North Korean Military.

[gf0012-aust]

NBC op-ed

Are Chinese Troops Massing at the North Korean Border?
The story spread in bond markets in New York and Asia on Monday. China, according to a rumor that circulated largely via social media, was "massing" 150,000 troops on its border with North Korea. The timing of the alleged troop movements, coupled with reports of possible U.S.-China discussions of what to do about Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal, was cited by analysts as one reason interest rates on bonds were creeping up.

Was there any substance to the rumor? Not according to senior U.S. military and intelligence officials. There was no "massing." As many as 250,000 Chinese troops are always operating in northeastern China, and the U.S. did not see any sign Beijing had moved them closer to the Yalu River, which separates North Korea from China.

Financial analysts were not surprised. Fake financial news has a longer history that any other kind of false reporting. Some people repeat rumors because they believe them to be fact. Others, however, may be tempted by the knowledge that "news" of impending doom can move markets. There is money to be made before the news is proven true or false. The advent of social media and high-speed trading just adds to the possibilities.

One Pentagon official told NBC News, in language too profane to publish, that that's exactly what he thought happened with the China troop tale.

 

[supercomrade]

I don't know if this has anything to do with the recent events:
Kim Jong-un orders 600,000 out of Pyongyang-INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently ordered the deportation of nearly 600,000 Pyongyang residents to the suburbs, a local source told the JoongAng Ilbo Monday.

The deportation represents one-fourth of Pyongyang’s current population of 2.6 million. It is not known when they will be forced to move or to where.

“Population control was the pretext of the latest order,” said the source, who asked for anonymity, “but in reality, the purpose is to ‘purify’ the North Korean capital and allow only the loyal elite class to live there.”

If the story is true and the intentions are to "purify" the population, so only Kim Jon Un loyalists live there, then that answers the question we discussed earlier, on weather the regime still has some common sense left, or if they went and crossed over to full crazy...

Also:

Meanwhile, according to South Korean media, residents of the DPRK say goodbye to each other, to their homes, to their places of work, to forests and fields, to the sky, rivers, etc as if the nation prepares for a large-scale war. At the same time, it is forbidden to say goodbye to officers of law enforcement agencies. It is also strictly forbidden to mention the names of national leaders in words of farewell.

 

[supercomrade]

Talk about some serious pressure.......US is considering shooting down any NK nuclear test launch. They are really not playing with NK right now....

U.S. May Launch Strike If North Korea Reaches For Nuclear Trigger - NBC News

 

[gazzzwp]

Talk about some serious pressure.......US is considering shooting down any NK nuclear test launch. They are really not playing with NK right now....

U.S. May Launch Strike If North Korea Reaches For Nuclear Trigger - NBC News

Drastic concerns call for drastic actions. The situation is indeed drastic. The regime is not going to stop it's missile and nuclear development program, and if ultimately successful, Japan, South Korea, the US and it's allies ultimately will be living under the threat of a nuclear attack from this rogue regime.

If only the US had finished the job properly 70 years ago and done whatever it took to unify the peninsula back then. I have no doubt that the US are paying a heavy price now for a job half done and I hope to God they never make this mistake ever again. This time if they are to do it they need to finish it.

Sorry but I see no other option.

 

[vonnoobie]

Drastic concerns call for drastic actions. The situation is indeed drastic. The regime is not going to stop it's missile and nuclear development program, and if ultimately successful, Japan, South Korea, the US and it's allies ultimately will be living under the threat of a nuclear attack from this rogue regime.

If only the US had finished the job properly 70 years ago and done whatever it took to unify the peninsula back then. I have no doubt that the US are paying a heavy price now for a job half done and I hope to God they never make this mistake ever again. This time if they are to do it they need to finish it.

Sorry but I see no other option.

Drastic actions are exactly what isn't called for.

Nuclear weapons
Thousands of batteries facing Seoul
over 20 million brain washed civilians in NK
SK economy that could/would collapse in a conflict
Best case scenario 100,000 casulaties in SK.. in the first 24- 48 hours alone.

And all of thise taking place on the border of another nuclear power, practically next door to another one as well and neither of whome are US on buddy terms with so the wrong move could set either of them off.\

Any move needs t be well thought out and really needs to include China if you want to avoid it becoming a possible US vs China scenario.

As to finishing the job properly 70 years ago, that became impossible when Dug out Doug became involved.

 

[John Fedup]

Maybe the solution is to tell China to sort NK or the US will "gift" 20-30 nukes to Japan and South Korea. No point in our allies wasting millions on developing their own because China doesn't want to rein in fatty.

 

[vonnoobie]

Maybe the solution is to tell China to sort NK or the US will "gift" 20-30 nukes to Japan and South Korea. No point in our allies wasting millions on developing their own because China doesn't want to rein in fatty.

Problem is China does want to rein him in. They have been pi**ed at the lil brat since he killed his uncle who they liked, even more so sonce he had his half brother killed who was under Chinese goverment protection.

They don't like him any more then any one else does so threatening China wont solve anything.

 

[gf0012-aust]

as irritating as NK and podgey is to China, it's in their strategic interest to keep him there.

 

[Toblerone]

Best case scenario 100,000 casulaties in SK.. in the first 24- 48 hours alone.

Thanks for the laugh :el

North Korea cannot deploy nuclear weapons at this time and if any war starts every facility that is related to their nuclear or ballistic missile program will be put out of commision.

