N Korea 'preparing missile launch'

Originally posted by HimWhoHathAnEar
I think I remember something about the North attacking the South. Thereby starting the Korean War.

- There was a lot more to it than that.

Korea was attacked, defeated and occupied particularly viciously and cruelly by the Japanese from 1910.

She was not intended to be a partitioned country after WW2 and the Korean people were not supportive of that division.

South Korea has to this day a 'unification Minister'.

As per outside influences were and are a large part of the problem.

So I'm wondering if that dispute has been resolved to the point where they could actually reintegrate?

- IIRC there is only, formally, a ceasefire in operation.
The war itself has yet to formally be ended.

They seem like, I don't know, complete opposite's!

- The really interesting thing is S. Korean attitudes.
They are, perhaps, surprisingly sympathetic to the north and the fear and hostility one might expect is absent from many.

For the first time, the South Korean Defense Ministry’s annual white paper does not list North Korea as its “main enemy.” Although attitudes among South Koreans have grown increasingly pro-North Korean and anti-American, the South Korean government recently asked the United States to slow down the planned withdrawal of one-third of the U.S. forces from South Korea.

Some South Koreans want to keep U.S. forces in their country to act as a “trip wire” in the event of a North Korean attack. Others fear the economic impact of U.S. troop withdrawals. Others want the troops to remain near the DMZ to restrict U.S. options. They believe that without thousands of U.S. troops in North Korean artillery range, the United States would be free to consider attacks against North Korean nuclear facilities.

www.command-post.org...

Ok, just out of curiosity. What would this test launch entail? I assume the only way you could test the range is to fire it. Certainly they don't think they can just send a light payload over here with a ballistic missile?

I'm really wondering though, how do you do it without sending the missile here to the US? I think Kim Jhong just wants to go for a ride on a missile, he's such a loony toon.

I would imagine that they would launch to some point in international water's. I remember in '96 they shot one over Japan. Maybe they'll try to overshoot Hawaii this time.

Regensturm,

LOL Too funny, surely that's not the way you think the conversation would go? Or maybe that's just the nicetie's before the real deal's start.


SminkeyPinkey,

Sound's like it would just be best for the US to bail. I just wonder which government would win out for control of Korea. And which one the people want. And whether the other would go peacefully?


Ah Regensturm , almost forgot, I understand your point about us smashing North Korea if they tried any retaliation. And you probably already know about the EMP threat to the nation. But I will post a link for those who are not familiar with it.

www.globalsecurity.org...

[edit on 22-5-2006 by HimWhoHathAnEar]

Ok, thank you for clearing that up! Let's just hope they miss the Hawaiian Islands then...

That's a country that I think would be unwise for us to mess with...

Though I'm not well versed in the mechanics surrounding a ballistic missile launch, wouldn't it be possible to launch a missle which had the capability of hitting the continental US with a reduced fuel load? Then the missile would splash into the Pacific, well short of California, but fundamentally prove that with a full fuel load, it could easily reach land. That's my thought...

Originally posted by HimWhoHathAnEar
Sound's like it would just be best for the US to bail.

- In the medium term I'd agree, a sudden pull-out probably wouldn't be too good an idea for anyone's stability.

Although it may seem surprising to those expecting southern hostility to the idea (given the 'version' of the history of the Korea and the war etc 'we' are taught) it seems to me to be undeniable that reunification truely still is the ultimate goal the Korean people want north and south.

I just wonder which government would win out for control of Korea.

- I found this in the NYT piece (written May 11 2006, so it's pretty up to date) -

South Korea and the United States recently disagreed over an industrial complex built in the southwestern North Korean town of Kaesong and operated by South Korean investors with North Korean workers. The project exemplifies South Korea's efforts to help North Koreans learn capitalist ways ahead of a hoped-for integration of the two economies.

www.nytimes.com...

- It would appear each will try and learn to work with the other.

I doubt very much that those in the north can seriously look at the economic performance of the south and the standard of living the people enjoy in comparison and believe the northern command economy is prefereable at all points.
Even China can hardly be said to be 'communist' in it's economy, so I doubt the ideas are news to anyone..

And which one the people want.

- That's an interesting question, I would not expect 'the people' to imagine the exercise would be either easy nor 'cost free', but, I would think that those in the north would hope to begin to approximate the standard of living enjoyed by their southern country-people in a matter of a decade or two as opposed to the other way around.

However I would be pretty sure that there are many in the south who do not believe the globalised 'liberal' capitalist economy provides all the answers at every point either.

November 13, 2005
20,000 labour activists in South Korea joined a union-organised protest in the streets of downtown Seoul on Sunday to express opposition to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum currently underway in the southeastern port city of Busan.

en.wikinews.org...

It's also worth bearing in mind that if it wasn't for the crippling military spending she engages in north Korea would certainly be able to do a hell of a lot better than she does in terms of the general standard of living the people there 'enjoy'.

And whether the other would go peacefully?

- If each could genuinely cooperate and begin to build trust, without outside interference, I can't see why not.
The key is that their people want it (and so much of the underlying myths rely on the partition, without that I think much else will shortly disappear).

Anyhoo to return to topic -

A missile that went over and beyond Japan, yes, I remember that happening too.

Surely it is not such a great leap to extend the range of such a craft?
......and surely if you are capable of that an extension of range hardly requires particularly up-to-date or 'high technology'?

Originally posted by HimWhoHathAnEar
Regensturm, LOL Too funny, surely that's not the way you think the conversation would go?

Why not? Perhaps they are big on manicures and hair cuts. Have you seen Kim's?

Originally posted by HimWhoHathAnEar
Or maybe that's just the nicetie's before the real deal's start.

What real deal? How to strike at America and/or Israel?

