on 15 percent of their bodies.

They threw themselves into the house in raising flames to safely retrieve the portraits of smiling great Generalissimos Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and rescue its several family members.
...


4) Don't forget that their army is invincible
KPA Is Invincible Thanks to Kim Jong Un: Papers
Pyongyang, April 25 (KCNA) --
...

The KPA is an invincible army which has recorded ever-victorious feats in its sacred colors for a long period since it was founded under the outstanding military idea and Songun leadership of the peerlessly great persons of Mt. Paektu, Rodong Sinmun says, and goes on:

The KPA has covered the road of victory and glory under the leadership of the great Generalissimos Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Its tremendous power is being fully demonstrated under the leadership of the dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un.

It is the army strong in ideology, faith and will that devotedly defends its leader, idea and social system and a revolutionary army equipped with ever-victorious strategy and tactics of Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un and great capabilities for fighting an actual war.

It, grown under the care of the Generalissimos and firmly armed with Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, has performed heroic feats in firmly defending the socialist system.

The DPRK remains unfazed as there is the powerful revolutionary Paektusan army with strong mental power.

The great war for national reunification to be waged by the KPA with Kim Jong Un's strategy and tactics will not be a three-day war but a blitz war to occupy the whole of south Korea and Jeju Island at one go before the U.S. and south Korean puppet warmongers even come to their senses, and three-dimensional war simultaneously fought in the sky, land and seas. The powerful firepower strike plan defined and ratified by Kim Jong Un, Juche-based military method and Korean-style original strategy and tactics by high-precision strike means have put the military might of the KPA on the highest level.

It is the revolutionary disposition and fighting tradition of the army and people of the DPRK to keep following the road chosen by themselves, with conviction of the validity of their cause and victory, no matter how desperately the imperialists try to invade it.

...

As crazy as the NK's are, this part is basically true:

Nuke, Most Powerful War Deterrent



It is nearly 70 years since the first nuclear weapon made its appearance.

The period witnessed the complicated and chaotic situation.

Cold war persisted long and wars, big and small, were incessant in different areas.

There were more than 100 wars in 50 years after WWII.

Most of them were wars of aggression ignited by the imperialists to infringe upon other countries' sovereignty.

But the highhanded imperialists didn't dare kick off war against nuclear weapons states. Nuclear powers, big or small, have not undergone a military aggression.

It shows that no aggressor can pounce upon nuclear weapons state.

An evidence of it is the nuclear confrontation between the former Soviet Union and the U.S. during the cold war.

Toward the end of WWII, the U.S. was possessed of nuke for the first time in the world.

In August 1948 the former Soviet Union succeeded in an A-bomb test, thereby bursting the nuclear monopoly of the U.S. that was desirous of global hegemony.

After that, both the Soviet Union and the U.S. boosted their nuclear forces strong enough to retaliate against each other with nukes.

Therefore, they could not be the first to use nukes. The same is the case with China, a strategic rival of the U.S.

China had made strenuous efforts to be a military power and economic giant suitable to its position as a power in population and territory.

Its success in A-bomb test in October 1964 made China a country that no one can defy.

Contrary is the case with the countries on the Balkan Peninsula and the Middle East that fell victims to the aggression of imperialists. In the past, they didn’t strengthen their own defense capabilities, depending on great powers or even scrapped their war deterrent under the appeasement and pressure of the U.S.

As a result, they failed to defend their national dignity and sovereignty, let alone happiness and prosperity.

The reality shows that one can defend oneself only by countering nukes with nukes.

The U.S. is not the only country that is possessed of nuke.

But, no one inflicted so terrible nuclear disasters upon humanity as the U.S. that brandished nukes the moment it possessed A-bomb.

Now that the U.S. threatens us with nukes, a diplomatic way or call cannot ensure national sovereignty and safety and the socialist system from the U.S. nukes.

Our nuclear weapon is an out-and-out self-defensive war deterrent.

Jon Yong Hui
Copyright @ 2010-2013 by The Rodong Sinmun. All rights reserved.

