Korean Job Discussion Forums

[schwa]

Rteacher, you still ragging on this?
News just in: US media hype cycle has moved on to other things.
War here this year was about as imminent as it has always been, ie highly improbable.

[Rteacher]

I don't just go by the U.S. news cycle. I think most articles that I've linked to are from Reuters, which is an international news agency with its headquarters in London, UK ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuters

Whenever I come across an article that I think has some relevance to what is still an ongoing dangerous situation, I'll post it here. Hopefully, cooler heads will always prevail and war won't ever break out again on the Korean peninsula (at least until World War 3...)

[Rteacher]

South Korea pulls out all Kaesong workers after NK rejects call for formal talks to end standoff ... http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-rejects-souths-call-talks-industrial-zone-065515562.html

Stage set for next act? (analysis) http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-north-koreas-epic-drama-stage-now-set-060320353.html

"The reason things calmed down over the past 10 days or so ... was not bluster fatigue setting in, or not deciding strategically to tone things down now after having been on the rampage for so long, but more to catch their adversaries off their guard," said Sung-Yoon Lee, Professor of Korean Studies at the Fletcher School at Tufts University in the United States.

[Rteacher]

North Korea will put Korean-American tourist on trial for "committing crimes" ... http://ca.news.yahoo.com/north-korea-says-american-tourist-holding-face-trial-035954456.html

(They probably hope to attract another rescue-mission visit from Bill Clinton or another high-profile American...)

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Deja]

^^
+1

[Deja]

^^
+1

[Rteacher]

Getting attention through bluster may be NK's point since their blackmail schemes have always worked to some extent and are now backed by some nuke capability, but if the U.S. and South Korea actually dare (like they've boldly talked) to break that cycle by not rewarding their bad behavior it's not a sure thing that war won't break out.

Of course, there's a lot of pressure (political and economic) on the U.S. and SK to give in as far as possible - at least one more time... http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-09/the-upside-of-giving-in-to-north-korea-s-blackmail.html

[Rteacher]

Pentagon report that North Korea is on track to eventually deliver nukes to parts of U.S. will probably keep this a hot issue until it's somehow resolved ... http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-could-eventually-reach-u-nuclear-arms-003551611.html

[Rteacher]

Strategic withdrawal?... http://gma.yahoo.com/north-korean-missiles-moved-away-launch-233910330--abc-news-politics.html

[Rteacher]

Well, now they're making more specific, smaller-scale threats ... http://news.yahoo.com/nkorea-issues-warning-ahead-us-skorea-summit-075024152.html

[akcrono]

And still, no one is caring.

[schwa]

[Rteacher]

Things may have cooled off significantly in terms of an imminent major attack launched by either side - especially after NK just recently withdrew their missiles - but it's still worth keeping track of threats, etc. since even a small-scale battle could still potentially ignite a bigger war. If significant progress is made toward making peace on the Korean peninsula I would certainly post that here as well - I don't see another Korean war as being inevitable at this point...

In this article, Chuck Hagel states that despite the apparent reduction in tensions, the U.S. remains prepared for "any contingency"... http://news.yahoo.com/u-south-korea-vow-maintain-north-korea-deterrent-183333569.html

[Rteacher]

I refrained from posting after one new day of Nork missile testing, but they've managed to get more attention by keeping it up ... http://news.yahoo.com/north-korea-fires-short-range-missiles-two-days-101918143.html

Of course besides attention, they're also still desperate for money - however they can get it ... http://news.yahoo.com/china-seeks-release-fishing-boat-seized-north-korea-162100668.html