# Recent North Korean Threats **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 6, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217 "2003-02-06T16:07:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![booka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@booka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booka)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/1 "2003-02-06T16:07:12Z")
I’d like to get some opinions on the recent N. Korean saber-rattling that’s been in the media. I don’t understand how N. Korea can say with any kind of seriousness that they may conduct a preemptive first-strike on the U.S. if they feel it’s warranted. Umm - How are they gonna do that? They don’t have ICBM capability, right? Their planes would be obliterated 10 minutes after they left their airspace bound for the U.S., right? They don’t have big fast boats to ship army guys over. Does this really mean that they’d take their million-man army and rush the South Korean border and wreak havoc? Does S. Korea constitute “U.S.” in their minds? What about Japan? Are they at risk under this threat of attackign the U.S.? I mean, their bellicose threats make no sense to me. I guess that’s why their country is in the situation it’s in - their out of touch with the rest of the world? Are they just mouthing off with no way to back it up? I’m just looking for some explanation from those who are more experienced in this. Thanks… ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/2 "2003-02-06T16:14:01Z")
They won’t and can’t attack the US, but can do some serious damage to their allies. Plus so what if it doesn’t have ICBMs? They just have to attack Japan or S Korea with a Tapong missile and devastate an entire city. ---
**Author:** ![booka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@booka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booka)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/3 "2003-02-06T16:18:09Z")
I could see that happening, I guess. What then? Do the N. Koreans think that things would then just settle down, or do they see that they’d then get slammed so badly that they’d pretty much be destroyed? I guess they’re not worrying about that? ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/4 "2003-02-06T16:24:17Z")
They would be anhilated, and a gradual reunification process would ensure, no way would the United States see one of its trading partners be taken over by a backward Stalinist dictatorship. There government, or leadership I should say, don’t give a s\*\*t if there people lived or died, the state is pretty safeguarded by ecnomic sanctions, so they really have nothing to lose., ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/5 "2003-02-06T17:17:27Z")
You forget that we have 30,000+ troops in S. Korea, plus many naval vessels in the area. They could hit plenty of Americans, though probably not American soil. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/6 "2003-02-06T17:17:29Z")
They have at least two nukes. Even if they couldn’t get them very far, I doubt Seoul or Beijing particularly want to take any chances. Hence, extreme caution. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/7 "2003-02-06T17:28:43Z")
I think North Korea has or is near completion on a missile that could reach Hawaii or parts of Alaska. That said I am almost certain NK is talking about pre-emptively striking American military assets near North Korea. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Zahn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@John\_Zahn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Zahn)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/8 "2003-02-06T17:31:28Z")
The leader of North Korea is only talking crap right now because they know the US has it hands full with Iraq. He was quite as a mouse before any of this Iraq business came up. JZ ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/9 "2003-02-06T17:41:25Z")
I will say to some extent a pre-emptive strike on US assets does make sense IF you (NK in this case) assumes an armed conflict is imminent. Saddam has to sit and watch the US build up its military strength in the region over the course of months. The US won’t move till it’s good and ready and then Saddam is pretty much screwed. If you can disrupt the enemy build up…make it hard for them to stage men, materials and equipment, you are better off in the long run. Of course, if it really comes to a full blown shooting war with NK then any pre-emptive strike NK is likely able to pull off would do little more than delay the inevitable. It would also give the US all the excuse it needs to go in shooting if it wanted to and that’s the rub for NK. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/10 "2003-02-06T17:46:37Z")
I wonder…could he be thinking (and I use the term loosely) about striking while our hands are full in Iraq? Could his internal troubles make him \*that['i] desparate? Could our Patriot 2 missles stop the Tapong? ---
**Author:** ![booka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@booka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booka)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/11 "2003-02-06T17:47:03Z")
I’d say that’s a pretty big rub for the North Koreans. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/12 "2003-02-06T20:04:15Z")
> [@](#): > > I wonder…could he be thinking (and I use the term loosely) about striking while our hands are full in Iraq? That’s the common U.S. fear. That’s why we just announced we’re making extra bombers ready while most of our fleet and manpower is busy in the Gulf. > [@](#): > > Could our Patriot 2 missles stop the Tapong? Unlikely, I’d think. If they want to hit S. Korea, they will. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-north-korean-threats/153217/13 "2003-02-06T22:34:11Z")
Here’s my theory. We automatically assume that _ **we** _ are the intended audience when North Korea mouths off. But I think that’s an incorrect assumption. When the NK government makes threats to the U.S., I think the primary audience is _their own people_. The starving peasants _love_ hearing that stuff; they eat it up. And the government likes saying it because it keeps the people docile.