# Is North Korea starting a war?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-north-korea-starting-a-war/533905>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 26, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-north-korea-starting-a-war/533905 "2010-03-26T17:28:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-north-korea-starting-a-war/533905/81 "2010-03-29T10:11:19Z")

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> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> I think some of you are giving Kim too much credit. You’re looking at the reasons he’s claiming he has for doing something and saying “Those reasons are irrational.”

Again, this specific quote:

[QUOTE=Kim Jong-Il]  
Any tiny hostile acts against our republic, including the stopping and searching of our peaceful vessels… will face an immediate and strong military strike in response.  
[/QUOTE]

does not refer to what you say it refers to. It is not saying, “If anybody attacks our country,…”; it is saying, “If anybody tries to enforce UN mandates on us,…”

Do you understand the difference?

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**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-north-korea-starting-a-war/533905/82 "2010-03-29T10:14:13Z")

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Incidentally, I actually did want to ask for opinions. Obviously, neither South Korea nor the United States is going to bomb Pyongyang, or anywhere else in North Korea, in response to a sunken boat. But if this incident does turn out be an attack, would we expect an increase in patrols of that region? A general military heightening? I honestly don’t know how Seoul has reacted in the past to the many, many provocations.

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**Author:** ![GreatStuffMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f04885/32.png) [@GreatStuffMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreatStuffMan)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-north-korea-starting-a-war/533905/83 "2010-03-29T11:29:41Z")

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> [@BrainGlutton](#):
>
> Look, SK and NK have been on bad terms ever since the war, but this is not a China-Taiwan situation where each claims sovereignty over the other.

Yes, it is.

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**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-north-korea-starting-a-war/533905/84 "2010-03-29T11:48:12Z")

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[Air University PDF](http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/crs/rl30004.pdf) relate to North Korean Provocations. Context for contextually challenged.

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