North Korea - more provocation?

[Rajesh Koothrappali]

So enlighten all us so called "brainwashed". What is the TRUTH about NK and how do YOU know the truth?

 

[Immortality]

Yes, the US (as does Russia, UK, China and various other countries) have nukes as a first strike capability, however clearly have never used it. In the US, even if the president wanted to he could not just fire a nuke on the other hand, should NK ever have the ability it would most likely be that the control of those weapons comes down to the mood of a single man who has issues and is happy to kill anybody when it suits his mood. Would you want such a man to have the ability to "push the button"?

Yes, the worlds great power have all done things that are questionable (Russia and Putin scare me a lot more than the US or the UK and most other Western societies) but NK is still in a league of it's own.

I believe Russia currently has the largest stock pile followed by the US however those stockpiles have been coming down since the end of the so called Cold War. Clearly even at the height of the cold war, neither country chose to use there "first strike" capacity!

 

[XUV]

Fact is, NK would potentially use a nuke as a first strike option if it ever gets to the point of a viable nuclear weapon,.

I'd be more worried if i was a Nth Korean, if North Korea ever launched a weapon, straight up straight down , bit like playing dodge the arrow

 

[Calaber]

I reckon Eevo belongs in the foil hat brigade after his comments here.

How any sane person on this forum could believe that the US, UK or Japan, for example, pose an equal or greater threat to world security than NK is beyond me.

Japan is the only nation ever to experience nuclear war. They learnt a lesson they are never likely to forget. They are probably at greater risk of an NK attack than any other country apart from South Korea. Their arsenal is defensive, intended to bring down incoming missiles, not launch nuclear warheads.

The US has a responsibility to the rest of the world to control its nuclear arsenal as tightly as possible. It knows it is the largest potential target of NK, but even if attacked with nuclear weapons, the US knows that response with similar weapons is simply going to precipitate a war that can only end badly for the entire planet. They would respond by using conventional remote controlled weapons to destroy NK launch sites. They also know that targeting those sites would have to be 100 percent accurate owing to the proximity of China. The last thing they'd want to do would be to inadvertently kill Chinese citizens.

The UK? Hardly, for the same reason that they would act every bit as responsibly as the Americans.

The whole point the rest of us have made, which Eevo obviously missed out on, is that North Korea is run by a lunatic for whom human life has no value. Western nations have rather more concern for their citizens and the world in general.

Eevo - contact Skydrol. He has a few foil hats to spare.

 

[Eevo]

How any sane person on this forum could believe that the US, UK or Japan, for example, pose an equal or greater threat to world security than NK is beyond me.

no no. only the US.

nothing wrong with japan or the the UK

 

[XUV]

There's plenty wrong with the UK, they are the cause of most of the conflicts around the world, just look far enough back and the uk with be ground zero

 

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

I think China are just tolerating NK at the moment. China would like to dominate the world, but in commerce, not force. They are well on the way to doing that. China has a very good business acumen, they have a socialist business practice where everyone gets a go. I have imported from China before, and once you establish a contact, they are your go between when you want anything else. That's how they work. Their expansion as far as land assets go is more for population and distribution ease. I think anyway.

I think that China treat NK like a dog on a leash. The leash is loose at the moment, but China have the capability to reign NK in if they want. The pompous little prick is flexing his muscles and puffing out his chest. If his actions would threaten China trade in any way, I reckon the leash will get real short real quick.

Another thing to look at is political or material gain. If NK launch a nuclear strike, what purpose would it serve? Payback for M.A.S.H.? They may just be preparing for an attempted unified Korea, they may just be sending a message. We have the capability, let us reunite and reclaim SK or we will make such a noise and a mess that nobody can have SK.

 

[XUV]

if this is true, then some country might have to do an Israel while we're not looking

GLOBAL THREAT NUMBER THREE — NUCLEAR NORTH KOREA
This morning the world woke up to the news that North Korea had restarted its plutonium reactor in Yongbyon on the Chinese border — a facility that has not seen action since it was shut down in 2007.
US-based nuclear weapons specialists now believe Pyongyang has the capability to turn the 10 bombs in its possession into anywhere from 20 to 100 by the year 2020.
The revelations were detailed in the worldwide threat assessment and appear to substantiate fears North Korea is not only making technical advances in its nuclear weapons program, following its recent underground test explosion and rocket launch, but working to expand what is thought to be a small nuclear arsenal.

 

[lmoengnr]

I'd like to think its just a matter of time before China steps in and makes Pugsley 'disappear'.

 

[Calaber]

There's plenty wrong with the UK
, they are the cause of most of the conflicts around the world, just look far enough back and the uk with be ground zero

How far back in history are you going with this?

British imperialism is dotted with plenty of disasters, certainly but also with many great successes and many independent nations today owe their thanks to their times as British colonies.

Maralinga? Yeah that was probably a mistake but our government was probably stupid to have allowed the Brits to use our back yard for nuclear testing. And it was 60 years ago. Are you suggesting they would use weapons against other countries in pre-emptive or retaliatory strikes and are equally as untrustworthy as NK?