We know that they have moved LR missiles into launching areas a few weeks ago. Next we heard that they had moved short range missile batteries into place. And now this?

NK may conduct large-scale drills
By Kang Seung-woo

North Korea is reportedly getting ready for a large-scale combined military exercise off the west coast amid tensions re-emerging on the Korean Peninsula due to the South’s pullout from the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.

The North, which has kept the world on its toes over an expected missile launch, may carry out an exercise around Nampo, South Pyongan Province, involving its aircraft and field artillery units, Yonhap News reported Sunday.

“The South’s intelligence detected a sign of the North’s preparations for combined live-fire drills and its scale is likely to be quite large,” a government source was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said it does not have information regarding such an exercise.

The source also said there is a chance the North may opt to launch short-range projectiles as part of its show of force, but no timing for the drill was given.

The North has been expected to launch a mid-range Musudan missile or shorter Rodong or Scud rockets during key anniversaries in April after moving them to the east coast, because of its past cycle of military actions on those days, but there is no sign of any imminent launch.

“A large part of the North’s military is currently being used to help spring farming,” a military official said.

However, the South’s military has been put on alert against possible provocations after the complete withdrawal from the joint industrial zone.

ksw@koreatimes.co.kr

Why Kaesong closed:

S. Korea Denounced for Making Public Decision to Do Away with KIZ



A spokesman for the General Bureau for Central Guidance to the Development of the Special Zone gave an answer to a question put by KCNA on April 27 as the puppet south Korean regime made public a "decision" of withdrawing all the personnel of the south side remaining in the Kaesong Industrial Zone (KIZ).

He said:

The south Korean conservatives held a meeting of ministers for diplomacy and security in Chongwadae with the presence of the chief executive. After the meeting they let the minister of Unification make public a "government statement".

The statement clarified the "decision" to withdraw all the south side's personnel remaining in the KIZ, citing "difficulty" and "protection of people" while shifting the blame for the KIZ situation on to the DPRK.

This is sheer sophism and hideous provocation of confrontation maniacs.

It is a well known fact that the puppet conservative group has persistently tried to do away with the KIZ, a product of the June 15 joint declaration.

Kim Kwan Jin, "minister of Defense", revealed a dangerous attempt to request the U.S. forces to hurl their commando into the KIZ for a military operation, crying out for "hostages" and "detention". Under such situation the DPRK blocked personnel of the south from entering the KIZ and made sure that those personnel who had already entered there went back according to their will.

After taking issue with this, the puppet group made a mockery of the DPRK, proposing dialogue without any sincere intention. In the long run, it, proposing working-level talks between the authorities, went the lengths of demanding the DPRK respond to the proposal till next morning and threatening to take "a crucial step" in case it refuses to accept the proposal.

There were many proposals for dialogue in the history of inter-Korean relations but there has never been such precedent that the present puppet group arrogantly proposed dialogue with threat of "crucial step" after setting a deadline and this is unprecedented in the history of world diplomacy either.

It is self-evident that such unheard-of strange farce is not to have dialogue with sincerity but to totally derail it.

When the DPRK took a resolute stand on the arrogant proposal for dialogue made by the puppet group, it lost no time to hold an emergency confab, as if it had been waiting for this, and went over to the next phase of bringing the KIZ to a collapse.

All facts go to clearly prove that the group's proposal for dialogue and decision to withdraw personnel are pursuant to the already worked out scenario to lead the KIZ to a collapse.

This is fully evidenced by the confession made by an official concerned of Chongwadae, when explaining the "crucial step," that it has worked out diverse scenarios against the north and is carrying them out after closely examining them.

The puppet group prattled that the step for withdrawing personnel was taken for the lack of food and materials in the KIZ but there is not lack of food and materials there in fact.

Nevertheless, the group perpetrated a provocation painting food and materials as humanitarian issues. This only indicates that it is running the whole gamut of intrigues to bring down the KIZ.

The KIZ at last ceased to operate due to the vicious moves of the group though it has been successful over the last nearly decade thanks to the compatriots' blessing and concern of the whole world. It may be completely closed any time.