Their artillery barrages and SCUD strikes won't kill anywhere near that number of people, not even close.

 

[John Fedup]

Wouldn't a unified Korea that would still want to enjoy an important trading relationship with China be more beneficial than the status quo?

 

[gazzzwp]

Wouldn't a unified Korea that would still want to enjoy an important trading relationship with China be more beneficial than the status quo?

Exactly. It seems more than a coincidence to me that both Russia and China have client provocateurs that act always against US interests. China has North Korea and Russia has Iran.

This is no coincidence and it has been thought through and planned that way. Yes I agree that handing over nuclear assets to Japan and South Korea as deterrents would be the best plan.

At least the US should discuss this with China as an option of last resort and see which they favour the most? Nuclear armed Japan and South Korea or dealing with Mr Bloater.

 

[Toblerone]

Wouldn't a unified Korea that would still want to enjoy an important trading relationship with China be more beneficial than the status quo?

Why would they want such a staunch US ally on their borders? China's goal should be to install a puppet regime in N.Korea. They don't want to have US bases right on their border and increase US influence *permanently* in the region.

Exactly. It seems more than a coincidence to me that both Russia and China have client provocateurs that act always against US interests. China has North Korea and Russia has Iran.

This is no coincidence and it has been thought through and planned that way.

You mean agent provocateur? Planned by whom? Not sure what you mean but Russia and Iran don't have anything to do with North Korea.

 

[John Fedup]

Why would they want such a staunch US ally on their borders? China's goal should be to install a puppet regime in N.Korea. They don't want to have US bases right on their border and increase US influence *permanently* in the region.

Let's face it, regardless of what government, China will have enormous influence with any SANE future government unified or not. Trying to create a puppet government may be too difficult considering the net benefit. Anything is better than fatty or a first strike but the latter may be inevitable.

 

[gazzzwp]

Why would they want such a staunch US ally on their borders? China's goal should be to install a puppet regime in N.Korea. They don't want to have US bases right on their border and increase US influence *permanently* in the region.

Then the US being aware of this natural objection should have raised the matter and given assurances in return for Chinese co-operation. Have they done this?

You mean agent provocateur? Planned by whom? Not sure what you mean but Russia and Iran don't have anything to do with North Korea.

Maybe the four nations work together closer than we realise? Again I assert that it seems to much of a coincidence. Both Iran and N Korea hold a 'sword of Damocles' over the US head. In Iran's case the Straits or Hormuz and in N Korea's case it is the vulnerability of Seoul.

 

[Feanor]

Maybe the four nations work together closer than we realise? Again I assert that it seems to much of a coincidence. Both Iran and N Korea hold a 'sword of Damocles' over the US head. In Iran's case the Straits or Hormuz and in N Korea's case it is the vulnerability of Seoul.

Iran is not Russia's client state. It has aspirations of being a major world power in its own right, and their interests (in Syria for example) don't always coincide with Russia. Nor is either of those things a "sword of Damocles". The real sword of Damocles here is the Russian nuclear arsenal. The one thing that would destroy the US, beyond all hope, and can't be stopped at this point.

I think you're seeing things where there aren't any. Russia doesn't have the extensive network of client states it once had. And North Korea doesn't exactly enjoy Russian support. While there are some lingering Soviet-era ties, Russia has very few, if any, levers to use on the DPRK. And unlike the nearest US territories, Vladivostok is dangerously close to the DPRK. Certainly in range of missiles, nuclear or otherwise.

Don't get me wrong, there are convergent interests at play, in the sense that Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and any number of anti-western regimes, all have problems with US foreign policy. However this doesn't mean they're all on the same page about it. Nevermind actual allies.

 

[John Fedup]

All very true. Both Russia and China would prefer a better class of client states but there aren't any currently available although continued dumb foreign policy by the US might create some.

 

[supercomrade]

Maybe the solution is to tell China to sort NK or the US will "gift" 20-30 nukes to Japan and South Korea. No point in our allies wasting millions on developing their own because China doesn't want to rein in fatty.

Yes putting Nukes next door to Russia and China...
I can't see anything going wrong in that scenario and I am sure Putin would welcome those nukes in his backyard with open arms

 

[gazzzwp]

Yes putting Nukes next door to Russia and China...
I can't see anything going wrong in that scenario and I am sure Putin would welcome those nukes in his backyard with open arms

Maybe I'm being hard on poor Ivan again but they have maintained an eerie silence on the whole issue yet they are neighbours with the rogue nation. Can't help feeling that they have been secretly grinning at the anguish all this has been causing the US, Japan and S Korea. Constructive diplomatic support would have meant so much..

 

[Feanor]

Maybe I'm being hard on poor Ivan again but they have maintained an eerie silence on the whole issue yet they are neighbours with the rogue nation. Can't help feeling that they have been secretly grinning at the anguish all this has been causing the US, Japan and S Korea. Constructive diplomatic support would have meant so much..

You seem to be jumping from one extreme to the other. Russia is either with the US or against it, and therefore with North Korea. But it's not like that. Russia certainly isn't in control of the DPRK and their relationship is lukewarm at best. However they also aren't fond of the US, or of US policies and presence in the region.

 

[t68]

Thanks for the laugh :el

North Korea cannot deploy nuclear weapons at this time and if any war starts every facility that is related to their nuclear or ballistic missile program will be put out of commision.

To a rational that may be the case, but it seem they are far from rational, they may have a use it or lose policy.