[iamzack]

Not the ones that only moved there since WW2.

[Nemesis6]

As crude as it might seem, I think the "Look at me, I'm North Korea! I'll do bad things and threaten you!" explanation holds the most water; they just want attention. Problem is, I don't think they actually understand how attacking another country has actual consequences, hence why they keep doing this. It's like the child acting up for attention. I believe the ONLY way to deal with North Korea is crushing the country with a global boycott. The consequences will be much, much worse than the North Korean famines of 1995 and 1997 that have left an entire generation of North Koreans' growth stunted, but it's the only way.

By the way, the stunted growth thing, it's true: http://news.joins.com/component/htmlphoto_mmdata/200612/htm_2006122722352790009040-001.JPG

[iamzack]

The North Korean peasants didn't really do anything, and they're the only ones who would suffer from such a boycott. They already mostly live in poverty while their leaders live in luxury. Can't we just bring Kim up on charges of crimes against humanity or something? Or just assassinate him. I mean, yeah, it's probably illegal, but it's nothing we haven't done befor.e

[SpardaSon21]

Yeah, assassination would work, except he's been grooming his son to take over for him once he kicks it, and has tried to start a cult of personality for him as well.  We'd need to take out the entire palace and the entire "royal" family in order to make sure no one could take over.

[Klaustrophobia]

i don't see a problem with that. 

all this talk of north korea just makes me think of Crysis

[BloodEagle]

Well, if the Feds weren't watching this forum, then they sure as Hell are now. 

[iamzack]

Didn't we have like four child porn threads a year ago? they probly started watching back then.

[Klaustrophobia]

Let's just ASSASSINATE test that PRESIDENT claim.

[Mongoose]

I'm really getting sick and tired of this ronery little psycho's mood swings.  I don't even know what a good solution would be at this point, but something has to be better than the status quo.  Where's Sam Fisher when you need him?

[Kosh]

Too bad there's no oil in North Korea. Otherwise we'd be liberating the **** out of them.

Or isn't one of our puppet regimes, like Saudi Arabia.

I'm not sure how well that BS is penetrating. In USSR they had several black news agencies (Samizdat?) that told the people what was going on elsewhere in the world, or inside USSR. Oppressed people still knew something was wrong with the official line if they kept on being hungry. Asian mentality might change it, I don't have experience dealing with Koreans. I don't know the situation inside Japan during WWII, and how well one might draw conclusions of North Korea based on that. How many refugees are there from North Korea?

Yes but post Stalin the USSR didn't have a massive cult of personality. North Korea today is actually even more oppressive and more closed than the USSR. The amount of brainwashing and leader worshipping is truly mind boggling. Also unlike in the USSR, NK is very racially homogeneous, and frequently will use that to its advantage. Observe how it is truely is run.

[Dilmah G]

The North Korean peasants didn't really do anything, and they're the only ones who would suffer from such a boycott. They already mostly live in poverty while their leaders live in luxury. Can't we just bring Kim up on charges of crimes against humanity or something? Or just assassinate him. I mean, yeah, it's probably illegal, but it's nothing we haven't done befor.e

The single biggest threat if a nation decides to engage N.K is the fact that S.K is going to bite it. Hard. Even with some kind of air assault on most of North Korea's missile batteries, Seoul is still going to get hit hard, and lose a lot of civilians in the process.

Find a way to take out 7/8 of their missile batteries, and we can start talking invasion if need be.

[headdie]

The North Korean peasants didn't really do anything, and they're the only ones who would suffer from such a boycott. They already mostly live in poverty while their leaders live in luxury. Can't we just bring Kim up on charges of crimes against humanity or something? Or just assassinate him. I mean, yeah, it's probably illegal, but it's nothing we haven't done befor.e

The single biggest threat if a nation decides to engage N.K is the fact that S.K is going to bite it. Hard. Even with some kind of air assault on most of North Korea's missile batteries, Seoul is still going to get hit hard, and lose a lot of civilians in the process.

