*Originally posted by Whack-a-Mole *
My worry isn’t so much that N. Korea has nukes itself (although I don’t like the idea). It is my worry that they will gleefully sell some to people we REALLY don’t want to have them.
Going to war with N. Korea isn’t really in the cards. China would be very pissed to see US troops in N. Korea. S. Korea would be pissed because last I heard there were 10,000 artillery pieces that could range on the capital Seoul and lay down 500,000 per hour! You don’t need a nuke with that kind of firepower. Sure the US would likely blow them all up eventually but no way could they do so before Seoul was horribly damaged. N. Korea also already possess missiles that can reach Japan and would likely fling a few that way thus not thrilling the Japanese overly much.
In short…pay them off. **
Why do that? We did such a thing in 1938, and they still bit us int ass, and if we destroy the regime and get it over with, then there will be no standoff in the future which could be an even greater threat.
istara
February 6, 2003, 12:49pm
42
Well then, maybe the only thing is to get NK properly rehabilitated, so that in the future it will just be another (“safe”) nuclear power, like America, Britain, Russia, etc etc.
Maybe they’ve already effectively won.
Beagle
February 6, 2003, 6:56pm
43
BBC transcript of interview with North Korea’s Foreign Ministry deputy director, Ri Pyong-gap
BBC: What would you do if this build-up continues?
Mr Ri: The responses for this are very clear. If the United States steps their boots over the borderline, we’ll take strong countermeasures.
A pre-emptive attack is not something only the United States can do. We can also do that, when it is a matter of life or death.
BBC: You would even consider launching a pre-emptive strike against American forces?
Mr Ri: "We are fully ready to have a conversation with the United States - at the same time, we are fully ready to have war with the United States.