The DPRK sets store by the KIZ, a product of the June 15 joint declaration, but it has no idea of continuing to confer a favor on those who abuse it, not feeling grateful to the DPRK.

The closure of the KIZ would only bring enormous losses and damage to the south side, not to the north.

On the contrary, it would create more favorable conditions for the great war for national reunification as it would be possible to reoccupy the vast area of the KIZ as a military theatre, level at Seoul at closer distance and pave a wide road for southward advance.

The DPRK does not care at all about the group's pullback of its personnel and the like.

It has never detained any of them in the KIZ but allowed them to go out of it.

It is ridiculous, indeed, for the group to try to browbeat the DPRK with such "crucial measure." One cannot but express concern over to what catastrophe the stupid and reckless confrontation maniacs will push the inter-Korean relations.

The present chief executive of south Korea, in particular, is now crying out for "the north's dismantlement of its nukes," "right option" and "change," bringing into bolder relief her confrontational intention towards the DPRK.

It is closely following whether or not the chief of Chongwadae intends to make the KIZ, the only undertaking for cooperation common to the nation, fall victim to the policy of confrontation, dancing to the tune of confrontation maniacs.

The responsibility for the total closure of the KIZ will entirely rest with the puppet group.

Rodong Sinmun

Interesting thought that Kaesong would be a very good staging area to launch a move into Seoul, given that it has a very wide paved and heavy load road straight through the DMZ. Earlier, someone had mentioned that the NK's wouldn't be so stupid as to be broadcasting their plans. I just wonder if they really are just that dumb though.

Love reading the 5:00 Charlie reports. So many puppets. It's like the Onion but for real.

Of course, as you pointed out earlier, the sobering fact is that, for most - if not all - North Koreans, this is the what is fed them as truth and they have no way to check it and probably have been so indoctrinated that they have no desire to do so. It is all truth to them.

I thought when the boy dictator took power that the NK situation could descend into a bad bad deal. Not quite the Balkans of the early 20th century but not all that far off either.

Not only is it the truth to the NK masses, but it is what the ruling elite want the truth to be. The articles are Onion like on the face, but when an 8 million person army is reading consistently about the US military losing in Afghanistan, their medical personnel making miracle cures, and the invincibility of the NK Army, you see a disturbing message being planted.

I continue to hope this is all about getting the nations of the world to accept them as a nuclear state, and the rest is all just elite bluster, but there is the very real fact that they can't feed their population, and that the South has both more fertile land, and better infrastructure that could be occupied quickly by a blitzkrieg attack. No one believes the north would really do that, but with US troops rotating out after a long deployment and the North ramping up for large scale military maneuvers, it makes me watch curiously.

coming home from Kaesong, packing for a little more than a day trip

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/67294000/jpg/_67294550_c4123c09-1e3c-462b-9ba2-56c6a020131a.jpg

Serious question. At what point do you just pull an Israeli moment and level their nuclear facilities/launch sites? In this next article, they claim that their rockets are nuclear tipped. We have said we cannot accept a nuclear NK. One of these two things obviously cannot stand with the other as both being true.

Truth about Nuclear Crisis in Korea



The world first nuclear war may break out in the Korean Peninsula.

Missiles carrying nuke warheads are mounted on the launching pads, ready to fire any moment at the enemy bases. For the first time in human history two opponent parts both owning nukes are ready to go in for a war.

The world attention focuses on Korean Peninsula.

The focal point of argument on the international political arena is: when a nuclear war may break out, today or tomorrow; how to evaluate this critical situation; and who is guilty of this crisis and who is to be held responsible for it.

Now, experts are divided in their opinions on this serious issue.

Some ascribe the motive and the origin to our Republic. This assertion is something that cannot be overlooked.

Their explanation is this: Having gone against international order, we put up a tough resistance to the U.S. pressure, and this led to an extreme aggravation of tension in the Korean Peninsula. This sort of assertion can only be compared to a sophistry that turns black and white.

