With the V-J parade commencing in Beijing tomorrow, someone up North seems to be getting some itchy fingers about upholding their side of the agreement:
N Korea urges S. Korea not to dampen inter-Korean ties
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Wednesday urged South Korea to refrain from making comments that could dampen inter-Korean ties, threatening to revoke a recent inter-Korean deal on easing military tension.
"South Korea should refrain from making remarks that could dampen inter-Korean relations," the North's National Defense Committee said in a statement. "If South Korea leaves this situation as it is, inter-Korean relations could return to confrontation."
North Korea denies it apologized over land mine blast _ despite South Korean claims
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea insisted on Tuesday that its recent expression of "regret" over a mine explosion that maimed two South Korean soldiers was not an apology, as Seoul claims it was.
The statement by Pyongyang's powerful National Defense Commission is the first explicit denial of Seoul's interpretation of the key part of an accord that came after marathon negotiations over three days that allowed the two rivals to step back from escalating threats of war.
The South heralded Pyongyang's use of the word "regret" as a mini-breakthrough, claiming that it successfully pushed the North to take responsibility for the blast, and agreed to turn off cross-border loudspeaker broadcasts critical of the North's political system.
But North Korea argued that the word "regret" doesn't imply an apology, as South Korea says it does.
"This kind of interpretation is the result of ignorance on the meaning of a Korean word and its concept," said the statement issued by an unidentified spokesman at the commission's policy department.
"South Korea must not forget for an instant that a misjudgment on the other side would trigger fatal consequences on North-South relations," it went on. "Nothing can be cruder and unhandsomer than describing as one side's unilateral victory a joint statement that North and South Korea agreed upon."
[...]
South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said later Tuesday it's time for the two Koreas to faithfully try to implement their agreements rather than arguing over wording in them.
In an indication that North Korea's hard-line stance hasn't changed despite the agreement, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said last week that the deal was achieved not on the negotiating table but thanks to his country's military capability based on its "nuclear deterrent." The North's statement Tuesday reiterated Kim's stance.
South and North Korea agreed on Friday to hold working-level talks on Nov. 26 at the truce village of Panmunjom as part of efforts to follow through on a joint agreement reached during the summer.
“Through the Panmunjom channel this morning, North Korea proposed to the South that the two sides hold working-level talks at the border village, which we accepted,” said the Ministry of Unification in Seoul, which handles inter-Korean matters, in a statement on Friday.
The talks will involve six negotiators - three from each side - and focus on deciding when and where to hold higher-level inter-Korean talks, as well as who will take part, according to an official at the ministry.
i can't say i agree with her analogy. by name she seems romanian so maybe she knows something, but i see those two situations having at most a superficial resemblance. Romania spent in darkness(censorship) a decade, maybe a decade and a half, while N-koreans have easily 60 years under the curtain. i'd say that's on a whole new level as far as brain washing goes.
USBs are nice and all but just as we here had BBC-Romania(a radio show broadcasting from London in romanian for a few hours a day; obviously illegal to listen and people caught were (at least)put in jail), N-Koreans get their glimpse into the western world via S-korean propaganda outlets. something like http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/north-koreas-achilles-heel-propaganda-broadcasts/+ Show Spoiler +
Spread from Gyodong Island in the west to Goseong in the east, South Korea has 11 loud-system broadcass locations along the DMZ. Playing between two and three times a day in three to five hour intervals, the broadcasts can be heard for a distance of 24 km (roughly 15 miles) at night and 10 km (six miles) during the day. As a Formula 1 car can be heard up to six miles away, we can estimate the decibels output of these nine meter (30 foot) tall speakers at about 147. For perspective, at 141 decibels you incur long-term hearing damage and feel physically nauseous within minutes. At 145 decibels your vision blurs due to eyeball vibration. North Korean counter-propaganda broadcasts try to drown out the sound, but due to aging equipment are largely unsuccessful.
The genius of the broadcasts is that they non-violently undermine the stability of Kim’s kingdom by becoming reliable, trusted source of knowledge at the expense of North Korean propaganda. It starts with banal topics such as weather reports — defectors talking about how to deal with hot weather or giving warnings about coming showers and advising people take their laundry in.
