NEWS: North Korea Raises Nuclear Stakes

North Korea has taken steps to increase its nucler arsenal by removing fuel rods from a nuclear reactor at Yongbyon according to an official statement. The rods can be used to produce plutonium which can then be used to make nuclear weapons. This statement comes amid fears Pyongyang may be preparing a nuclear test.



NK must be stopped from having nuclear warheads at all costs. They may have 5 or 6 already but they must not be allowed to have anymore, and the weapons they do already have must be destroyed.

Their insane leader Kim Jong-II is one of only a few in the world mad enough to use a nuke in combat and if he is not stopped in the next few months then war (possibly nuclear) with NK is inevitable.

Message to George W Bush: Stop this lunatic NOW!!!

I totally agree. The longer we wait the harder it will be to put a stop to this. Bush was hoping that China would back the US in putting some economic and political pressure on the DPRK , but China has said no. They will not cease trade relations with North Korea regardless of what the USA or the UN have to say about it. This is not a good develpoemnet - check Drudge for full story.

The bottom line is that the DPRK are increasing their nuclear inventory and this can not be tolerated. There is no use in being the sole superpower if we allow rogue regimes like this to have such advanced weaponry.

The preemtive use of nuclear weapons by the USA is warranted in the case of North Korea. It will also send a clear signal to other states ( Iran ) that we are deadly serious about the spread of nuclear technology and its relevant use.

If we do not act we will be allowing North Korea to become a member of the nuclear club, thus rising their status in the global poilitical arena - what message will this send to other nations?

Ill tell you what message - it will say the USA is a lot of talk but if you want anything done in the world and respect at the international level you must have nukes.

Its a catch 22 - USA is between a rock and a hard place - we need to take N Korea out - even if it means the loss of some of Americas West Coast cities. I hate to say it - but the sooner the better IMHO.

AJ out

even if it means the loss of some of Americas West Coast cities.

There would be no need for the loss of these cities if the US attacked NK first!
But of course the people who believe GWB is a war monger wont have that will they!!!

[edit on 11/5/2005 by MickeyDee]

Irans reactor needs taking out in a huge show of force in an action santioned by the UN and involving a fighter force of EU US Israel infact everyone to show tinpots that building nukes is simply not an issue.

Never happen though, but a message needs to be sent.

For once I agree with the use of force. I don't take North Korea as a serious threat to the mainland US, their missiles may have the range but I don't think their guidance systems are that good and we are supposed to be the world leaders in anti-ballistic missile tech after all. We should be able to see them coming and take them out in plenty of time.

North Korea can be a huge threat to it's neighbors now though, South Korea and Japan have a lot to worry about. We don't have to use nukes to detroy nukes, we just need to know exactly where they are and do it soon before they're spread all over the country.

The North Korean people are really innocents, they're completely shut off from the rest of the world and only get state fed propaganda, they probably don't even know what's going on and they don't deserve to glow in the dark just because their leader is a madman. If we have to use force, we should plan for the least amount of casualties and try to leave them something to rebuild afterwards.

I agree something must be done. If we used all of our stealth bombers to simultaneously attack all know military positions in NK, we may have some chance at disarming them without losing too much allied life. Hurling nukes at the direction of China and Russia (neighbors of NK) without being struck first, is probably not the wisest idea.

would china side with Nk in war?

has anyone considered that having a nuke reactor in a country the size of NK is a very dangerous thing for all nearby countries.

if it ever went chernobyl on them, there wouldn't be anyplace in all NK that was safe to live in... they would have to abandon the country...
not to mention, damage much of the china and russian coastal areas...
shouldn't they have a problem with this?

it is time someone put stop to this!
I know... lets sic the french on them...

quote: I don't take North Korea as a serious threat to the mainland US, their missiles may have the range but I don't think their guidance systems are that good

Guidance systems? We didn't have much when we put men into orbit in the 60's. And we're talking *nuclear* bombs here. Accuracy doesn't mean squat-"close enough" will certainly ruin your day.


quote:and we are supposed to be the world leaders in anti-ballistic missile tech after all. We should be able to see them coming and take them out in plenty of time.

