N. Korea Crisis - Updated as News come to hand

Bit of breaking:

North says Korean Peninsula in state of 'ultra-emergency'

SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Sunday that the Korean Peninsula is now in a state of "ultra-emergency," as South Korea and the United States began massive naval drills south of the Yellow Sea border in a show of force against the North.

(Yonhap News Agency)

Yep more news..

# DPRK broadcast/KCNA: "Height of folly" for US, ROK to "browbeat the DPRK with nuclear-powered aircraft carrier." less than 20 seconds ago via TweetDeck

# DPRK radio: Conflict might erupt in Yellow Sea anytime because of NLL issue and "ceaseless provocation of the south Korean puppet group." 2 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# #DPRK radio broadcast reiterates NLL maritime boundary is illegal because unilaterally drawn by US. #Koreas 3 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# DPRK "National Peace Committee": US-ROK joint exercise attempt to trigger war against N. Korea, sending peninsula into an "ultra-emergency." 9 minutes ago via web

# Japan says it will consult with S. Korea, U.S. about China's call for resumption of six-way dialog about N. Korea. 28 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Apparently Fox News is reporting that North Korea is launching missiles at the sea? Anyone can confirm?



Is it me or this is NOT a coincidence if North Korea just released dozens of threats since China's press briefing?

China in doing so, backed up North Korea in their threats... now the North is saying to itself that China backs them up no matter what happens so they gonna push as far as they want.... till it goes to war even.

China made a HUGE MISTAKE there... and it could lead us to war.

can we say that NK is an "dog on the lease" for china as isreal is it for the US?

Originally posted by ressiv
can we say that NK is an "dog on the leace" for china as isreal is it for the US?

You could say that if you could spell..

Kyodo: JSDF gathering info on #DPRK around the clock, stepped up aerial & maritime warning & surveillance activities. #Koreas 18 minutes ago via TweetDeck

So Japan is now in uh? Maybe North Korea deploying missiles has them worrying that they might launch one over Japan like last time.

# #ROK gov't has gone from saying "not the time" to "uninterested" to "will carefully consider" in past 90 minutes. #Koreas 6 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# Newest statement is Seoul will "carefully consider" China's suggestion. 8 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# Now #ROK gov't adjusting its stance for 3rd time in 2 hours on multi-lat talks... 8 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Yeah that is confusing.

What is weird in all that is ... It's happening RIGHT ON RUSSIA'S BORDER... and Russia almost said nothing since then.

Here's why war must not start :
North Korea Has 70,000 Cannons Targeted at Seoul

I heard a fresh round was fired this morning. Is that true?

Apparently, China is trying to contain North Korea - fears the South might end up responding.

Originally posted by infinite
I heard a fresh round was fired this morning. Is that true?

Apparently, China is trying to contain North Korea - fears the South might end up responding.

It's now thought that they were hearing NK military exercises.




Also:

Foreign Ministry says it's better to say in English that #ROK will "very carefully review" rather than "consider" on the China proposal.
less than 20 seconds ago via TweetDeck

Blue House says it's not issuing further statement but tells me "China did not ask us to resume 6-party talks" in today's meeting.
10 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Originally posted by infinite
I heard a fresh round was fired this morning. Is that true?

Apparently, China is trying to contain North Korea - fears the South might end up responding.

Nah. The only thing fired was a South Korean artillery gun at the South side of the DMZ and unconfirmed reports of NKorea launching missiles at sea.

Still do not understand why the un is not getting these two to sort it out.

reply to post by andy1033


That would imply the UN was competent and sufficient in its ability to show political leadership in the world.

So Seoul & Tokyo lean negative on China's call for emergency talks. Now, over to Washngton to weigh in. #Koreas 11 minutes ago via TweetDeck


If I can try to clarify the diplomatic & Korean language nuance -- foreign ministry comment here is a de facto rejection to resume talks. 14 minutes ago via TweetDeck


... it sounds more negative in Korean, however. #China #Koreas 25 minutes ago via TweetDeck


# VOA's Korean Service says a better translation of the ROK foreign ministry reply is that they "will very carefully examine" ... 25 minutes ago via TweetDeck

reply to post by Tsuki-no-Hikari


South Korea have rejected calls to resume talks with the North

That is quite a bold statement of intention.

