North Korea threatens "physical response" to U.S. moves

[defendandprotect]

North Korea threatens "physical response" to U.S. moves

By Andrew Quinn and Ambika Ahuja Andrew Quinn And Ambika Ahuja – Fri Jul 23, 4:24 am ET
HANOI (Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Asia on Friday to enforce tough sanctions against North Korea, which hit back by threatening a "physical response" to Washington's plans for joint military drills with South Korea.

Clinton, speaking in Hanoi at the Asia-Pacific's biggest security dialogue, also called on Myanmar's neighbors to pressure the country's military rulers for democratic reforms, and said Asia must join the global community in sending a "clear signal" to Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions.

"One measure of the strength of a community of nations is how it responds to threats to its members, neighbors and region," Clinton told the 27-member ASEAN Regional Forum, which includes regional powers China, Japan and Russia along with the United States, European Union and Canada.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100723/pl_nm/us_security_asia


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Wonder why there are no "sanctions" vs America given our behavior the last 9 years --

http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/whyclintoncaressomuchaboutanasianislandchain4433

[AmericaIsGreat]

1. We're shaking in our boots

Not

[defendandprotect]

4. Right . . . more "Bring it on!" . . . . ???

[AmericaIsGreat]

6. No, not "bring it on"

If anything, more like "Just shut up. We're not scared and we don't care."

[defendandprotect]

8. Why would the superpower be frightened of North Korea . . . ???

Who would suggest such a thing?

This warmongering began back with Bush --

do you remember the days when Colin Powell and Condi Rice were commenting that

everything was so peaceful that "we'd almost have to invent enemies" ????

Then -- we did!

And -- we still are!

[AmericaIsGreat]

10. Well, it wouldn't be

And I'm not suggesting we say anything to try and rile up north Korea. It's just so annoying, for me personally, to listen to them yap with their lame ass threats, knowing the reality of that country and just how fucked up and not in a position to be making threats it really is.

[defendandprotect]

11. What about OUR threats to the entire world . . . ???

How does that go over your head?

What if Russia had developed the bomb before us -- actually, what if they had captured

the atomic bombs from Germany before we did? That's a huge possibility of what happened.

And what about all the damage the US has done to Korea -- including dividing the entire

nation in half!!

And our nation isn't "f------ up"?

We are the ones threatening other nations -- always have been.

I'm sure you noticed the genocide vs the Native American? The theft of their land -- ?

In fact, that theft is still going on and has been for hundreds of years.

What about the enslavement of Africans here? Did we ever even try to make retribution for

any of that?

:think:

[lib2DaBone]

13. I have noticed that everywhere Hillary goes.. trouble follows...

This Foreign Policy from the Neocons I can understand.. their goal is permanent world-wide war. But from the DEMS?

Declare victory and bring our troops home.

[Warren DeMontague]

14. "all the damage the US has done to Korea --" yes, South Korea would be SO much better off under

Kim Jong Il.

[neverforget]

19. "What if (Russia) had captured the atomic bombs from Germany before we did?"

Germany never had any atomic bombs. They had a program but that was about it.

[Warren DeMontague]

23. Individual you are responding to has an (ahem) unorthodox understanding of history.

"faked" moon landings, and all.

[neverforget]

26. To say the least......sheesh

[amborin]

21. and at a rapid pace

[MikeNY]

20. Oh but we do care, because we're there.

And its not really our war after this long. It was someone elses war, but its not our war. We should move on. I'm sorry, but we are just creating tensions there. We're not going to end the atrocities there through the barrel of a gun

[Pavulon]

2. Poor stroked out Kim. Has a pile of shit empire

to hand down to his son. He will not do shit or the chinese will stomp him into the ground. they dont want the US on their border.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. North Korea "threatens". While we "act" in Afghanistan.

What's wrong with this picture?

[Turbineguy]

5. They are going to

Moon us?

[seattleblue]

12. What can they do?

Send the million troops they have on the border south. We have about 28,000 to oppose them. They would be in Seoul in an hour.

[hack89]

17. What about the South Korean army?

do you think they simply plan to stand there and watch it happen?

[seattleblue]

18. Pretty much that is what they would do.

The South Korean army is half the size of North Korea's and their current plans are to be able to resist the North Koreans on their own within two decades.

[hack89]

22. No

It is about the same size as the North Korean army (it has a well trained reserve force of 3 million troops).

The North Korean military is a paper tiger other than their artillery. They have no modern fighters, no precision weapons, no night fighting capability and their tanks are ancient. And they have no fuel for real training so it is questionable what they can do other then shell the hell out of Seoul.

South Korea, on the other hand, is one of the most modern armies in the world. State of the art fighters and tanks plus a robust all weather fighting capability. They also have the latest in surveillance equipment and precision weapons.

North Korea would be slaughtered in a straight up fight.

[seattleblue]

25. The North Korean army and reserves are 8 million.

The South Korean army and reserves are about 3.7 million. The U.S. has always underestimated its opponents in Asia and overestimated its own abilities. Why DUers want to get involved in yet another land war in Asia is beyond my ability to understand.

[GreenStormCloud]

27. There is much more to war than the number of troops you have.

The NK troops are poorly trained infantry. They can only move as fast as they can walk because of limited motor transport. The entire country is on the edge of starvation. NK doesn't have the massive stored petroleum products that it takes to wage a modern war. NK will have a very difficult time moving supplies forward. Their Air Force is mostly antique aircraft from the 1950s. Their pilots get very little flight time to be able to train. Their tanks are 1950s designs with fairly light armor.

In the event of a shooting war our air power would be tearing their logistic lines to shreds.

They do have lots and lots of ancient artillery pieces, WWII level technology. Without forward observers all they can do is shell areas, not precision targets. Because the SK capital, Seoul, is close to the DMZ they will be able to batter it. But lacking FOs they won't be able to do much of anything against US/ROK field positions. Plus, for decades we have had precision radar that can spot an artillery shell in flight and calculate the exact spot it was fired from. Withing seconds of firing a shot the NK cannon would have a precision GPS guided artillery shell or bomb arriving.

Very few of their 8 million man army would ever make it to the front.

The question is: Is there anybody in NK that is willing to tell Kim the truth? Telling a bat-shit crazy, absolute dictator, anything he doesn't want to hear can be very hazardous.

[hack89]

28. Saddam Husain's army out numbered the US army

didn't do them much good. When the enemy moves faster, shoots further, can fight at night numbers mean very little.

We aren't talking about the US getting involved in an Asian land war - we are talking about the South Korean military being able to take on the North.

[Warren DeMontague]

15. You said "moon".

Good one.

[Warren DeMontague]

16. They're a bunch of lunatics!

Of course, not many people realize that North Korea isn't actually there. It's all cardboard sets in a warehouse at Area 51.

[piratefish08]

7. can't the state department send their newly acquired personal army down there?

[Odin2005]

9. You mean they will be pissing their pants?

[GreenStormCloud]

24. Now North Korea has upped their threat to state that they will use nukes.

They are threatening to use nukes if we carry through with the sanctions and the joint exercise. Kim will lose lots of face when we call his bluff if he is bluffing. If he isn't bluffing, Obama will have to answer by nuking NK.