# What does Korea gain from this missile test? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 19, 2006, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-korea-gain-from-this-missile-test/361261 "2006-06-19T05:39:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DonutSprinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@DonutSprinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonutSprinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-korea-gain-from-this-missile-test/361261/21 "2006-06-25T03:20:34Z")
[QUOTE=Hung Mung] [Link](http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/06/18/nkorea.missile.reut/index.html) So Korea is testing a missile with the capability to strike Alaska. Yeah, whoopty-doo, [/QUOTE] We will relay your sympathies to the people living in Alaska. [QUOTE=Hung Mung] so what does this government have to gain? [/QUOTE] They have valuable inflight data to gain. That’s why Ashton Carter and William Perry - rightwing warmongers that they are - [suggest taking out the missile](http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/14270823p-15081585c.html) before it launches. ---
**Author:** ![Dubious\_Weasle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b782af/32.png) [@Dubious\_Weasle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dubious_Weasle)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2006, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-korea-gain-from-this-missile-test/361261/22 "2006-06-25T04:21:00Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Why? [/QUOTE] Because North Korea provides a buffer zone for China. China would really prefer not to have a unified, well armed, US friendly nation on its border. Hell, it wouldn’t even have to be all that US friendly to make China nervous as long as it wasn’t explicitly China friendly. To answer the OP. North Korea gets national attention and prestige. Both things which the current leaders have a hard-on for. Even if they don’t launch they can use it to gain concessions, such as attempting to persuade the US to engage in one on one talks vs the 6 party talks. However, if they do launch it still works for them as it proves their system works and they can use the international attention as a whopping no-cost advertising blitz when selling their weapons; one of the few profitable industries North Korea has left. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2006, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-korea-gain-from-this-missile-test/361261/23 "2006-06-25T06:14:24Z")
[QUOTE=Dubious Weasle] Because North Korea provides a buffer zone for China. China would really prefer not to have a unified, well armed, US friendly nation on its border. Hell, it wouldn’t even have to be all that US friendly to make China nervous as long as it wasn’t explicitly China friendly. [/quote] Knowing that in 2003 China displaced the United States as South Korea’s largest trading partner, I think China would not see a united Korea as an enemy (taking into consideration that American troops would leave once Korea is unified) IIRC China is beginning to lose patience with the government of North Korea. ---
**Author:** ![Dubious\_Weasle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b782af/32.png) [@Dubious\_Weasle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dubious_Weasle)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2006, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-korea-gain-from-this-missile-test/361261/24 "2006-06-25T07:18:26Z")
[QUOTE=GIGObuster] Knowing that in 2003 China displaced the United States as South Korea’s largest trading partner, I think China would not see a united Korea as an enemy (taking into consideration that American troops would leave once Korea is unified) IIRC China is beginning to lose patience with the government of North Korea. [/QUOTE] Oh, China is certainly happy to have South Korea as a trading partner.. across the East China Sea. That doesn’t mean that China would like to have South Korea or a South Korean style government as a neighbor. And yes, China is certainly losing patience with North Korea but that’s because North Korea is rocking the boat. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2006, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-korea-gain-from-this-missile-test/361261/25 "2006-06-25T14:56:51Z")
[QUOTE=Wesley Clark] North Korea . . . have about 200,000 commandos to do suicide missions in other countries in case war breaks out, mostly in Japan & South Korea. [/QUOTE] I’ve heard this mentioned before. My (very limited) understanding is that the notion of North Korean suicide commandos ‘waiting for the word’ is apocryphal, essentially an urban legend. Do you or anyone else have a cite for this? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-korea-gain-from-this-missile-test/361261/26 "2006-06-25T19:32:03Z")
What about this scenario: North Korea tests its missiles. North Korea, being a member of the Axis of Evil ( :smack: ) is on the list of future invasions/waiting for the axe to fall from the neocons. What about if the testing of this missile is construed as an “act of war”? What if this gets steam? What if we get to face the dangers of a ground war in Asia, China’s presence, Taiwan’s future, and South Korea’s future all play into this. Oh yeah, they’ve [already](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/world/asia/20korea.html) [had](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/06/an_act_of_war_not_a_test.html) [that](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200622,00.html) [thought](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/jan-june06/northkorea_06-22.html) When is this nightmare going to end? How is pursuing this course going to be a positive to the world at large? Does the world at large even factor into this equation? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-korea-gain-from-this-missile-test/361261.md?page=1)