Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kwangjuchicken]

By HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press Writer Hyung-jin Kim, Associated Press Writer � 13 mins ago
SEOUL, South Korea � North Korea's communist regime has warned of a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula while vowing to step up its atomic bomb-making program in defiance of new U.N. sanctions.

The North's defiance presents a growing diplomatic headache for President Barack Obama as he prepares for talks Tuesday with his South Korean counterpart on the North's missile and nuclear programs.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak told security-related ministers during an unscheduled meeting Sunday to "resolutely and squarely" cope with the North's latest threat, his office said. Lee is to leave for the U.S. on Monday morning.

A commentary Sunday in the North's main state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, claimed the U.S. has 1,000 nuclear weapons in South Korea. Another commentary published Saturday in the state-run Tongil Sinbo weekly claimed the U.S. has been deploying a vast amount of nuclear weapons in South Korea and Japan.

North Korea "is completely within the range of U.S. nuclear attack and the Korean peninsula is becoming an area where the chances of a nuclear war are the highest in the world," the Tongil Sinbo commentary said.

Kim Yong-kyu, a spokesman at the U.S. military command in Seoul, called the latest accusation "baseless," saying Washington has no nuclear bombs in South Korea. U.S. tactical nuclear weapons were removed from South Korea in 1991 as part of arms reductions following the Cold War.

South Korea's Unification Ministry issued a statement Sunday demanding the North stop stoking tension, abandon its nuclear weapons and return to dialogue with the South.

On Saturday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry threatened war on any country that dared to stop its ships on the high seas under the new sanctions approved by the U.N. Security Council on Friday as punishment for the North's latest nuclear test.

It is not clear if the statements are simply rhetorical. Still, they are a huge setback for international attempts to rein in North Korea's nuclear ambitions following its second nuclear test on May 25. It first tested a nuclear device in 2006.

In Saturday's statement, North Korea said it has been enriching uranium to provide fuel for its light-water reactor. It was the first public acknowledgment the North is running a uranium enrichment program in addition to its known plutonium-based program. The two radioactive materials are key ingredients in making atomic bombs.

On Sunday, Yonhap news agency reported South Korea and the U.S. have mobilized spy satellites, reconnaissance aircraft and human intelligence networks to obtain evidence that the North has been running a uranium enrichment program.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said it could not confirm the report. The National Intelligence Service � South Korea's main spy agency � was not available for comment.

North Korea said more than one-third of 8,000 spent fuel rods in its possession has been reprocessed and all the plutonium extracted would be used to make atomic bombs. The country could harvest 13-18 pounds (6-8 kilograms) of plutonium � enough to make at least one nuclear bomb � if all the rods are reprocessed.

In addition, North Korea is believed to have enough plutonium for at least half a dozen atomic bombs.

North Korea says its nuclear program is a deterrent against the U.S., which it routinely accuses of plotting to topple its regime. Washington, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, has repeatedly said it has no such intention.

The new U.N. sanctions are aimed at depriving the North of the financing used to build its rogue nuclear program. The resolution also authorized searches of North Korean ships suspected of transporting illicit ballistic missile and nuclear materials.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the new U.N. penalties provide the necessary tools to help check North Korea's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The sanctions show that "North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and the capacity to deliver those weapons through missiles is not going to be accepted by the neighbors as well as the greater international community," Clinton said Saturday at a news conference in Canada.

[the boy next door]

wah wah wah, me want nookie!

[djsmnc]

[AgentM]

More hot air from North Korea. They are like the temper tantrum child of the international community. The North Koreans wouldn't risk starting a war because they know it's bye bye to their regime if they do start something!

[DorkothyParker]

If nuclear war is on the horizon, I don't think it matters so much where we are.
Strangely, I can hyperventilate to exhaustion worried my boss will see I adjusted the thermostat over the weekend, but I can't muster any emotion regarding nuclear war/end of the world scenarios. I just always thought it would be sentient cyborgs.

[Kurtz]

If it wasn't for people constantly posting questions like this along with a news article attached , I wouldn't be giving it a second thought.

[djsmnc]

[dragon777]

I thought we were already at war. Well, at least technically.

The main thing to watch in the coming weeks or months will be the searching of NK ships. There may be some activity from the NK's on that one.

[dragon777]

I thought the north and south were already at war. Well, at least technically.

The main thing to watch in the coming weeks or months will be the searching of the NK ships. There may be some possible activity from the north on that front.

[Kwangjuchicken]

[mayorgc]

This is a selfish question, but who would be killed if a bom was dropped in Seoul?

I live south of Seoul, In Anyang, so would I be affected? I read that the blast radius would be about 2.5 km, where everything would be destroyed. But within 7 km, there would be damage from radiation. So is Anyang safe?

[CentralCali]

[Kwangjuchicken]

[Robot_Teacher]

While no one likes fear and drama, this war threat is becoming an issue. Home countries are not going to order us out, but they might offer evacuation assistance should you show up at a designated evacuation center after a military event occurs. America's dept. of State doesn't mention any provision for ordering Americans out, but lists the designated evacuation centers and states it's our responsibility to make movement which may involve several days of walking up and down mountains in the wilderness as buses may not run and roads be blocked making the country shut down.

Kwangjuchicken has a valid point about the jobs. My point is the money would lose value over night and we'd be broke. Double whammy. I could go on and on typing about what would probably happen, but we won't go there. I believe South Korea is NOT prepared for an attack or military event even though it's well aware of the threats being placed recently. They'd rather chuckle about it, keep hush hush, and just say they don't know anything than to take preventatitive action like returning a threat back at North Korea and then rallying the troops to fight. Hey, if a neighbor is threatening my livelyhood, I'd be up in arms. It really pees me off how South Korea squeemishly saves face when it comes to anything derogotory or corrupt. I feel they should take a stand instead of sitting and waiting for something to happen.

Sure it's going to happen, but when is the big question. Well, hopefully not this year, but things sure are escalating to unprecidented levels recently. Your mom is worried about you as is mine. OK, enough drama especially after this monthly war siren just went off that left the Koreans chuckling and looking out the window.

[samcheokguy]

why worry? We can't do anything about it. Nobody worried on September 10,2001.