N Korea excalates situation
Discussion
BBC News said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8069457.st...
North Korea has warned of a military response after South Korea joined an anti-proliferation exercise which could allow it to search the North's ships.
The North said it is no longer bound by the armistice which ended the Korean War in 1953.
A military spokesman quoted by official media said Pyongyang could no longer guarantee the safety of shipping.
Its latest threat comes after an underground nuclear test two days ago and several missile launches.
The United Nations Security Council is working on a strong condemnation of what it says is North Korea's contravention of its rules.
Meanwhile steam is reported to be coming from North Korea's main nuclear reprocessing plant at Yongbyon, suggesting it has made good on its threat to restart efforts to make weapons-grade plutonium.
Anti proliferation
South Korea announced on Tuesday that it would not delay any longer in joining the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) - a US-led non-proliferation campaign involving searching ships carrying suspicious cargos and aimed at stopping the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.
Your views: Should world worry?
Reaction from around the region
What is N Korea's game plan?
Factfile: Underground testing
North Korea has repeatedly warned that the South's participation in the PSI would be tantamount to a declaration of war.
Joining the PSI "is a natural obligation", South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said, quoted by South Korea's Yonhap news agency. "It will help control North Korea's development of dangerous material."
North Korea's response has been firm.
"Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels including search and seizure will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty, and we will immediately respond with a powerful military strike," a spokesman for the North's army was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.
Reactivated reprocessing?
North Korea has fired five short-range missiles in two days, despite strong censure from the international community, including China and Russia.
NUCLEAR CRISIS
Oct 2006 - North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test
Feb 2007 - North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for fuel aid
June 2007 - North Korea shuts its main Yongbyon reactor
June 2008 - North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of nuclear assets
Oct 2008 - The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which sponsor terrorism
Dec 2008 - Pyongyang slows work to dismantle its nuclear programme after a US decision to suspend energy aid
Jan 2009 - The North says it is scrapping all military and political deals with the South, accusing it of "hostile intent"
April 2009 - Pyongyang launches a rocket carrying what it says is a communications satellite
25 May 2009 - North Korea conducts a second nuclear test
Q&A: North Korea nuclear test
What are N Korea's motives?
The North announced last month it was quitting a six-nation nuclear disarmament agreement and would reopen the Yongbyon plant, closed in July 2007 as part of a disarmament deal.
That threat last month was prompted, it said, by the UN Security Council's censure of North Korea's 5 April rocket launch.
Washington is calling for a quick and unified response by the international community that will make it clear to North Korea that there are consequences for its actions.
Diplomats from the five permanent Security Council member countries plus Japan and South Korea have been meeting behind closed doors to discuss a new resolution.
"We are thinking through complicated issues that require very careful consideration," said the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice.
US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly also said the door was still open to resume long-running six-party talks and that the US was looking at a "whole range of options".
It is a sign of the delicate balance required to handle the reclusive country, the BBC's State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas reports from Washington.
China shares a border with North Korea and worries about pushing Pyongyang too far, so it is unclear what sort of measures might be taken now and how North Korea would respond, our correspondent adds.
This week's test and missile launches came after North Korea walked away from long-running disarmament talks.
It agreed in February 2007 to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for aid and diplomatic concessions.
But the negotiations stalled as it accused its negotiating partners - the US, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia - of failing to meet agreed obligations.
North Korea has warned of a military response after South Korea joined an anti-proliferation exercise which could allow it to search the North's ships.
The North said it is no longer bound by the armistice which ended the Korean War in 1953.
A military spokesman quoted by official media said Pyongyang could no longer guarantee the safety of shipping.
Its latest threat comes after an underground nuclear test two days ago and several missile launches.
The United Nations Security Council is working on a strong condemnation of what it says is North Korea's contravention of its rules.
Meanwhile steam is reported to be coming from North Korea's main nuclear reprocessing plant at Yongbyon, suggesting it has made good on its threat to restart efforts to make weapons-grade plutonium.
Anti proliferation
South Korea announced on Tuesday that it would not delay any longer in joining the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) - a US-led non-proliferation campaign involving searching ships carrying suspicious cargos and aimed at stopping the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction.
Your views: Should world worry?
Reaction from around the region
What is N Korea's game plan?
Factfile: Underground testing
North Korea has repeatedly warned that the South's participation in the PSI would be tantamount to a declaration of war.
Joining the PSI "is a natural obligation", South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said, quoted by South Korea's Yonhap news agency. "It will help control North Korea's development of dangerous material."
North Korea's response has been firm.
"Any hostile act against our peaceful vessels including search and seizure will be considered an unpardonable infringement on our sovereignty, and we will immediately respond with a powerful military strike," a spokesman for the North's army was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.
Reactivated reprocessing?
North Korea has fired five short-range missiles in two days, despite strong censure from the international community, including China and Russia.
NUCLEAR CRISIS
Oct 2006 - North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test
Feb 2007 - North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for fuel aid
June 2007 - North Korea shuts its main Yongbyon reactor
June 2008 - North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of nuclear assets
Oct 2008 - The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which sponsor terrorism
Dec 2008 - Pyongyang slows work to dismantle its nuclear programme after a US decision to suspend energy aid
Jan 2009 - The North says it is scrapping all military and political deals with the South, accusing it of "hostile intent"
April 2009 - Pyongyang launches a rocket carrying what it says is a communications satellite
25 May 2009 - North Korea conducts a second nuclear test
Q&A: North Korea nuclear test
What are N Korea's motives?
