My feeling is that Kim is playing a game of chess and trying to save his Queen the only other country in the world that in theory could pose a threat to the US (and it is not China).

To be honest Kim is trying to hard to get attention, first we hear about the idea hew can hit any state in the US. Then we hear about how the West coast is vulnerable, after that are threats to Japan and finally the issue of SK.

In reality he may have about ten nukes which he can potentially deliver to NK successfully without using missiles.

DragonRider he is way out of his league. If he tired to launch missiles against SK the response would result in losses, perhaps on a scale of Hiroshima. But more than likely SK's real problems would be with any electrical device which happened to be turned on at the time.

The US has the capability of launching missiles with atomic warheads capable of getting in the path of an ICBM and detonating.

Beyond that, given his responses Kim has no real idea who he is dealing with. There will be no be Us casualties even if some new technology has
to be declassified.

SLIBR
SLIBD



[Edited on 23-5-2003 by Toltec]

"I would agree with you on this to a point: That point being that I dont believe Kim is sane, or cares about material/personnel losses to his country"

I agree... and with Toltec, except for one thing... We wouldn't have to use nukes, and likely wouldn't, just to keep the neighbors happy. We don't need nukes to destroy any grid of land we choose... Large scale conventional weapons (i.e. MOABs, etc.) would do the job just fine...

To be honest Kim is trying to hard to get attention, first we hear about the idea hew can hit any state in the US. Then we hear about how the West coast is vulnerable, after that are threats to Japan and finally the issue of SK. Posted by TolTec

Yes, he is trying his hardest to get attention. And he is getting a good deal of attention. However, I believe he has also been so busy over the past few decades with his noise about taking on the US and winning, he may well be starting to believe his own lies.

"Repeat a lie loud enough and often enough, and it will be believed"

That is the one thing that separates Kim from sanity, and that is also what makes him so dangerous.

Mr. Kim does present a rather deranged personality that is absent from objective reality most of the time. I would suggest that very separation (reality vs. delusion) does make him a threat to be taken seriously, not because of what military might N. Korea might present against S. Korea, Japan and the rest of the world – but because he comes across as unbalanced enough to do something really stupid. Like the schoolyard bully, he might just cause a ruckus because his frail ego can’t reconcile being ignored or rejected.

Granted the U.S. does possess superior technological and military powers, but unless we can stop him dead in his tracks (e.g. before he gets started), he does pose a realistic threat – even if only to S. Korea.

I’ve read several reports that say that he’s just making noise to get attention and aid from the U.S. Well, I might suggest that diplomacy and going through proper channels is a better means of achieving that end. Some would argue that Mr. Kim had tried that for years and remains frustrated in his efforts. Well, his own human rights violations would naturally set him at odds with the West. He’s deluded to assume that he may continue to abuse & starve North Korean’s and expect to be given access to U.S. resources.

The problem that Mr. Kim presents is a person in power with some nuclear resources that could cause serious problems for Asia in general. I have no doubt that Japan is extremely serious in their stance to shut him down before he can launch anything. Their very existence may be at risk and it’s already been documented that N. Korea has actively been manufacturing & smuggling drug into Japan. Japan has good cause to rid themselves of the little guy with the Beavis & Butthead hairdo. I believe that U.S. intelligence and military planning are aligned with S. Korea & Japan to defuse this situation before it can become what Mr. Kim would like the world to think it has the potential to become.

At the end of the day: he may be a half-pint squirt, spouting pure bull-dookie, but even a megalomaniacal nutcase must be assessed and dealt with appropriately. Let’s hope that his end will be short, sweet and decisive.

Originally posted by Toltec
South Korea

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$12.8 billion (FY00)





North Korea

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$5,124.1 million (FY01)


[Edited on 22-5-2003 by Toltec]

This is the figure that counts for everything in a conventional war.

Are you proposing that military expenditure can inhibit, or control what Mr. Kim may choose to do in his quest? Your argument sounds nice on the surface, but that doesn’t stop a deranged person from ordering an attack against their neighbours. Even if faced with overwhelming odds and firepower, a nutter could still conceivably do something really stupid and suicidal.

The Mouse that Roarded. If the 2nd. Inf. Div. can't
handle it. I guess they will get some B-52's in Guam gassed up.

Originally posted by deepwaters
Are you proposing that military expenditure can inhibit, or control what Mr. Kim may choose to do in his quest?

No dude. I'm saying bide your time and wait. They are going to weaken eventually. Once enough pressure is applied most of your enemies will come from within. You let them do the talking.

In the meantime you watch them like a hawk.