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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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 Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:22 am Post subject: Norks make another threat....... |
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Well, this is what continues to happen when governments appease the aggressor.
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By JAE-SOON CHANG, Associated Press Writer Jae-soon Chang, Associated Press Writer � 1 hr 11 mins ago
SEOUL, South Korea � North Korea threatened Wednesday to conduct nuclear and missile tests unless the U.N. apologizes for criticizing its April 5 rocket launch, dramatically raising its stake in the worsening standoff over its atomic programs.
Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry said in a statement the country "will be compelled to take additional self-defensive measures" unless the U.N. Security Council apologizes immediately. "The measures will include nuclear tests and test-firings of intercontinental ballistic missiles."
North Korea is known for brinksmanship and harsh rhetoric, but it is unusual for it to threaten a nuclear test.
Pyongyang conducted its first-ever atomic test blast in 2006 and is thought to have enough plutonium to make at least half a dozen nuclear bombs. But experts have said the country is not believed to have mastered the technology to make a nuclear warhead small enough to put on a missile.
The U.N. Council adopted a statement earlier this month denouncing the North's rocket launch and calling for tightening sanctions. Pyongyang has claimed the rebuke is unfair because the liftoff was a peaceful satellite launch. But the U.S. and others believe it was a test of long-range missile technology.
Wednesday's threat came days after the North said it had begun reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods at its Yongbyon nuclear complex � a move aimed at harvesting weapons-grade plutonium. That announcement came hours after the U.N. blacklisted three North Korean companies.
The Security Council should apologize for infringing on the North's sovereignty "withdraw all its unreasonable and discriminative resolutions and decisions" against the North, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
Professor Kim Yong-hyun at Seoul's Dongguk University said the North's threat "appears to be rhetoric for now."
"The North is trying to maximize the stakes as the United States keeps ignoring it," he said. But the expert also said the communist could gradually put the threat into action depending on reaction from Washington.
The North's ministry also said the country will build a light-water nuclear reactor and start developing technologies to produce nuclear fuel, a threat that Kim said means that it would start enriching uranium � another type of nuclear bomb ingredient.
Under a 2007 six-nation deal, North Korea agreed to disable its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon north of Pyongyang in return for 1 million tons of fuel oil and other concessions. In June 2008, North Korea blew up the cooling tower there in a dramatic show of its commitment to denuclearization.
But disablement came to halt a month later as Pyongyang wrangled with Washington over how to verify its past atomic activities. The latest round of talks, in December, failed to push the process forward.
The negotiations involve China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the U.S. |
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ManintheMiddle
Joined: 20 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:26 am Post subject: |
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I have felt for some time now that the best strategy against Kim Jong is Ill would be to just flat out ignore the guy altogether: every gripe, every bravado act, every empty threat, every propaganda ploy, every pronouncement uttered by him, attributed to him, or reported in his mouthpiece media.
He can NEVER be trusted nor the regime he runs. No agreement is worth the paper its printed on when it comes to the DPRK. And the notion that by engaging them we retain leverage is just wishful thinking.
Why even the great negotiator--or so he thinks--the Nobel Peace Prize grubber himself, Jimmy Carter, couldn't bring Kim to his senses.
This regime thrives on Western reaction to its every move. Enough already. |
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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:54 am Post subject: |
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I have felt for some time now that the best strategy against Kim Jong is Ill would be to just flat out ignore the guy altogether: every gripe, every bravado act, every empty threat, every propaganda ploy, every pronouncement uttered by him, attributed to him, or reported in his mouthpiece media.
He can NEVER be trusted nor the regime he runs. No agreement is worth the paper its printed on when it comes to the DPRK. And the notion that by engaging them we retain leverage is just wishful thinking.
Why even the great negotiator--or so he thinks--the Nobel Peace Prize grubber himself, Jimmy Carter, couldn't bring Kim to his senses.
This regime thrives on Western reaction to its every move. Enough already |
I agree with you to an extent. What you are suggesting is what former president Bush did. He simply let them know that unless they make some changes (that is putting it mildly, I know) that the U.S. was not going to have anything to do with them. And, although I admired Bush's stance on the Norks, I think that type of policy can only go so far.
I think that eventually, something has to happen. I cannot honestly beleive that China is NOT behind this in some way. Either little Kim has told the PRC to "go phuck yourself"......or, they are playing a very dangerous game.
I think that if things continue to be ignored, then the North will become bolder and bolder....and then guess what happens? The other side is wondering "How did this happen".
Doing nothing only feeds the problem.