What systems? the ones that have been shut down, research halted, restarted, mothballed, etc as each political party uses the program as a tool for themselves or against their opponents? There is *no* reentry-phase or coast-phase defense system deployed or close to deployment. The ABL is only good against cruise missile and conventional delivery systems. We're wide open, just like the ant-MAD and good liberals wanted when Reagan proposed the system.


quote:The North Korean people are really innocents, they're completely shut off from the rest of the world and only get state fed propaganda, they probably don't even know what's going on and they don't deserve to glow in the dark just because their leader is a madman.

Hell, the Arab world doesn't believe this or care when they go a'beheading. Nor will the NK people care when Hawaii or LA are a carcinogenic crater, that there were innocents. Hell, I bet CNN and most Big Media will be sending NK an apology if we get nuked.


Tho to be honest, I think this is all about show. I can see NK lighting off their own warhead and trying to blame the US for it. The biggest reason to be so loud and blatant about developing a weapon is to cause fear. And who would fear this most? Try a nation that's experienced it twice-Japan.

If Kim Jong-Il really wanted a nuke, he'd have tried to keep it quiet. There's smoke and mirrors, and the smoke stinks. Maybe just to keep the West busy, so the heat is off Iran?

If the rumors of NK already having an ICBM capable of hittin the US are true, and we go after them we have to be 100% sure we can plow all their nuclear weapons in one strike, or its pretty much a no brainer that we will loose civilians to them as they would no doubt strike back with whatever wasnt destroyed. Considering our amazing intelligence apparatus and its ability to provide quality and real info, I don't think I would feel safe at all with a gamble like that. We couldnt find any WMDs in Iraq or traces of them, so what would be the chances of pinpointing nuclear weapons in NK?

Kim might be crazy but he is not dumb........ One little missile, flying in the wrong direction would end his NK dominance from a US retaliatory response.

It is probably in the best interest for the US to keep it in China's backyard.. Some things do come back to bite you, maybe for China it might be a worse modern future scenario for China and NK.... like a, Cuba and US Missile Crisis neighbor feud of the 60's..

Plus the US does not need to be portrayed as an aggressor...such as Germany once was.....

More calls for pre-emptive strikes by scared Americans. Get a backbone for crying out loud. And no it doesnt take a backbone to pre-emptively nuke a country. Thats the behaviour youre saying North Korea should be punished for. Look at the facts and realise that North Korea are backed into a corner and are behaving as such. Stop persecuting them for idealogical differences and they wouldnt be forced to DEFEND themselves.

If American hadnt single handedly undermined every single international institution we had we might have had a chance of resolving this nuclear issue.

We may as well rip up the Non-Proliferation Treaty as none, not one nuclear enabled country has upheld their half of the treaty. That is to negotiate with one and other to disarm.

The U.S government is playing its people like a fiddle. They have created a climate of fear and Xenophobia to rival Germany in the early '30s. Do we really need another World War?

[edit on 12/5/05 by subz]

I think it's NK who is starting this trouble. The removal of feul rods means after they have cooled for several months they can be processed into fuel for bombs. This seems to indicate that NK is preparing for a nuclear test in the near future and the newly removed plutonium is to be used to replace the test nuke.

And do you know who made money from those nuclear power plants??

DONALD RUMSFELD

Taken from another ATS thread: here

"ABB, the global technology group, said today it has signed contracts to deliver equipment and services for two nuclear power stations at Kumho, on the east coast of North Korea. The contracts, with a value of US$ 200 million, were awarded by HANJUNG (Korea Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd.) and KOPEC (Korea Power Engineering Corp.). "

"ABB today said the Board of Directors will propose changes in its membership at the annual general meeting of shareholders on March 20, as well as a share split to improve the liquidity of ABB�s shares. The company said that Donald Rumsfeld has resigned his membership on the Board as a result of his recent appointment as U.S. Secretary of Defense."

Do you have that sinking feeling that you've been had, yet?

[edit on 12/5/05 by subz]

Lets hope no 1 gets twichy fingers