South Korean officials are promising “enormous retaliation” against North Korea after an hour-long clash between the two nations left two South Korean Marines dead and a number of others wounded. Reports of casualties on the North Korean side have yet to be confirmed.
“I think enormous retaliation is going to be necessary to make North Korea incapable of provoking us again,” insisted South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who termed North Korea’s artillery strike on a military base an “invasion of South Korean territory.”
The strikes came after South Korean naval drills simulating an attack on North Korea were taken a bit too seriously, and North Korea fired on an island military base. The two sides traded artillery fire over a brief period.
The Obama Administration has vowed to defend South Korea and US Air Force chief Gen. Schwartz has also offered to “pitch in” in any South Korean strikes against the North in the future. Some 28,000 US troops remain along the border between the two nations, which have remained in a state of war for over half a century.
Can someone explain to me why it's necessary to "simulate" an attack on North Korea so close in fact that your "simulation" can be hammered by one of the parties in said exercise? Hmmm? Are we to assume that there isn't another area WAY down south out of cannon range?
The military exercises are part of the ROK/FedGov enforcement of the so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL), which was arbitrarily declared by the FedGov in August 1953. The NLL is now used as part of the FedGov's maritime blockade of North Korea, as there are several islands covered by the NLL which serve as useful radar and visual posts for monitoring North Korean shipping moving into the Yellow Sea. It is the FedGov's enforcement of the blockade that is driving the tensions near the NLL.
Thanks for the clarification. Still, it's damn stupid, or arrogant, to pull these stunts in that area. It's as if they want to stir the hornets nest.
Couldn't agree more. The exercises are clearly provocative and can only lead to very unpleasant consequences.
It is time to gird our loins and do it right. What is the use of having over ten thousand nuclear weapons if you don't use them? After we devastate North Korea and China there will be no one to challenge us. We will be the kings of a radioactive dung heap.
Hah! "We will be the kings of a radioactive dung heap." This would be so very funny if it weren't so very true.
What a novel conceptual idea formulated by the great minds of our nation; Violence!! what a concept, what a rare choice of action…Stupid knee jerk reactions from violent,bipolar children who have no other means to conceptualize or formulate solutions to conumdrums that they are in fact responsible for…in other words another 911 pretext for more violence, more survielance,more rights stripped and the most important aspect; more money in the coffers of the arm merchants
I think the quote is instructive: "I think enormous retaliation is going to be necessary to make North Korea incapable of *provoking* us again.” In other words, "we are madmen caught in cycle of threats, violence and retaliation."
Is this is like a western saloon fistfight where every bozo in the neighbourhood runs in to partake?
Yep, that's how it's done. The FedGov fleet has sent an aircraft carrier task force to steam around, fly sorties, and in general blow through money. I'm sure Pyongyang is stricken white in terror thinking of all those dollars being expended on this giant publicity stunt.
Myung-bak says, "enormous retaliation" which means of course 'bodies stacked up like cordwood'. South Korea started this little "provocation" and now Myung-bak is going to escalate it?
President Giddy-On-Spilled-Blood maintains, "the US stands shoulder to shoulder" with South Korea. Well okie-dokie President Butchery, send in Sasha and Malia, be certain to soldier 'em up with AK's and have Mrs. President Giddy-On-Spilled-Blood wash and iron a couple hundred thousand body bags. You are gonna need them.
Hey President Bloody? Gits your whiz-kids at State to "settle" the North/South Korea issue and get the f*#k out if!
Maybe Sarah Palin has the right idea. She thinks both North and South Korea are our allies.
We should leave South Korea. We should bug out.
And now China and Russia are all of a sudden bosom buddies. Check out all 12 agreements they just signed, it's a lot more than ditchiing the dollar. They have become hard and fast allies.
Puts this posturing and provocation on the peninsula in a more ominous light. This just smells bad
I wonder what the South Koreans have in mind when they talk about "enormous retaliation" considering that the other side has the nukes. I think they are relying on the Americans to do the retaliation for them.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA this is Funny………..The SOuth wont last 24 Hrs with or without the USA..China will sink any ship in the yellow sea,They have been forewarned by China to keep thier NOSES OUT OF IT or Lose every Carrier ……. P E R I O D…………………..Trust me they can and WILL DO IT
This was a calculated provocation by South Korea's Military, which is controlled by the US Military.
It is a good thing the North Korean People's Army did not retaliate against the South Korean build up and border violation(maybe in the South the territory they were firing shells into is "disputed" but in the North it is most likely considered "their" territory) with a full scale attack.
More than likely a local North Korean Officer acted believing he(or maybe she) was under attack and ordered Coastal Defense forces under his(her) command to attack the South Korean forces firing at his(her) "disputed" position. And more than likely the North Korean Coastal Defense unit stopped firing after either receiving an order from their Headquarters or the South Koreans stopped firing at them.
I fear this provocation will be used to start a new war in Asia. After all a simple assassination began one of the bloodiest and most pointless conflicts of the 20th century.
A win for North Korea and China:
Who gains something from this mutual grenade lobbing?
South Korea is a US ally, and consequently the US is obliged to enter the battle and assist friends in need. However, with an insolvent economy and two already lost wars on their hands, everybody knows that the US is in no position to do anything – they send a carrier, arrange an “exercise” in the area and do some barking, which nobody takes seriously.
The American weakness is exposed, and so the North Koreans have obtained a better bagaining position if or when it comes to negotiations about its nuclear weapons.
China, who has just had some episodes with the other US-ally Japan in the same waters and is fokused on demonstrating who is now the top dog in the area, is probably very amused.