# Can someone tell me what is up with North Korea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 2, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-up-with-north-korea/146197 "2003-01-02T13:45:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-up-with-north-korea/146197/1 "2003-01-02T13:45:06Z")
This is my first post to GD, but I think this question belongs here, so here goes… Today I read: [http://www.nandotimes.com/world/story/697538p-5163228c.html](http://www.nandotimes.com/world/story/697538p-5163228c.html) > [@](#): > > SEOUL, South Korea (January 1 8:05 a.m. EST) - Showing no willingness to ease tensions over its nuclear weapons program, North Korea vowed Wednesday to build an army-based “powerful nation” and defy pressure from the United States. What are they hoping to gain over the U.S.A (or anyone else) with this. Do they have a plan to take over the world (Pinky). Is this just a case of sour grapes because Dubyah put them into his “Evil axis” speech? And most of all, after we finish off with Iraq, are we going to start preemptive strikes against them as well? I just don’t get the importance, lots of smaller countries have the nuke, and it hasn’t exactly caused a big change in the balance of power as far as I can see. And further, what right does the U.S. have to dictate the military policies of other countries? Especially when those countries represent nothing more (militarily) then a mosquito on the backside of a military power such as ours. If they managed to hit Seattle, say, with one nuke the U.S. would turn their country into a parking lot, they must know that. So what’s up with all this. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-up-with-north-korea/146197/2 "2003-01-02T14:32:06Z")
Ok, NOW I see the massive thread that addresses this. Sheesh! First post too! :smack: :smack: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-up-with-north-korea/146197/3 "2003-01-02T14:36:21Z")
Heh. Welcome to Great Debates! 😃 You can Copy and Paste your OP into the other thread, if you want. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-up-with-north-korea/146197/4 "2003-01-02T14:41:23Z")
Not to say that I totally disagree with you, but > [@](#): > > Especially when those countries represent nothing more (militarily) then a mosquito on the backside of a military power such as ours. I know your mosquito analogy was a bit cheeky but let me draw it out a little more by bringing West Nile Virus into the mix. Mosquitos can now kill people (indirectly). I see you are in South America, but FYI we here in the northeast USA have really mobilized and started taking an agressive approach at the mosquito/WNV problem, before it becomes an epidemic. Now _that_ parallels the North Korea situation a little better, don’t you think? Second, while I’m not 100% comfortable with the US in the role of Unilateral Global Policeman or Nuke Enforcement Agency, clearly we have to take a concerned interest when our neighbors start developing WMD’s, especially if said neighbors are certifiable nutjobs. > [@](#): > > If they managed to hit Seattle, say, with one nuke the U.S. would turn their country into a parking lot, they must know that. I’m not sure that they _do_ know this. I’d like to think they do. They may be hoping that we’d be hesitant to detonate nukes in North Korea, where weather patterns may cause fallout to (eventually) sweep over the West Coast of the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-up-with-north-korea/146197/5 "2003-01-02T15:01:51Z")
> [@](#): > > a mosquito on the backside > [@](#): > > I know your mosquito analogy was a bit cheeky Don’t make me come over there… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-up-with-north-korea/146197/6 "2003-01-02T15:17:41Z")
\*\* Attrayant \*\* wrote > [@](#): > > \*\* I know your mosquito analogy was a bit cheeky… \*\* Yes, the mosquito analogy was just a bit cheeky but that is what I have been led to believe, and a lot of what I know about our military capacity comes from these boards. If I know it, from public sources, surely they must know it, (no?). Now, the Idea of the weather patterns is something I had not considered. Further upon reading the previously mentioned [\*\* Massive thread\*\*](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=151948) I did not realize that NK was a protectorate of China (makes sense though).Also NK has traditionally been a diplomatically communicative country, though not always favorably so, they do talk. But still, what do they have up their sleeves? What’s this all about. I’m not asking what are we gonna do about it, I’m asking why is it happening? Do they have some kind of agenda? ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-up-with-north-korea/146197/7 "2003-01-02T15:23:29Z")
Bwaha! \*\*cheeky \*\*, \*\*back side \*\*, I git it! Damn, I needs another cup of coffee! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-up-with-north-korea/146197/8 "2003-01-02T17:21:09Z")
I know there’s another thread on this subject, but [here’s a neat analysis of North Korea](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2621349.stm) from the Beeb. ---
**Author:** ![Janx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Janx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Janx)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-tell-me-what-is-up-with-north-korea/146197/9 "2003-01-02T18:26:01Z")
Thanks **jjimm** That is what I wanted to know!