Find a way to take out 7/8 of their missile batteries, and we can start talking invasion if need be.

i think there are also factors like i believe national service is compulsory and they have the forth largest standing army which as far as i am aware has no deployment commitments outside of the country unlike the nations above it and Russia just below it so in a war of attrition they will win quite soundly as it would take the USA deploying 2 thirds of its armed forces to match them in numbers in terms of front line standing troops but then there is the small matter of a reported 3.5 million reservists

[Dilmah G]

That's if they don't strike first. And keep in mind, you'll probably have the US, S.K, Australia (possibly), England (who've committed aircraft to help out with ID before, IIRC), engaged as well. And that's if a UN force doesn't decide to intervene.

There's also the issue of where China stands on this.

[headdie]

That's if they don't strike first. And keep in mind, you'll probably have the US, S.K, Australia (possibly), England (who've committed aircraft to help out with ID before, IIRC), engaged as well. And that's if a UN force doesn't decide to intervene.

There's also the issue of where China stands on this.

id say China will sit on the fence, N Koria has pissed them of on a number of occasions but they also rattle the west's cage quite frequently which suits China.  thing is the south korea's standing army is about half of north korea's and the stationed foreign troops dont make up the numbers so if N Korea strikes first then you are looking at maybe days before the north overruns the south, to little time for a multi national force to respond

State-----------Active-----Reserve----Paramilitary---Total   
China-----------3,440,000--1,200,000--4,100,000------8,740,000   
United States---1,473,900--1,458,500--453,000--------3,385,400   
India-----------1,414,000--1,800,000--1,300,300------4,514,300   
North Korea-----1,106,000--4,700,000--189,000--------5,995,000   
Russia----------1,037,000--2,400,000--359,100--------3,796,100   
South Korea0----540,000----3,000,000--39,500---------3,579,500   
Germany---------284,500----358,650----40,000---------683,150   
France----------259,050----419,000----101,400--------779,450
United Kingdom--240,200----195,300----0--------------435,500
Japan-----------239,900----44,400-----12,250---------296,550   
Italy-----------230,350----65,200-----238,800--------534,350
Australia-------53,572-----20,300-----0--------------73,872

[Kosh]

What interesting about that, is even though it has the 4th largest army in the world, it's population is only 24 million which ranks 51st.

[karajorma]

I always love people going on about the size of the army as if it means something. The Iraqi army rolled over in days both times they fought a massively smaller army in both gulf wars.

Now if NK and SK are similar in terms of military equipment it might make a difference but otherwise it's just more bodies for the turkey shoot.

[Dilmah G]

Agreed.

N.K's air force in particular is very, very ****. 7 hours annual flight time for their pilots, compared to 150 NATO standard, as well as defection issues and the like. I wouldn't discount the N.K army though, since there are a lot of them (poorly armed, most likely), some who are fanatics and will go the hard yards to defend their country.

By far their largest threat is the their missiles, I'd say. 

[karajorma]

I'm not discounting them, I'm just pointing out how silly it is to just compare the size of the armies like a dick-measuring competition.

[BloodEagle]

• Isn't there a bloody large allied navy in the area that would completed destroy NK's navy, and then subsequently aid ground forces with offshore bombings?
• Do the NKs have 'tactical' atomic bombs? Because I stopped paying attention to them a while ago, and that could make a huge difference.
• Armchair Strategism rocks. 

In the end, If it came down to a land war*, the outcome would depend entirely upon China's response.

I see China having three distinct options:

• Do nothing, and let whoever wins gain a much closer foothold to China's territory.
• Side with the U.N. (or whoever), and take direct control over NK.
• Side with NK. (THAT would be one Hell of a can of worms!)

-----

Oh, and I'm honestly curious as to how a trained military, possibly 'brainwashed' and malnourished, would hold under a charge at what is arguably the most fortified defensive line in the world.

--------------------------

*And only a fool gets involved in a land war in Asia.

[headdie]

*And only a fool gets involved in a land war in Asia.

they do have a tendency to get rather bloody dont they