Then comes international news such as the happenings in Syria, seeding doubts of descent. As The Diplomat’s David Eunpyoung Jee notes, “stories of the Free Syrian Army give troops a chance to question their Dear Leader” and provide examples of people rising up against oppressive regimes.
Jee also noted that “K-pop songs inform young North Korean troops that there are other songs than the Kim family’s propaganda songs.” Advertisement about Samsung’s latest Galaxy phone or Coca Cola’s newest partnership for limited edition cans with Riot Games demonstrates South Korea’s rich and prosperous middle-class to North Koreans. Add on Pyongyang’s internal inability to produce enough electricity, and the broadcasts crush morale. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Bruce Bennett, a senior analyst at the RAND Corporation, maintains “while the broadcasts can only be heard by those near the border, it is possible the messages could be spread via cellphone.”
; it also includes films, newspapers, radios, leaflets and even the internet.
In 1980s Romania, thousands of Western films smashed through the Iron Curtain opening a window into the free world for those who dared to look. A black-market VHS racketeer and a courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the people and sparked a revolution.
I mean it's great that one guy smuggles K-dramas into the North on a grand mission. The vast majority is being imported by Chinese smugglers though, for the same reason most smugglers do their work: To make money.
I am not saying this is a bad thing at all, but it's been going on on a huge scale already for years, is known, and somewhat tolerated by the NK authorities (who all earn their share in the ladder of bribes).
My personal prediction is that this will further transform NK into the most corrupt capitalist society on the planet, without bringing any change in terms of human rights for its citizens.
On November 30 2015 17:00 zatic wrote: I mean it's great that one guy smuggles K-dramas into the North on a grand mission. The vast majority is being imported by Chinese smugglers though, for the same reason most smugglers do their work: To make money.
I am not saying this is a bad thing at all, but it's been going on on a huge scale already for years, is known, and somewhat tolerated by the NK authorities (who all earn their share in the ladder of bribes).
My personal prediction is that this will further transform NK into the most corrupt capitalist society on the planet, without bringing any change in terms of human rights for its citizens.
Agreed. The black market is a fundamental feature of North Korea, and was for every socialist state I'd call significant. Good thing it is, too.
However, I'd make a distinction in my position. NK is state / croney-capitalist, that much is true, however so were all socialist societies to an extend. This is because of the inherent impossibility of economic calculation wherein the means of production are 'publicly' owned, thus the impossibility of any economy under actually socialist regimes.
I'm less certain about the effects it will ultimately have, yet I'll hope for a favorable outcome.
On November 30 2015 16:42 xM(Z wrote:-snip-
Edit: the memes! Chuck Norris vs. Communism http://www.chucknorrisvscommunism.co.uk/#!about/c10fk [spoiler]In 1980s Romania, thousands of Western films smashed through the Iron Curtain opening a window into the free world for those who dared to look. A black-market VHS racketeer and a courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the people and sparked a revolution.
Hey, nice analysis. I had no idea about the South Korean propaganda broadcasts. They sound rad. The Chuck stuff tho~
Like micro said they've had nukes for years, just no means to actually shoot them at people lol. They can make a bomb but can't put it into a missile that can shoot any type of real distance apparently. They can really only hit SK. Hydrogen bomb is interesting, guess they weren't satisfied with just a nuclear bomb.
The DPRK's interests don't really necessitate an arsenal of ICBMs that they could, just like the weapons themselves, barely afford. The security risk of an atom bomb delivered on an airplane is probably enough for the regime's interests. Another reason to be skeptical of H-bomb talk. It's hopefully just a bargaining tool, but it's also easy to imagine being asleep at the wheel and letting them test weapons may end up being one of the worst mistakes in history.
On December 17 2015 16:39 oBlade wrote: Another reason to be skeptical of H-bomb talk. It's hopefully just a bargaining tool, but it's also easy to imagine being asleep at the wheel and letting them test weapons may end up being one of the worst mistakes in history.
