# Ok, Kim Jong Un, you stupid son of a bitch **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 7, 2013, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288 "2013-03-07T13:40:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/161 "2013-03-10T20:19:47Z")
Not doubting the veracity of the story but are mortars super-sonic? In other words do you hear them coming before they land on you? It’s always depicted with a whizzing sound in movies before they land which would only be possible if the mortar was going slower than sound. I’m wondering if the General could hear what was coming. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/162 "2013-03-10T20:36:43Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > I’m not familiar with Reddit, so my search was for “Korean Soldier yadda yadda” > > Among the pics was a pic of what was represented as 3 plain, everyday soldiers: > US, N Korean, S. Korean. > > the N.K. soldier was in the middle - it looked like 2 adults flanking an 8th Grader. Really. > He barely reached the shoulders of the other 2. > If those were the people trying to pull one of those soldiers someplace he did not want to go, a hand grip by another adult would probably suffice. > > I want to know where that pic came from - none were armed, so probably not Color Guards. Is this the one? > **[ImageShack - Best place for all of your image hosting and image sharing needs](https://imageshack.com/)** > > Unlimited space to host images, easy to use image uploader, albums, photo hosting, sharing, dynamic image resizing on web and mobile. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/163 "2013-03-10T21:29:48Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Would the US actually strike back with a nuclear weapon on all those poor defenseless brainwashed people? All that collateral damage? Even if we DID take a direct hit from one of their nukes (which would take a miracle, all things considered) would we really nuke Pyongyang as a matter of principal? > > I mean, the nukes we have at our disposal these days make the ones we dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki look like cherry bombs. And 70 years later, don’t most Americans still feel guilty about all those Japanese people killed (let’s not forget the ones that died later - very unpleasant way to go, radiation poisoning)… could we REALLY do that again? It just seems like such a bad idea. > > What would the rest of the world think about us? They already think we’re the United Thugs of America with the Iraq/Afghanistan war that’s been dragging on. > > “But THEY started it!!” is not going to impress many people for very long. My WAG is that the US wouldn’t retaliate against major population centers with the really big strategic nuclear weapons. Rather, I think that the military would rain smaller tactical nuclear weapons on every military target. Every military base would be flattened, and every formation too big to destroy with conventional weapons would be hit with the “little” tactical weapons (Hiroshima-sized and down to ~30x smaller). IIRC, this was our doctrine in Europe when we were worried about the Soviets rolling through Germany with a 10-to-1 numerical advantage. Still, using tactical nukes across the whole country, there are going to be some pretty horrific civilian casualties even without directly targeting population centers. But I don’t think the rest of the world would have much problem with the use of nukes to destroy, say, NK artillery batteries that are bombarding Seoul. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/164 "2013-03-10T22:01:49Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > Still, using tactical nukes across the whole country, there are going to be some pretty horrific civilian casualties even without directly targeting population centers. But I don’t think the rest of the world would have much problem with the use of nukes to destroy, say, NK artillery batteries that are bombarding Seoul. Except those are so close to the border that any fallout is going to be spread straight across Seoul. And tac nukes aren’t going to take out very many. Overall not going to happen. No, retaliation would likely be a single nuke on Pyongyang, assuming we went nuclear at all. Only instead of the 5-15 kt warhead they can manage, our standard nukes are around 125 kt. If we don’t go nuclear, it would be in the form of several thousand cruise missiles and fighter sorties. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/165 "2013-03-10T22:45:18Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Is this the one? > > [ImageShack - Best place for all of your image hosting and image sharing needs](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/293/31771518gt9.jpg/sr=1) Well, at least the cost of uniforming the NK army would be reduced - that has to be what, 75% of the fabric of the other 2 uniforms? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/166 "2013-03-10T23:37:33Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > My WAG is that the US wouldn’t retaliate against major population centers with the really big strategic nuclear weapons. Rather, I think that the military would rain smaller tactical nuclear weapons on every military target. Every military base would be flattened, and every formation too big to destroy with conventional weapons would be hit with the “little” tactical weapons (Hiroshima-sized and down to ~30x smaller). IIRC, this was our doctrine in Europe when we were worried about the Soviets rolling through Germany with a 10-to-1 numerical advantage. > > Still, using tactical nukes across the whole country, there are going to be some pretty horrific civilian casualties even without directly targeting population centers. But I don’t think the rest of the world would have much problem with the use of nukes to destroy, say, NK artillery batteries that are bombarding Seoul. My understanding is that the NK artillery is positioned in fortified casemates carved into the sides of the mountains north of the DMZ as protection from counter-artillery and air attack. Successful attacks on the NK guns would likely be very difficult, even with nukes. Not to mention the problem of nuclear blasts just a few miles from downtown Seoul. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/167 "2013-03-11T03:49:42Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Is this the one? > > [ImageShack - Best place for all of your image hosting and image sharing needs](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/293/31771518gt9.jpg/sr=1) Obviously the same people, same place, same time, but even more striking contrast: [![](https://i.imgur.com/aHsayNH.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/aHsayNH.png) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/168 "2013-03-11T03:55:42Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > Sung and Il This is the first time I’ve ever seen those two cretins referred to like that. For some reason, I keep seeing it as “Song and Dance.” ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/169 "2013-03-11T04:22:34Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Except those are so close to the border that any fallout is going to be spread straight across Seoul. And tact nukes aren’t going to take out very many. Overall not going to happen. > > No, retaliation would likely be a single nuke on Pyongyang, assuming we went nuclear at all. Only instead of the 5-15 kt warhead they can manage, our standard nukes are around 125 kt. If we don’t go nuclear, it would be in the form of several thousand cruise missiles and fighter sorties. I don’t know the terrain around the DMZ and the 10,000 artillery pieces, but NK is generally a SERIOUSLY mountainous country - makes the Rockies look like the Ozarks. Even if we _had_ 10,000 Cruise missiles, it would take days to get one to each target. Umm - YOU be the one to explain to the Chinese that we’re going to use nukes (but, hey, just tiny little ones!) on their border. That ain’t gonna to happen either. Either be able to kill at least 97% of incoming artillery shells and/or short-range ballistic missiles while you run carpet-bombing runs over the emplacements or pretty much leave it to China or ROK (who’s new leader is almost as belligerent as the North’s) to either convince the North to play nice (China) or to stat a shooting war (ROK), wherein there is a 3-way rush to grab the DPRK’s weapons, pieces of weapons, equipment to build weapons, and people who know how to build any of the above. The fact is that China hold all the cards it is the one with the porous border thorough which everything can either flow or not flow. Remember that Hong Kong is Chinese these days - if the ancient Soviet cargo planes are allowed to re-fuel there, the border does not need to be able to handle more than military cargo trucks (where the rice comes from) - the rich boy toys can continue to fly in. We can shut down NK’s hard money banks, but as long as China wants to back them, they can set up new phony banks for the North to use. I still think the South sould set up a typical small city in plain view of the North - now all you need to air-drop would be $10 cameras and binoculars. Forget Cell towers, they would be destroyed before they got turned on. Unless you want to come up with phones which use signals which penetrate stone, ain’t gonns work. Same with WiFi. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/170 "2013-03-11T04:42:18Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Is this the one? > > [ImageShack - Best place for all of your image hosting and image sharing needs](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/293/31771518gt9.jpg/sr=1) If anyone’s interested, the ranks of the three individuals appear to be (if [this encyclopedia of uniform insignia is correct](http://www.uniforminsignia.org)), going from your left to right: [ul][li]US Army Lieutenant Colonel[/li][li]Korean People’s Army Private (I can’t really make out the branch insignia, but it seems to be Infantry)[/li][li]Republic of Korea Army First Lieutenant[/ul][/li] > [@Johanna](#): > > One and the same Korean letter ㄹ does double duty for both [r] and [l], depending on position: > When it comes before a consonant or at the end of a word, it comes out as [l]. > When it’s between two vowels, it becomes [r]. > > Koryŏ 고려 (or Goryeo) has it as [r] because the sequence “yŏ” is counted as a vowel sound in Korean. > > Edit: > Which is the technically linguistic term for it, “complementary” meaning that where conditions allow the pronunciation of [l], then [r] becomes impossible, and vice versa. While “contrastive” as in English means they make the difference between two words that are otherwise exactly the same, as in _fly_ vs. _fry_. Oh, don’t forget about when the /n/ becomes an /l/ as in Mount Halla. The spelling of it in Korean is essentially h-a-n-l-a. In English, we can say /han-la/, but in Korean it has to be /hal-la/. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/171 "2013-03-11T07:36:28Z")