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| You eithe fight active evil or you accept it. Doing nothing is acceptance There is no in-between. |
dmbfan |
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Robot_Teacher
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Location: Robotting Around the World
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:52 am Post subject: |
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How come we Americans hastily invaded Iraq on suspicion of having weapons of mass destruction without factual evidence in such a blatant hostile military manner, but we don't invade North Korea, yet they claim and threaten to have WMD with threat and intention to use? Something needs to give or eventually we'll end up destroying the Earth.
Is China and Russia behind the NORKS and using it as a rook, knight or bishop on this chess board? Robot fairly accurately thinks so.
It is known that the Korean war was a play out of a small scale war between America and Russia and it resulted in stale mate with the DMZ and Armistice established, but both technically at war still to date. Oh, did you know you're living in a war zone? If you go see the DMZ place where the 2 Korea's stand off, it appears simply as 2 Koreas that hate each other, but that's far from the truth. The 2 Korea's love each other for they are the same people, same culture, same language, and even have relatives on both sides. They are innocent pawns being played in a big chess game involving America, China, and Russia. It appears as time goes on, America is becoming smaller and less powerful in comparison to the powers that be in this region. This is dangerous as the yin yang has to maintain balance if the peace is to continue. Anyone thinking America needs to go down is wishing a WW3 as it's an integral half of the global power struggle that must be kept in check as long as this situation exists. Too bad we all can't just get along and work together toward the good of humanity and the one planet we all have to live on. Remember, in Korea(and other places), things are not what they visually appear to look like.
I guess Japan stands alone with China, both Korea's, and Russia being it's enemies. It can stand it's ground as it always have. Things have only been stable in the Asia Pacific region due to capitalism during our time as well as America, China, and Russia maintaining a diplomatic balance not resulting in war. I give capitalism a thumbs up for that, but it also is a double edge sword. Dang if we do and Dang if we don't. |
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OneWayTraffic
Joined: 14 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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North Korea is within artillery range of Seoul and in the sphere of influence of two major powers.
That complicates things just a little.
Also Iraq was sitting on a lot of oil.
North Korea's sitting on nothing but kimchi. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Robot_Teacher wrote: |
| ? If you go see the DMZ place where the 2 Korea's stand off, it appears simply as 2 Koreas that hate each other, but that's far from the truth. The 2 Korea's love each other for they are the same people, same culture, same language, and even have relatives on both sides. . |
All this was true before and during the Korean war. Still didn't stop both sides from killing a heck of a lot of the other side.
And as time goes on, these factors become less and less compelling. The relatives are dying off, the South Korean language is adopting more and more English words, the S.K culture is being more global and Westernized... |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Robot_Teacher wrote: |
| They are innocent pawns being played in a big chess game involving America, China, and Russia. |
Oh Please.
The Koreans have always had the biggest influence on their own destiny, they are not hapless victims. Their division is not a western machination.Its a result of them failing to find a united front when needed.
America did not invade Korea, their intervention cannot be classified as interference. They came, and stay, at the request of South Korea. Similarly the North. They invited the Chinese to fight for them. if Korea feels it is being "played", all they have to do is ask the Americans to leave. "We can be gone in a day if you want" , as Rumsfeld once told them. |
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ManintheMiddle
Joined: 20 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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Robot Teacher was programmed to utter:
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| How come we Americans hastily invaded Iraq on suspicion of having weapons of mass destruction without factual evidence in such a blatant hostile military manner, but we don't invade North Korea, yet they claim and threaten to have WMD with threat and intention to use? Something needs to give or eventually we'll end up destroying the Earth. |
You've been reading Mother Jones and The Guardian too much.
It is precisely because North Korea possesses nuclear weapons that we wouldn't invade, in addition to which THE SOUTH KOREAN DON'T WANT US TO.
We did not invade Iraq only because of well-grounded suspicions of WMD activity but because they kept flagrantly violating UN resolutions. Moreover, Saddam was not suspected of having deliverable weapons systems, as in the form of warheads. North Korean tanks are a stone's throw from Seoul, as is their amassed army, so proximity plays into it.
OneWayTraffic:
The oil argument is getting old. American business hasn't benefited nearly as much from it as the Leftists claim.
Julius is correct. The Chinese were invited in because the North Koreans were losing and Mao was paranoid about an American invasion of his own country. |
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dmbfan
Joined: 09 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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| We did not invade Iraq only because of well-grounded suspicions of WMD activity but because they kept flagrantly violating UN resolutions. Moreover, Saddam was not suspected of having deliverable weapons systems, as in the form of warheads. North Korean tanks are a stone's throw from Seoul, as is their amassed army, so proximity plays into it. |
It is funny how people "forget" to mention these things.
dmbfan |
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