Well now that you mention it...
North Korea announces hydrogen bomb test
North Korea says it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb amid reports of a tremor near the main nuclear test site. State media announced the test after monitors detected a 5.1 magnitude quake close to the Punggye-ri site.
[...]
Experts believed before the fourth test that North Korea was still some years from being able to hit a target with a nuclear bomb delivered by a missile. But it is crystal clear that it is absolutely determined to be able to do so. It is also clear that it is improving its abilities rapidly.
[...]
If confirmed, it would mean Pyongyang is intent on pursuing its nuclear programme with little regard for the major political and diplomatic costs that will inevitably accompany this unwelcome development, says Dr John Nilsson-Wright of Asia Programme at Chatham House. In a surprise announcement a newsreader on North Korean state TV said: "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016."
[...]
Suspicion of a test was first raised after the US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake - detected at 10:00 Pyongyang time (01:30 GMT) was in the north-east of the country, some 50km (30 miles) from Kilju city, near Punggye-ri.
Hours before the seismic activity, South Korean media reported that Pyongyang had test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine in late December. It is unclear whether the test was successful or not.
[...]
Strong reaction started pouring after the North Korean announcement of the hydrogen bomb test with South Korea saying it was a serious challenge to global peace and a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it was a threat to Japan's safety and could not be tolerated. The US called on North Korea to abide by its international commitments and obligations saying it would respond to provocations.
S. Korea vows to cooperate with partners to punish N. Korea for H bomb test
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea vowed Wednesday to take all necessary measures to punish North Korea for carrying out its hydrogen bomb test in defiance of international warnings.
South Korea "strongly condemn North Korea for going ahead with a fourth nuclear test in a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," Cho Tae-yong, deputy chief of the presidential office of national security, said in a statement.
He also said South Korea will closely cooperate with the United States and other regional partners to take all necessary measures, including additional U.N. sanctions, against North Korea.
On December 17 2015 12:46 Zooper31 wrote: Like micro said they've had nukes for years, just no means to actually shoot them at people lol. They can make a bomb but can't put it into a missile that can shoot any type of real distance apparently. They can really only hit SK. Hydrogen bomb is interesting, guess they weren't satisfied with just a nuclear bomb.
All North Korea has to do is drag a nuke through an infiltration tunnel and detonate it under the South Korean border. It would be very difficult to detect and could kill thousands of SK/US soldiers. With a longer tunnel, North Korea could probably just strap a nuke to a truck or rig and drive it to any given South Korean city. Alternatively, one of North Korea's diesel submarines could probably deliver a nuclear device into a Korean, Japanese, or Chinese port.
North Korea does not lack options for the delivery of nuclear weapons.
If they really want to fuck over everyone else for the next hundred years, they could simply sell nuclear secrets to interested parties. Or post their manufacturing and experimental data online.
On December 17 2015 12:46 Zooper31 wrote: Like micro said they've had nukes for years, just no means to actually shoot them at people lol. They can make a bomb but can't put it into a missile that can shoot any type of real distance apparently. They can really only hit SK. Hydrogen bomb is interesting, guess they weren't satisfied with just a nuclear bomb.
All North Korea has to do is drag a nuke through an infiltration tunnel and detonate it under the South Korean border. It would be very difficult to detect and could kill thousands of SK/US soldiers. With a longer tunnel, North Korea could probably just strap a nuke to a truck or rig and drive it to any given South Korean city. Alternatively, one of North Korea's diesel submarines could probably deliver a nuclear device into a Korean, Japanese, or Chinese port.
North Korea does not lack options for the delivery of nuclear weapons.
If they really want to fuck over everyone else for the next hundred years, they could simply sell nuclear secrets to interested parties. Or post their manufacturing and experimental data online.
All NK has to do is shell the fuck out of Seoul with their many, many pieces of artillery. They don't need nukes.
H-bombs are way more difficult to build than A-bombs, I'm seriously doubting they have built one.
