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In case you have not noticed, the North Korean missiles are designed for deployment from submarines. When you see a launch they pop up in the air, then the rocket motors fire. Sort of like a Polaris, only smaller.
If some of their 70 subs are cruising around the West Coast it won't matter if we know exactly where they are after they launch a flight at our cities all at once. Would we hit them in a preemptive strike before they launch?
"3:00 am phone call"
I would never assume that the US would come out of a conflict, especially if nuclear, unscarred. But NK just can't prosecute a sustained conflict with the US, the numbers are against them. As far as subs go, they may have a few old Soviet era Golf class subs, they were capable of carrying 3 or 4 ballistic missles, a US trident class sub carries 24 X 8 MIRV birds. Although it would be a mistake to underestimate any enemy capabilities, NK is not known to be up to date on advanced anti submarine warfare. They would need Russian or Chinese support, I'm not sure either of them want to go at it against NATO.
Kim is a powerless, whiny little child throwing a temper tantrum over adults that refuse to take him seriously. Really-why would we fight a war over him?
Fighting a war over Kimmie would be like fighting a war with Rachel Maddow.
I think SK should play a more active and diplomatic role. At the end of the day, the reason for NK's paranoia and resulting aggressiveness is the war which has never really been resolved.
The two Korea's could even unite, enshrining the two different political and economic systems in the constitution, yet forming one country. SK could invest in NK and help them get up to date, open borders would make NKns realize what the world is really like.
I wonder how NK would be doing if there had not been any sanctions. The military seems to consume all their resources. So, why not let them be communists as long as they don't threaten anyone? The West should stop trying to force its ideas on everyone else. China is no democracy, either, but it is doing fine. And the West seems to accept its political system...
What I also noticed recently is that the new head of the UN is a total failure. Kofi Annan was so active, always trying to build bridges. But the new guy is like non-existent
I think SK should play a more active and diplomatic role. At the end of the day, the reason for NK's paranoia and resulting aggressiveness is the war which has never really been resolved.
The two Korea's could even unite, enshrining the two different political and economic systems in the constitution, yet forming one country. SK could invest in NK and help them get up to date, open borders would make NKns realize what the world is really like.
I wonder how NK would be doing if there had not been any sanctions. The military seems to consume all their resources. So, why not let them be communists as long as they don't threaten anyone? The West should stop trying to force its ideas on everyone else. China is no democracy, either, but it is doing fine. And the West seems to accept its political system...
That's pretty naive, it's about far more than political ideology, NK has been ruled by autocratic despots since the end of WWII, the current leader is not about to give up any power or relinquish his empire or any part of it to anyone, especially SK.
I think SK should play a more active and diplomatic role. At the end of the day, the reason for NK's paranoia and resulting aggressiveness is the war which has never really been resolved.
The two Korea's could even unite, enshrining the two different political and economic systems in the constitution, yet forming one country. SK could invest in NK and help them get up to date, open borders would make NKns realize what the world is really like.
I wonder how NK would be doing if there had not been any sanctions. The military seems to consume all their resources. So, why not let them be communists as long as they don't threaten anyone? The West should stop trying to force its ideas on everyone else. China is no democracy, either, but it is doing fine. And the West seems to accept its political system...
What I also noticed recently is that the new head of the UN is a total failure. Kofi Annan was so active, always trying to build bridges. But the new guy is like non-existent
One thing all Koreans agree about is that Korea should be united. The war literally divided families, and many elders in both countries dream of seeing their relatives again.
South Korea does, indeed, continue to entreat North Korea in all kinds of ways, and has for decades.
North Korea will not have anything to do with them under any condition other than as part of the DPRK.
That's pretty naive, it's about far more than political ideology, NK has been ruled by autocratic despots since the end of WWII, the current leader is not about to give up any power or relinquish his empire or any part of it to anyone, especially SK.
He wouldn't have to. I am not at all in favor of a takeover of NK by SK. If that is what SK has in mine, I would totally understand if NK did everything in its power to prevent that.
As I said, it would be two different systems within one country.
After two decades or so of open borders and exchange the two sides would gradually grow together, anyway, to form something new. I mean, SK is not without problems, either. There are a few giant companies that basically run the country. There is widespread corruption...
The two Korea's could even unite, enshrining the two different political and economic systems in the constitution, yet forming one country. SK could invest in NK and help them get up to date, open borders would make NKns realize what the world is really like.
And in no time, the North Koreans would bleed South Korea dry of every last resource, and still have nothing to show for it.
South Korea's prosperity didn't just fall from the sky; it was achieved through incredibly hard work. The latter stages of the south's growth were also accompanied by ever-expanding personal freedoms within a framework of private property rights and the rule of law.
If the two countries were to join together, as they are, what incentive does the north have to apply the work necessary to rise to that level, when they could just mooch off the south?
It is not possible for the two Koreas to unite at this time, in anything like a union of equals -- because they are NOT equal in any way, shape, or form. If the new Korea is to be anything like South Korea, the union can happen only on the south's terms -- which means Kim and his power structure and system of government would have to go. And I am quite certain that Kim knows it.
The alternative is that they unite on the north's terms, and in no time flat you'd have the entire peninsula mired in poverty and ignorance and subjugation. And the rest of the world can kiss goodbye their Hyundai cars and Samsung TVs and LG washers and K-pop music and Korean dramas and all the rest, because it would all go away. The only thing the peninsula would be exporting would be desperate South Korean boat people fleeing the tyranny.
I think we get the wrong impression of North Koreans. They also work hard, and they are intelligent, albeit misguided. Given their poverty and isolation it is actually - in an absurd, unfortunate way - impressive what weapons they have come up with. Their efforts and resources are simply wasted on the wrong things. If they no longer saw a reason to defend themselves against SK and the West trying to take over NK, they could and would focus on what really matters.
The next NK president would already be way more open and hopefully not a nut like the current one.
There have been some projects where SK invested and produced stuff in NK. That should be increased a lot.
I think we get the wrong impression of North Koreans. They also work hard, and they are intelligent, albeit misguided. Given their poverty and isolation it is actually - in an absurd, unfortunate way - impressive what weapons they have come up with. Their efforts and resources are simply wasted on the wrong things. If they no longer saw a reason to defend themselves against SK and the West trying to take over NK, they could and would focus on what really matters.
The next NK president would already be way more open and hopefully not a nut like the current one.
There have been some projects where SK invested and produced stuff in NK. That should be increased a lot.
Whose trying to take them over? The only reason they get the attention they do is the threatening posture of Little Kim, otherwise they have nothing we want, he makes China nervous, and would bomb SK at the first chance. Nothing is likely to change until the family monarchy has ended.
Whose trying to take them over? The only reason they get the attention they do is the threatening posture of Little Kim, otherwise they have nothing we want, he makes China nervous, and would bomb SK at the first chance. Nothing is likely to change until the family monarchy has ended.
We? The only ones that matter are the neighbors South Korea and Japan, and they sure would be happy to have a friendly NK as a neighbor.
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