They know the consequences and limits of such actions, don't underestimate their realistic outlook...

Originally posted by HimWhoHathAnEarAh Regensturm , almost forgot, I understand your point about us smashing North Korea if they tried any retaliation. And you probably already know about the EMP threat to the nation. But I will post a link for those who are not familiar with it.

www.globalsecurity.org...

[edit on 22-5-2006 by HimWhoHathAnEar]

The EMP threat depends on who America pisses off, and who thinks they can do it and withstand the consequences.

It also may depend on how paranoid one is when one thinks of an EMP threat.

The EMP threat depends on who America pisses off, and who thinks they can do it and withstand the consequences.

Is there anyone left to piss off? Consequences may be hard to deliver. Detonating a high altitude nuke would not kill alot of people right away. Not even alot of fallout since there would be no 'dust up'. So we would have to determine what an appropriate response would be, while at the same time trying to come to grips with a country slipping into chaos.

It also may depend on how paranoid one is when one thinks of an EMP threat.

As far as me, I'm not paranoid about it, at least not from a fear standpoint. My disaster arrangement's work just as well for EMP or earthquake, flood, pandemic, etc. However, I find it interesting that there is never any mention of this technique in the new's media. They may allude to China's 'special weapon's' or something like that. So it seem's like maybe they're the one's paranoid about it. You know, the ol' 'Don't even think it' scenario.

I mean, it would be quite a conspiracy theory, except Congress seem's to be taking it seriously.

Originally posted by HimWhoHathAnEar
Is there anyone left to piss off?

Oh I'm sure there's someone among the world's population of 6+ billion....

Originally posted by HimWhoHathAnEar
Consequences may be hard to deliver. Detonating a high altitude nuke would not kill alot of people right away. Not even alot of fallout since there would be no 'dust up'. So we would have to determine what an appropriate response would be, while at the same time trying to come to grips with a country slipping into chaos.

It depends where an EMP is directed at. If it's directed at the US mainland for example, there's probably a fair few nuclear armed US Subs in the oceans, and I've heard a Sub Commander can launch a nuke without the US President's approval if the Sub's commander feels the US is in danger (Like, let us say, through losing contact with the US mainland and news gets out to US naval deployments in the world that an attack has taken place through the world's media.)

Of course, the danger is that nukes may start flying at nations merely suspected of being involved, and not neccesarily involved.

Originally posted by HimWhoHathAnEar
As far as me, I'm not paranoid about it, at least not from a fear standpoint. My disaster arrangement's work just as well for EMP or earthquake, flood, pandemic, etc. However, I find it interesting that there is never any mention of this technique in the new's media. They may allude to China's 'special weapon's' or something like that. So it seem's like maybe they're the one's paranoid about it. You know, the ol' 'Don't even think it' scenario.
I mean, it would be quite a conspiracy theory, except Congress seem's to be taking it seriously.

Oh absolutely. There's one section who says China should not be pissed off, and not to mention the big Dragon in the room.

There's another section that says China is a danger, but the problem with that is that by saying that you make China a danger through saying it is by making China think it should be a danger, whether it is a danger or not.

Unquestionably, China is going to become a factor in Geopolitics, but it's a question of what China does, and only to fear it if there is a need, rather than the fear of the new.

I'm just interested because we're so close to finding out whether there will be a future past next week. Perhaps the OP could enlighten me about why?

Last I could understand, that some how the launching of a space satellite would be coupled with the test use of missle capacity. That the launch was to send a satellite into orbit but somehow this would constitute an ability to test missile range capability.

So the question remains satellite or nuclear war head ? This is to be done by Kim Jong "crazy". Now we are all on edge because the last missle test wasn't successful. We have to trust that this missle is unarmed or nuclear catastrophy happens or spacemishap.

In any case Japan is leary of the koreans and doesn't want any debris falling on them while it appears "pearl harbor" is about to reoccur for the americans.

These reasons for the launch seemed to be railroaded into disaster here. Is there any decision about what type of payload is riding this alleged test launch?

It's almost certainly a satellite.

They are trying to use it to make a political point - if you can put a satellite in orbit, you're ready to build an ICBM.

They're not going to nuke anybody, they would get flattened 20 minutes later.

An effective EMP attack would require a big fusion bomb detonated at a precise altitude, but NK will be lucky if they can even reach orbit, and they have fission bombs, not the big fusion kind.

So were saying that irregardless of how much of an exposive payload this may carry it is certainly a predication to military response. I realize these aren't the worlds foremost in projectile theory but I think, then, from such archaic planning we should find some definitive answers of the exact payload this missile carries. I'm just a believer of making the last minutes count.

soon americans will be welcoming the russian army here as liberators because our government is so corrupt and no one believes a word they say. well If I was allowed to speak it could be changed but since I am there slave Ill sit back and watch the events unfold.. or declassify me now.

reply to post by rightwingnut


It's probably a small satellite, but almost definitely not a communication satellite. The missile being used isn't powerful enough to put a commsat into a useful orbit.

As for it being an excuse for war, two things are important to remember here. One is that we're ALREADY at war with North Korea. The Korean War never ended. They signed an armistice, but never a formal treaty ending the war. The second thing is that the US and Japan have BOTH said the only way they'll take action is if it is on a non-satellite trajectory, or if something happens to the missile and it looks like it's going to hit somewhere important.

O.K., now that I'm dead because one of the "crazies" tried to fire some errant missle of which they weren't aware, carried nothing toward anything. Did they ever plan for it to fall into the pacific or was their true target as stated? Had they cared about where it went?

These are some of the points of being against further test. I have read some critiques that said most people had over stated the concern. It's seems to be a rightful concern when someone with no intelligence starts firing missles which cannot be determined to be harmless