North Korea

[The Pastor]

Simple to understand really. Most and biggest guns.
Pretty well makes them in charge.

my point (however not well thought out) was why should they have a say in how another country runs.

I answerd it myself a few posts later.

[Kyle]

Bah, you all watch too much news, they always hype it up. Like when i stupidly passed an ambulance with its flashing lights going, in a clear and empty lane, on a 4 lane highway with center barrier, the news paper said i pulled out into oncoming traffic to do the pass, just to hype it up. If you ask me its better to not even watch the news, worry about it if the sky goes black, overwise make the most of living in loverly peaceful NZ.

[Winston001]

Firstly, the nuclear testing is all just political buggary-bollocks in a heated round of poker-faced bluffing between N.Korea and the US and possibly Japan. There is no threat to S.Korea. The S.Korean Roh administration maintains that the way to opening up N.Korea is through diplomacy.

Conversely, the US have preached 'carrot and stick' pollicies with N.Korea but are increasingly using more 'stick' and reneging on the 'carrots'; some of these carrots include incompleted light-water reactors for stable electricity (promised last millenium from previous non-proliferation treaties), lifting of economic sanctions, and financial aid.

Bush's policies towards N.Korea have exacerbated the situation, but really this rhetoric has been going on (and off) for over 10 years since N.Korea first started their long-range missile programs (once again for bargaining leverage).

The reason behind the nuclear testing: another wildcard in the ongoing poker game between the US and N.Korea.

I'm not pro-N.Korea, but as I am living in S.Korea I do know the situation. We may see how it pans out over the next couple of months, but at this stage it is just another attention-getting device from an increasingly beligerant child.

Interesting to hear your views. Really, the political conflict has been going on since the Korean War in 1951. Yes, countries (not just the USA) did agree to supply stuff to NK in the 1990s but on the basis that reforms were instituted and weapons development stopped. In other words, spend money on your people, not missiles.

East Germany, Romania, Hungary etc were all totalitarian communist regimes until 1989. Their people finally revolted and everything changed. The people of NK must be pretty desperate by now so there is a chance revolution could happen there. The difference though is the spectre of Communist China which has a protective arm around NK.

[lb99]

in yesterdays press

[Brian d marge]

The long range missile tests include:
- a 1998 test firing that flew over Japan and landed in the ocean.
- this year's most recent tests involving 7 missiles, including one long-range missile, that landed in the East Sea / Sea of Japan (between the Korean penisula and Japan). One missile that exploded shortly after launch.

There have been no missiles exploded near Hawaii or any other US territory. Current estimates say that their long range missiles could barely reach the coast of the United States.

The bomb that was tested in N.Korea was estimated to carry a similar payload or less as that dropped on Hiroshima. It would weigh about 4 tons and the North currently doesn't have any long-range missiles that could carry this sort of payload.

In short: Kim Jong Il is all fart and no shit.

Well those missiles are comming awful close to me .. This sabre rattling while it isnt worring me , is getting a bit louder , and there does seem to be a continuousness about this development ... I havent heard much on the news ,,, but they are trying to pull the heartstrings of the people here by showing programs about starving children on the streets of nth korea

I will be watching the situation with a bit more interest in the future ,,,,

Stephen

[Indiana_Jones]

East Germany, Romania, Hungary etc were all totalitarian communist regimes until 1989. Their people finally revolted and everything changed. The people of NK must be pretty desperate by now so there is a chance revolution could happen there. The difference though is the spectre of Communist China which has a protective arm around NK.

And what better way to incite a revolution then to place more US and UN troops on the 38th parallel and somehow (very tricky) to get China and everyone else to cease trading with NK, blockcade them.

The people over there are already starving, they're gonna get pretty pissed pretty quickly, but it could go both ways, they could win, or they could get horribly crushed.

Even if they started, then everyone else could go in, like they should of done in Iraq in 91', but no the UN said stop, and 10,000's of Iraqies died because of it, the US should of gone in.

............

-Indy