Originally posted by infinite
reply to post by Tsuki-no-Hikari

 

South Korea have rejected calls to resume talks with the North

That is quite a bold statement of intention.

Yep so far Japan and South Korea have rejected those talks.

More news...

US base at Okinawa could be in trouble today... there's an election for a governor in Okinawa... Results in about 3 hours.
US base in spotlight as Japanese island votes for governor

Also the UN is meeting monday to write new sanctions against North Korea... will not help things...tension wise.
A UN sanctions committee will on Monday discuss a new report on efforts to stop North Korea trading in nuclear weapons material, with the atmosphere made more tense by the North's artillery attack on the rival South.

Some more information on the news that has been reported over the last couple of pages:

N.Korea "readies missiles", China seeks talks

28 Nov 2010 10:53:53 GMT
Source: Reuters
* Missiles "placed in Yellow Sea, frontline areas"

* Seoul says too early to talk about six-party talks

* Japan responds to China idea with caution

(Adds South Korea comment, paragraph 2; Japanese comment, paragraphs 7-8)

By Kim Do-gyun and Jo Yong-hak

YEONPYEONG, South Korea, Nov 28 (Reuters) - North Korea has placed surface-to-surface missiles on launch pads in the Yellow Sea, Yonhap news agency said, as the United States and South Korea began military drills and China called for emergency talks.

China made clear that the talks would not amount to a resumption of six-party disarmament discussions which North Korea walked out of two years ago and declared dead. South Korea said it would carefully consider China's suggestion.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak had told a visiting Chinese delegation that Beijing, North Korea's only major ally which is traditionally reluctant to criticise the reclusive regime, should do more to help.

China, which agreed with South Korea that the situation was "worrisome", suggested the emergency talks for December among North and South Korea, host China, the United States, Japan and Russia.

Japan was non-committal. "We want to respond cautiously while cooperating closely with South Korea and the United States," Kyodo news agency quoted Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro Fukuyama as saying.

Beijing has repeatedly urged restraint and fresh talks to defuse tensions.

Kyodo quoted a Japanese government official as saying the issues of denuclearisation and Tuesday's attack on the island of Yeonpyeong had to be separate.

"We'll see what South Korea thinks, but the six-party talks are a place to discuss the nuclear issue, so should they be taking up the issue of the attacks?"

Yonhap said North Korea had moved surface-to-air missiles to frontline areas, days after it shelled Yeonpyeong killing four people. The North's official KCNA news agency warned of retaliatory action if its territory is violated.

South Korea's Defence Ministry told journalists to leave the island on Sunday because the situation was "bad". Many residents evacuated earlier said they did not want to return.

Officials from South Korea's Defence Ministry and the joint chiefs said they could not comment on the Yonhap report. "It is impossible to confirm the report as it is classified as a military secret," an official said.

More


So there seems to be the possibility of talks about talks about whether to have talks in December about the resumption of six-party talks.

Lots of talks.

Jaw-jaw is better than war-war. Although words themselves from mouths of politicians can occasionaly cause more harm than good.

It seems that when South Korean President reportedly says: "We ask that China make a contribution to peace on the Korean peninsula by taking a more fair and responsible position on South-North Korea ties," he is stating that South Korea feels China is either being neutral as to whose side it is on in the whole affair in the communications they had much to South Korea's frustration, or that South Korea thinks China is backing North Korea, either publically, privately, or both.

The report that officials from South Korea's Defence Ministry and the joint chiefs said in reaction to the Yonhap report of South Korea's Defence Minister ordering journalists on Yeonpyeong to be evacuated that "It is impossible to confirm the report as it is classified as a military secret," has to be one of the most inept denials I have seen, and also apparently one of the worst kept South Korean military secrets in quite awhile when it was apparently an order issued by the South Korean Defence Minister.

If I was a journalist? I would stay right on Yeonpyeong. If the South Korean defence minister does not want you there, you stay. There could be a story about to unfold here, and the South Korean defence minister may not want you to see it.

I do find it concerning that the report by Channel 4 News that border villages had reportedly evacuated has not been followed up. There has been no debunking of this story, but frustratingly, no other journalists who have followed this story up that I know of.