[quote=“Monty, post:170, topic:652288”] If anyone’s interested, the ranks of the three individuals appear to be (if [this encyclopedia of uniform insignia is correct](http://www.uniforminsignia.org)), going from your left to right: [ul][li]US Army Lieutenant Colonel[/li][li]Korean People’s Army Private (I can’t really make out the branch insignia, but it seems to be Infantry)[/li][li]Republic of Korea Army First Lieutenant[/ul][/li][/QUOTE] I’m interested, and I will thank you for the information, **Monty**. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/172 "2013-03-11T08:38:45Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Thank you, that I actually understood! Thank you, **Nava** , glad to be of assistance! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/173 "2013-03-11T08:44:03Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Oh, don’t forget about when the /n/ becomes an /l/ as in Mount Halla. The spelling of it in Korean is essentially h-a-n-l-a. In English, we can say /han-la/, but in Korean it has to be /hal-la/. Let alone when the r/l phoneme occurs at the beginning of a word (in loanwords from Chinese), which it gets pronounced as [n]. Remember South Korea’s Roh Tae-Woo, whose surname was pronounced “Noh”? Which I find _just a bit_ weird. Although it lends support to the likelihood of Korean belonging to the Altaic family, in which /r/ does not occur initially. In words of Old Turkic origin, initial /l/ is essentially nonexistent too, in addition to the lack of initial /r/. The phonotactic restrictions on Korean share similar typology with Altaic. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/174 "2013-03-11T08:45:56Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Obviously the same people, same place, same time, but even more striking contrast: > [North Korean Soldier in comparison to South Korean and American Soldier - Imgur](http://i.imgur.com/aHsayNH.png) Make that 6th grader. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/175 "2013-03-11T09:31:07Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Let alone when the r/l phoneme occurs at the beginning of a word (in loanwords from Chinese), which it gets pronounced as [n]. I don’t know about general speech in North Korea, of course, but for some of the names, they’re pronounced one way in the South but initial /l/ or even initial /r/ in the North: Southern /ee/, Northern /lee/; Southern /ju/, Northern /rju/; etc. Send me a PM and I’ll E-mail to you a nifty file I got from a ROK government site a while back that has information about all the family names in Korean. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/176 "2013-03-11T09:59:27Z")
> [@Sateryn76](#): > > There’s lots of good stuff in there, but the creepiest thing was that, as the bandages were removed from their eyes and they could see, the first thing the patients did was to approach the pictures of Sung and Il and bow and weep and thank them and praise them for allowing them to see again. No thought for the doc (who did 1000 surgeries in 10 days) or, you know, medical science or anything. Just complete, wacked out praise for a leader who had kept them starving and stupid and in pain. This is why I say North Korea is an example of Divine Kingship or Imperial Cult. They don’t use the terms, but they treat the leaders like gods. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/177 "2013-03-11T13:56:02Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Is this the one? > > [ImageShack - Best place for all of your image hosting and image sharing needs](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/293/31771518gt9.jpg/sr=1) I wonder if they just picked the two tallest soldiers they could find. On purpose. 😃 Has anyone though of just poisoning the luxury goods going into NK with some substance that slowly turns them into slobbering morons? And if the US can really give cancer to their “enemies” (a la Chavez), dammit, why can KJU get a nice dick cancer or something? Start thinking out of the box, people! * * * Our country had its own madman. Every home had to have a prominent plaque reading “God and Trujillo”. He was just as egomaniacal as KJU, but had the good sense to keep the population fed. Time after time plots to get rid of him failed, even after he a) Tried to assassinate the Venezuelan president, b) kidnapped an American professor in NY and had him flown to the DR for some nice torture and a date with the sharks. He held on to power for a long time. He was assassinated\* and the regime crumpled soon after. The award for Creative Murdering by a Tyrannical Madman goes to Haiti’s Papa Doc, who sealed an enemy, his wife, young kids and maid in their house and blew it up to smithereens. The guy did deserve it, the rest of the people in the house clearly not. \*“Ajusticiado”, in Spanish. The killing of a tyrant is not an assassination, but an act of justice. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/178 "2013-03-11T14:00:56Z")
The great leader just declared that the armistice is not valid. The dumb son-of-a-bitch wants a war. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/179 "2013-03-11T14:07:12Z")
I seriously doubt he (or, in all likelihood, his “handlers” who are using him as front) wants an actual war. This is just more of the same bluster in an attempt to get food/money/whatever else NK lacks into the country without letting the little people know where all the good stuff is really coming from. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288/180 "2013-03-11T14:09:47Z")
Maybe he figures losing a war to the US right now is the very best thing that could happen to them. It’s certainly one way out of the nightmare his Grandpa created. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-kim-jong-un-you-stupid-son-of-a-bitch/652288.md?page=10)