Geographically, the Korean Peninsula is located at a strategic key point where the interests of some big powers are interwoven complicatedly and many historically impending issues still await solution.

The present nuclear war crisis in this peninsula is a global issue now because it involves very complex problems. Korean issue is neither inter-Korean relations nor a regional dispute within a country. The Korean issue originates in the U.S. occupation of south Korea, an issue that remains unsettled for over 60 years now, an impending international issue still awaiting solution today. The U.S. is the aggressor and south Korea is a colony under U.S. occupation. Therefore, the Korean issue is in essence a face-to-face controversy between our Republic, the non-aggressor, and the U.S., the aggressor.

The strategic design of the U.S. policy-makers is to invade our Republic, push the MDL up to the Rivers of Amnok and Tuman and build a bridgehead there to squeeze China and Russia and finally grab the Eurasian continent. In the eye of the U.S. strategists, our Republic and south Korea are no more than their advance posts for invading the Eurasian continent.

Our nation's enemy is the U.S. and those of the south Korean authorities are but executors of U.S. colonial policy and cheap cannon fodder.

Today in the Korean Peninsula goes on a do-or-die battle of nuclear confrontation between our Republic representing the justice and the U..S representing the injustice.

The criterion for humanity to distinguish justice from injustice is only one, and that will never change.

There has been no change in the revolutionary stand of our Party and the people to remain true to their international obligations as they go along the road of independence, Songun and socialism. And also nothing has ever changed in the U.S. policy for invasion of our Republic to expand the scope of its domination.

In the period of last Korean War the U.S. attempted to drop an A-bomb on the heads of the Korean people, but failed in their attempt. And in the post-war days, the U.S. began shipping in nuclear weapons to south Korea en masse.

To make the Korean Peninsula a nuke-free zone -- this the government of our Republic regarded as an issue vital for the future of the nation and urgent demand for world peace and security, and made all possible efforts to prevent the U.S. shipment of nuclear weapons into south Korea.

But the U.S. did quite the contrary. Soon south Korea turned into a biggest nuclear arsenal in the Far East and a U.S. advance post for aggression on the Asian continent.

If between two hostile countries one is nuclear power and the other not, danger of nuclear war will certainly grow further.

To foil the U.S. nuclear war machinations and defend Korean and Asian peace we had to take our own choice: to possess nuclear weapons.

Recall the 1960s when there was a big howling among the U.S. ruling circles as the news came about the missile deployment in Cuba.

A reasonable man should not forget his own misfortunes and should also not impose misfortunes on others. The final conclusion we have drawn is nuke for nuke.

Since the U.S. tries to deprive us of our nukes and overthrow our system, our Party had to put forward a new line on parallel growth in the economy and nuclear arms build-up and legalized this line by law.

Some say we use nukes for high-handed attitude in negotiation. No, that is not true. Whoever says so is a liar.

Our all-out confrontation with the U.S. is to put an end to half century long U.S. policy of hostility toward our Republic and its nuclear blackmail and achieve Korea’s national reunification.

The conclusion is clear.

The U.S. is to blame for the nuclear war crisis now sweeping the whole of Korean Peninsula.

Nuke for nuke -- this is our stand, and this stand is just.

The U.S. must cool its head and be sober-minded, and make a bold decision to remove the present nuclear crisis in the Korean Peninsula.

Nothing but fear mongering. NK doesn't have the ability to fire a nuclear weapon at this point. They are still in the testing phases.


Also, the people of NK may be blind and pumped full of indoctrination, but why do you think their leaders are? The leaders of NK know the reality of it. They've seen us slap other people around in the world via our military and KNOW without a doubt that a war is a losing battle. Now, that's not what they are telling their countrymen, but they know the truth. People in power want to stay in power, and they certainly will lose their power (and lives) by invading or attacking. To stay in power, they thump their chests, show their people how mighty they are and invigorate the populace once again. NK history at its finest.

Remember Saddam's rhetoric before the Allied invasion? Same shit, different dictator.