Kyodo quoted a Japanese government official as saying the issues of denuclearisation and Tuesday's attack on the island of Yeonpyeong had to be separate.

Japan fearful six-party talks are in peril because of what has happened?

Finally, this I find confusing from the Reuters article:

YEONPYEONG, South Korea, Nov 28 (Reuters) - North Korea has placed surface-to-surface missiles on launch pads in the Yellow Sea, Yonhap news agency said, as the United States and South Korea began military drills and China called for emergency talks.

North Korea has reportedly placed surface-to-surface missile pads in the Yellow Sea.

Yonhap said North Korea had moved surface-to-air missiles to frontline areas, days after it shelled Yeonpyeong killing four people.

North Korea has reportedly placed surface-to-air missiles to 'frontline areas'.

Are they talking about the same missile deployments and simply erronously described the same deployment as surface-to-air missiles instead of surface-to-surface missiles or vice versa, or are these two seperate deployments?

reply to post by Regensturm


Two separate deployments,

I believe the over air-to-air missiles are along the physical border with South Korea. Not just the yellow sea. Chinese determination to get regional powers around the table shows a clear worrying development - North Korea, especially Kim Jong Un (heir apparent) MIGHT have stopped listening to China.

reply to post by infinite


You would think that the un would have to hold talks to try and calm it all down.

The big nations can calm them down if they wanted.

Originally posted by infinite

Two separate deployments,

I believe the over air-to-air missiles are along the physical border with South Korea. Not just the yellow sea.

Okay, thanks for that.

Originally posted by infinite
Chinese determination to get regional powers around the table shows a clear worrying development - North Korea, especially Kim Jong Un (heir apparent) MIGHT have stopped listening to China.

If China wants to have regional powers around the table without North Korea, then you could be right, unless they will be a go-between in between the regional powers and North Korea does not attend.

South Korea do not sound too keen on attending the talks though. I would have thought if they had a whiff that North Korea was not listening to China, they would want to talk to China in the hopes of closer Chinese-South Korean relations and North Korea out in the cold.

Kim Jong-un is the unknown package.

It's the trigger fingers on all sides that concern me, whether from the politician, the general, or the lowly foot-soldier. All it takes is one.

Yep, two CONFIRMED separate deployments.

Now for the next few events coming up :

First : US response on China's proposal... probably gonna be like the South Korean one... depends...if Obama wants to have his ass kicked by the MSM for being ``weak``...

Second : SKorean president speech to the nation Monday morning Korean time, or Sunday 8PM Eastern time... should be more interesting than the stupid ``Urgent announcement`` China did...

Third : North Korean delegation to arrive in China early Tuesday, or Monday around noon Eastern time.

Hopefully China kick some North Korean butts when the delegation arrives in Beijing.

EDIT: Remember this from a month ago or so? Interesting coincidence....
Chinese military delegation arrives in North Korea

Guo's delegation will also attend commemorations of the 60th anniversary of Chinese troops' entry into the Korean War,

Officially it was for the succession... but really was it?

Originally posted by Regensturm
Kim Jong-un is the unknown package.

It's the trigger fingers on all sides that concern me, whether from the politician, the general, or the lowly foot-soldier. All it takes is one.

This, in a nutshell.

If he isn't dead already, Kim Jong-Il probably won't last much longer. Kim Jong-Un will need to prove to NK that he is worthy. Keep in mind that NK still recognizes Kim Il-Sung as their eternal ruler despite his death 16 years ago. This is the standard that Kim Jong-Un is up against. NK has gone as far as to claim that Kim Il-Sung created the world, so any ruler of NK has a vested interested in appearing to be in control. That could include an extreme show of force, sch as further attacks.

And then there's the all the tension. As you said, everyone's finger is on the trigger. If one side attacks, even if it's a mistake, this whole thing could spiral out of control. WWIII has nearly started multiple times in decades past due to false positives, so it's clear just how easy it is to get jumpy in tense situations such as this.

reply to post by HattoriHanzou


They produce 1980s level tech. 20 to 30 year gaps in technology from my point of view can result in junk. I know junk can still kill though.

I love Starship Troopers, its been on the recommended (or required depending on the branch) reading list for some time now. In many ways that book has and will lay the foundation for our future. I would urge every American to read it.