The North announced last month it was quitting a six-nation nuclear disarmament agreement and would reopen the Yongbyon plant, closed in July 2007 as part of a disarmament deal.
That threat last month was prompted, it said, by the UN Security Council's censure of North Korea's 5 April rocket launch.
Washington is calling for a quick and unified response by the international community that will make it clear to North Korea that there are consequences for its actions.
Diplomats from the five permanent Security Council member countries plus Japan and South Korea have been meeting behind closed doors to discuss a new resolution.
"We are thinking through complicated issues that require very careful consideration," said the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice.
US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly also said the door was still open to resume long-running six-party talks and that the US was looking at a "whole range of options".
It is a sign of the delicate balance required to handle the reclusive country, the BBC's State Department correspondent Kim Ghattas reports from Washington.
China shares a border with North Korea and worries about pushing Pyongyang too far, so it is unclear what sort of measures might be taken now and how North Korea would respond, our correspondent adds.
This week's test and missile launches came after North Korea walked away from long-running disarmament talks.
It agreed in February 2007 to abandon its nuclear ambitions in return for aid and diplomatic concessions.
But the negotiations stalled as it accused its negotiating partners - the US, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia - of failing to meet agreed obligations.
JJCW said:
Tony*T3 said:
excalates?
[sarcasm]I'm so very very sorry that i made a typo. If you're confused by my mistake, the x should be an s. If you look, they're pretty close together on the keyboard; that's probably how i came to press the wrong key.
So so sorry again.
[/sarcasm]
JJCW said:
Tony*T3 said:
excalates?
[sarcasm]I'm so very very sorry that i made a typo. If you're confused by my mistake, the x should be an s. If you look, they're pretty close together on the keyboard; that's probably how i came to press the wrong key.
So so sorry again.
[/sarcasm]
Just a shame they don't have any oil or useful natural resources otherwise 'you know who' would be in there "restoring peace".
Interesting though, apparently N.Korea has a mass of long rang artillery guns trained on Seoul and that if any 'invasion' kicked off these guns would let loose on aforementioned city, which would be devastating.
Interesting though, apparently N.Korea has a mass of long rang artillery guns trained on Seoul and that if any 'invasion' kicked off these guns would let loose on aforementioned city, which would be devastating.
I don't get too worked up about North Korea.
This is all part of the dance required to secure Kimmy's power and his son's eventual succession.
The Yanks have often said they will wait till he dies before attempting regime change....Kimmy is just trying to say "hands off, this is my country and I'll nuke someone, anyone, if you try and take it off me". He's probably a little concerned also that he could be the target for the West's (in some people's eyes inevitable) next recession-war.
The Chinese aren't going to let him do anything truly insane.
What would Kimmy have to gain, other than his swift death, by launching a nuke at anyone? Nothing.
This is all part of the dance required to secure Kimmy's power and his son's eventual succession.
The Yanks have often said they will wait till he dies before attempting regime change....Kimmy is just trying to say "hands off, this is my country and I'll nuke someone, anyone, if you try and take it off me". He's probably a little concerned also that he could be the target for the West's (in some people's eyes inevitable) next recession-war.
The Chinese aren't going to let him do anything truly insane.
What would Kimmy have to gain, other than his swift death, by launching a nuke at anyone? Nothing.
North Korea is chronically short of fuel and spares for it's convential forces - stories abound of massive amounts of military machinery just abandoned where it stopped randomly scattered all across the countryside.
Whilst they may be able to lob a nuke or two in the general direction of the South or Japan, the response from just about everyone else on the planet would be disproportionately significant and I can't envisage the Chinese wanting to get in the way of that.
Much of the Sabre rattling, I suspect, may be simply because 'the West' is so heavily engaged in the Middle East and doesn't really have the appetite for more war.
As suggested above - more a political move to secure succession of Kimmy's throne.
Whilst they may be able to lob a nuke or two in the general direction of the South or Japan, the response from just about everyone else on the planet would be disproportionately significant and I can't envisage the Chinese wanting to get in the way of that.
Much of the Sabre rattling, I suspect, may be simply because 'the West' is so heavily engaged in the Middle East and doesn't really have the appetite for more war.
As suggested above - more a political move to secure succession of Kimmy's throne.
ZR1cliff said:
Why don't we, the West, just ignore him?
The region is quite important geo-politically to the Americans.If it is important to them, it is important to us, it seems.
As I said earlier, all a load of sabre rattling. Like when the Russians tow their broken down carriers about, trying to look hard!
Too many people in the world and too many nukes sitting around doing nothing.
Nuke them back to the stone age!
Is it just me who cynically sees this as a good BBC eclipse of the current situation in the UK as pig panic has failed?
Nothing to worry about in my opinion.
Nuke them back to the stone age!
Is it just me who cynically sees this as a good BBC eclipse of the current situation in the UK as pig panic has failed?
Nothing to worry about in my opinion.
Edited by LoveMachine on Wednesday 27th May 10:44
The thing is, I'm almost starting to agree with the attitude of North Korea and anywhere else, I heard some prick bleating on about it being against international law to carry out a nuclear test this morning. So was the war in Iraq it seems to me that if we really want to play world police with the US then we need to at least behaive ourselves.
Will be interesting to see what China says / does.
Will be interesting to see what China says / does.
Tony*T3 said:
JJCW said:
Tony*T3 said:
excalates?
[sarcasm]I'm so very very sorry that i made a typo. If you're confused by my mistake, the x should be an s. If you look, they're pretty close together on the keyboard; that's probably how i came to press the wrong key.
So so sorry again.
[/sarcasm]
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