North Korea tests anouther nuke

[Madrun Badrun]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8066615.stm

North Korea has staged a "successful" underground nuclear test, the state-run KCNA agency reports.

The agency says the test was "aimed at strengthening its [North Korea's] self-defence nuclear deterrent in every way".

The news confirms earlier reports by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak is reported to have convened an emergency security meeting.

Yonhap quoted an unnamed official from South Korea's ruling party.

Both South Korea's and the US geological agency said they detected a seismic tremor early on Monday that indicated a nuclear explosion.

North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in October 2006.

[Eric P]

ching chong ping pong

[Madrun Badrun]

ching chong ping pong

[Tauntaun]

[youtube=560,345]8AL0L9_TlsE[/youtube]

[Joe Molotov]

[Phoenix Dark]

 

[youtube=560,345]p_iT0XDWW_8[/youtube]

[huckleberry]

A good buddy of mine just left for South Korea this past Friday to teach English...I bet he is shitting himself.

 

[T-Short]

Also, a New Speed of Great Advance was created...

http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2009/200905/news22/20090522-12ee.html

[Brehvolution]

[chronovore]

I can't believe we've got a nation which refuses to play nicely with the UN security council, thumbs its nose at the rest of the world, has (proven?) nuclear capability which it can sell to Nefarious Others to use against us, and we're not doing anything about it. Aren't those the supposed reasons we went to Iraq, except that the nuclear thing was unproven, turned out to be false, was likely known to be false before we dedicated troops, and Hussein was beshitting himself trying to state that he'd cooperate with UN inspectors, just after we announced we'd be moving there?

Kim Jong Il, placed in the same situation as Hussein -- well, there's no telling what he'd do. The foreign policy seems to be partially based on convincing the outside world that they're INSANE.

[Great Rumbler]

I can't believe we've got a nation which refuses to play nicely with the UN security council, thumbs its nose at the rest of the world, has (proven?) nuclear capability which it can sell to Nefarious Others to use against us, and we're not doing anything about it. Aren't those the supposed reasons we went to Iraq, except that the nuclear thing was unproven, turned out to be false, was likely known to be false before we dedicated troops, and Hussein was beshitting himself trying to state that he'd cooperate with UN inspectors, just after we announced we'd be moving there?

Kim Jong Il, placed in the same situation as Hussein -- well, there's no telling what he'd do. The foreign policy seems to be partially based on convincing the outside world that they're INSANE.

North Korea:

-Has an army with about 1.2 million active personnel and 4.5 million reserve personnel
-Has missiles [maybe even nukes] that could hit Japan or South Korea
-Is really close to China and Russia

[fistfulofmetal]

anouther

[Mandark]

Kim Jong Il, placed in the same situation as Hussein -- well, there's no telling what he'd do. The foreign policy seems to be partially based on convincing the outside world that they're INSANE.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/06/14/nixons_madman_strategy/

But yeah, I think the lasting lesson that "rogue" states took from the invasion of Iraq is that actually existing nukes are a really good deterrent.

[chronovore]

I can't believe we've got a nation which refuses to play nicely with the UN security council, thumbs its nose at the rest of the world, has (proven?) nuclear capability which it can sell to Nefarious Others to use against us, and we're not doing anything about it. Aren't those the supposed reasons we went to Iraq, except that the nuclear thing was unproven, turned out to be false, was likely known to be false before we dedicated troops, and Hussein was beshitting himself trying to state that he'd cooperate with UN inspectors, just after we announced we'd be moving there?

Kim Jong Il, placed in the same situation as Hussein -- well, there's no telling what he'd do. The foreign policy seems to be partially based on convincing the outside world that they're INSANE.

North Korea:

-Has an army with about 1.2 million active personnel and 4.5 million reserve personnel
-Has missiles [maybe even nukes] that could hit Japan or South Korea
-Is really close to China and Russia

I get that. I understand that. I also suspect that the US military would like to reach over with its long arms and wipe it off the peninsula, and that Japan and particularly S. Korea are always advocating calmer responses, so they don't get caught in a crossfire. There was a TV special which posited that, while N. Korea feels very intimate with China, it's a one-way thing. China sees N. Korea less as a "comrade" in the Communist sense, and more as a buffer, a high-pressure, resource-requiring distraction, that they can pretend to be irate over whenever its sovereignty is threatened.

So the USA can't turn it into a Kim Jong Il-colored smear just north of Pusan. Big deal. If the little shithead wants to brag and dance about how he can ignore the rest of the world while receiving aid from them, embargo the shit out of them, blockade them, don't give them fuel or food, and see how long he can keep his troops fed and his citizens from revolting. 

Then let S. Korea roll on up with food, HDTVs, and PCs pre-loaded with StarCraft and WoW, and they can put their grievances behind them, reveling in the brotherhood of multiplayer games and kimchi.

[Oblivion]

We invaded Iraq because of a possible threat of WMDs, which we had no way of proving. Yet here we have lil Kim, who's been proudly boasting he's had WMDs for years, and we didn't do anything? 

[Mandark]

chronovore:  Teaching KJI a lesson isn't worth creating a failed state.  In fact, it's the future collapse of NK more than actions by the current govt that has people worried.


Oblivion:  Yeah, turns out Bush was full of shit.  Funny story, that.

[Oblivion]

No, I know it was just an excuse. But I mean what exactly was Bush's excuse when the question was presented?

[Mandark]

Iraq also had that close relationship with Al Qaeda, remember?

[Oblivion]

Ah, that's right. nm.

[chronovore]

Yeah, I'm aware that Bush was full of shit, that the WMDs were a fear-inducing tactic, and the moment Plame's husband's evidence looked like it could undermine their effort, they attacked them for it. Isn't that treason?

No, I know it was just an excuse. But I mean what exactly was Bush's excuse when the question was presented?

Was Bush ever presented with the question? My impression is that Bush got a largely free ride at press conferences, avoiding reporters he thought might ask tough questions, and not inviting back individuals of the press who did.

chronovore:  Teaching KJI a lesson isn't worth creating a failed state.  In fact, it's the future collapse of NK more than actions by the current govt that has people worried.

That's actually something I hadn't considered. So, basically, like when the USSR went down and so much of their military hardware ended up being auctioned off, we're worried about what would happen with all of NK's toys going errant? It's better to have an enemy you almost know, than 100 enemies that you have no idea about?

[Mandark]

That's actually something I hadn't considered. So, basically, like when the USSR went down and so much of their military hardware ended up being auctioned off, we're worried about what would happen with all of NK's toys going errant? It's better to have an enemy you almost know, than 100 enemies that you have no idea about?

That's one big part of it, yeah.

More generally, if you remove the central government you run the risk of creating a situation like the one in Iraq.  Very chaotic, very violent, and very very hard to fix.

[Phoenix Dark]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30935610/

Obama should ask Gingrich to lead a mission to shoot these things out the sky

[WrikaWrek]

It's tricky.

Doesn't the U.S have them too? Actually they are the only ones to have used it thus far right? Why can't other countries have it, with any luck the world will just end that much quicker.

[chronovore]

During the Clinton administration, I'd have answered "Yeah, but Kim Jong Il is kuh-razy!" but after the previous 8 years of cowboy diplomacy, it's not such a strong argument.

[Kestastrophe]

I always thought that the NK situation was more delicate than the middle east due to North Korea's close proximity to South Korea, China, and Japan (2 of which are major world economic powers).