On December 17 2015 12:46 Zooper31 wrote: Like micro said they've had nukes for years, just no means to actually shoot them at people lol. They can make a bomb but can't put it into a missile that can shoot any type of real distance apparently. They can really only hit SK. Hydrogen bomb is interesting, guess they weren't satisfied with just a nuclear bomb.
All North Korea has to do is drag a nuke through an infiltration tunnel and detonate it under the South Korean border. It would be very difficult to detect and could kill thousands of SK/US soldiers. With a longer tunnel, North Korea could probably just strap a nuke to a truck or rig and drive it to any given South Korean city. Alternatively, one of North Korea's diesel submarines could probably deliver a nuclear device into a Korean, Japanese, or Chinese port.
North Korea does not lack options for the delivery of nuclear weapons.
If they really want to fuck over everyone else for the next hundred years, they could simply sell nuclear secrets to interested parties. Or post their manufacturing and experimental data online.
Nuclear secrets aren't really secrets anymore. The barrier to building one is not the science, it's the facilities/money/technicians/permits.
On January 07 2016 00:23 KwarK wrote: Nuclear secrets aren't really secrets anymore. The barrier to building one is not the science, it's the facilities/money/technicians/permits.
You vastly underestimate the challenge a nuclear program represents for an economic dwarf like NK.
I posted in this threat nearly 3 years ago, the situation is still the same:
On March 08 2013 09:09 lord_nibbler wrote: Expert say it takes at least 40 successful missile test before you have a reliable ICBM. Plus ten to twenty nuclear tests for the warhead. And then the integration into the missile is still complicated as shit, remember it's rocket science, and takes years (if you have the funds that is). Every credible expert says even if North Korea would invest billions now it would still take them eight to ten years to fire one off.
I don't think that really responds to anything that I said. I never said it wasn't challenging, I just said that the science underpinning the process isn't secret, the difficult part isn't secret, it's just universally difficult.
On December 17 2015 16:39 oBlade wrote: Another reason to be skeptical of H-bomb talk. It's hopefully just a bargaining tool, but it's also easy to imagine being asleep at the wheel and letting them test weapons may end up being one of the worst mistakes in history.
North Korea says it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb amid reports of a tremor near the main nuclear test site. State media announced the test after monitors detected a 5.1 magnitude quake close to the Punggye-ri site.
[...]
Experts believed before the fourth test that North Korea was still some years from being able to hit a target with a nuclear bomb delivered by a missile. But it is crystal clear that it is absolutely determined to be able to do so. It is also clear that it is improving its abilities rapidly.
[...]
If confirmed, it would mean Pyongyang is intent on pursuing its nuclear programme with little regard for the major political and diplomatic costs that will inevitably accompany this unwelcome development, says Dr John Nilsson-Wright of Asia Programme at Chatham House. In a surprise announcement a newsreader on North Korean state TV said: "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016."
[...]
Suspicion of a test was first raised after the US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake - detected at 10:00 Pyongyang time (01:30 GMT) was in the north-east of the country, some 50km (30 miles) from Kilju city, near Punggye-ri.
Hours before the seismic activity, South Korean media reported that Pyongyang had test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine in late December. It is unclear whether the test was successful or not.
[...]
Strong reaction started pouring after the North Korean announcement of the hydrogen bomb test with South Korea saying it was a serious challenge to global peace and a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it was a threat to Japan's safety and could not be tolerated. The US called on North Korea to abide by its international commitments and obligations saying it would respond to provocations.
S. Korea vows to cooperate with partners to punish N. Korea for H bomb test
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea vowed Wednesday to take all necessary measures to punish North Korea for carrying out its hydrogen bomb test in defiance of international warnings.
South Korea "strongly condemn North Korea for going ahead with a fourth nuclear test in a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," Cho Tae-yong, deputy chief of the presidential office of national security, said in a statement.
He also said South Korea will closely cooperate with the United States and other regional partners to take all necessary measures, including additional U.N. sanctions, against North Korea.
Probably one of these, a boosted A-bomb. The main difference appears to be some miniaturisation and efficiency gains with little change in yield (explosive power).
EPT
