The North Korean regime has threatened another "all-out war" if South Korea takes punitive action over the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan on March 26. It seems the the pot-bellied pig dictator threatens war every chance he gets but this time it may be different. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak is not passive like some of his predecessors and has stood firm against this aggression by the North. South Korean soldiers of the Mt. Baekdu Unit in Gangwon Province have been ordered to start psychological warfare operations which were abandoned six years ago. These tactics were seen as effective in undermining the ideological morale of N. Korean troops in the past and will not be looked upon kindly by their leadership. The South Korean government has also imposed new sanctions on the North that could cost the cash strapped country upwards of $300 million. These actions and the announcement of new war games to be conducted by S. Korean/American forces may be the tipping point for Kim Jong il.
Lets take a look at past provocations by North Korea.
02/1958- North Korean agents hijacked a South Korean airliner to Pyongyang
that had been en route from Pusan to Seoul. Eight hostages still remain in DPR prisons.
04/1965 — Two North Korean MiG jet fighters “attacked and damaged” a U.S.
RB-47 reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Japan.
01/1968 — A 31-member commando team, disguised as South Korean soldiers
and civilians, infiltrated within striking distance of President Park
Chung Hee’s office/residence complex (The Blue House) before they
were intercepted by South Korean police.
01/1968 — Two days after the commando attempt on President Park, North
Korea seized the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo with a crew of 83
officers and men off Wonsan in international waters.
10/1968 — One hundred and thirty sea-borne commandos infiltrated the Ulchin
and Samchok areas on the eastern coast of South Korea.
04/1969 — North Korean MiG jet fighters shot down an unarmed U.S. EC-121
reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Japan, about 90 miles off the
North Korean coast, resulting in the loss of 31 lives.
10/1969 — Four U.S. soldiers were ambushed and killed by North Korean
intruders near the southern boundary of the DMZ.
12/1969 — North Korean agents hijacked a South Korean airliner YS-11 to
Wonsan en route from Kangnung to Seoul with 51 persons aboard.
There are many more incidents that have occurred over the years including the 400 plus S. Koreans that have been kidnapped by the North with most of those still being held captive. The Korean Peninsula has truly never been peaceful since the armistice was signed in 1953, but "all-out war" has been avoided so far. This time we may not be so lucky. North Korea declared Tuesday that it would sever all communication and relations with Seoul and also announced it would expel all South Koreans working at a joint factory park in the northern border town of Kaesong. I think you will see another temper tantrum from the North once the war games start off their coast which may lead to another military provocation-this time involving US troops and sailors.
President Obama is looked upon as weak by most dictators around the world and Kim Jong il knows we are currently bogged down militarily in Iraq and Afghanistan, so this may be the "perfect storm" that allows war to erupt on the Korean Peninsula. I hope Obama knows the gravity of the situation because we have twenty-eight thousand plus troops in harms way in that theater. The US lost 33,629 soldiers in battle and 20,617 non-combat deaths in the Korean War. 70% of N. Korea's active force, including approximately 700,000 troops, over 8,000 artillery systems, and 2,000 tanks, is postured within 90 miles of the DMZ. The North could destroy much of Seoul in a matter of hours with the thousands of artillery pieces that they have trained on the capital. I don't see President Obama as truly being engaged with this threat from North Korea but I do hope that he gets his mind wrapped around this situation rather quickly.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The "perfect storm" for war on the Korean Peninsula
Friday, January 16, 2009
The clock is ticking on Communist leaders
Some sources are claiming that Fidel Castro is dead or on his way. I know that we have heard this before but Spanish sources that are supposedly in the know say this time it is for real. El Pias newspaper in Spain noted that Wednesday there were apparent movements at the Armed Forces and Interior Ministry and further stated the Castro suffered a "possible" heart attack. Even though Fidel has been rarely seen since his operation, he has kept in touch with the Cuban masses with his daily propaganda articles that he wrote while bedridden. Another clue as to what may be occurring in the island paradise, Argentine mad man Chavez stated last week that Castro "will remain in our memories." That is a telling clue in of itself.
I do think when Fidel finally assumes room temperature, Raul Castro will open up a little bit more in regards to some minor freedoms and agriculture reforms. The time may be ripe for a thaw to occur between the US and Cuba with the new incoming administration. President Obama will most likely attempt to engage Cuba and President Raul Castro will welcome such a "change." The Cubans are in great need of outside help after last years hurricane season destroyed much of the island. This approach will be less risky for Obama and the Democrats as they are less beholden to Florida's Cuban exiles as the Republicans would be.
It has also been reported that Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has finally named a successor in the event he joins his father, Stalin, Pol Pot and other former Communists in the pits of hell. The Straits Times is reporting that Kim has nominated his third son, Kim Jong Un, as successor and informed the Communist Party leadership of his choice. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports that "the nomination of Mr. Kim Jong Un was totally unexpected." In my post "North Korean leader Kim Jong Il could be history" in September, I predicted that Kim and or the Communist Politburo would place Kim the younger as the new leader. If you understand that the two older sons have been "tainted" by Western nations, it no surprise at all that Kim chose his youngest son.
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http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_326503.html
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il could be history
The reclusive North Korean regime of Kim Jong Il is reported to be close to an end. There are some reports by Korean experts that claim Kim is already dead and has been since 2003. There are other experts and various intelligence officials that claim the "Dear Leader" has suffered a stroke and is wheelchair bound.
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All of these claims could be very good news or most likely bad news. Let me explain-North Korea is a communist hereditary dynasty and Kim has at least four children with three wife's. The eldest son, 37-year-old Jong Nam, would be one's guess as the presumed successor. No, Nam has a taste for Western toys which was illustrated when he tried to sneak into Japan using a fake Dominican passport in a bid to get to Tokyo's Disney resort in 2001.
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His second son, 27-year-old Jong Chol, is believed to have spent part of his school years in Switzerland and probably has been Westernized to some degree, which could fare well for the world but not with the Communist Politburo. Youngest son, Jong Un, 24, who apparently looks and acts just like his father could be the favorite among the military.
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I surmise that in the event that Kim is dead or on his way, there will be a collective junta resembling that of the Burmese junta that will rule behind the scenes and Jong Un as the figure head. Koreans are told that the Kim family are god's and should worshiped as such, so a collective military junta would not be looked upon kindly by the people.
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America should hope that such a change would include one of the first two sons, as they are the most likely to shift from a policy of isolationism to a more open policy. There are reports that the Koreans are reconstructing their nuclear machine after being shuttered after the six nation negotiations. Let us hope that whoever takes the helm, they are not mentally ill as the last two Communist god's.
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