Disturbing New Rules of Engagement for S. Korea

[jannyk]

South Korea's defence minister has resigned amid criticism of his handling of North Korea's shelling of an island near their disputed maritime border....

....The government also said it was changing its rules of engagement to allow it to respond more forcefully to similar incidents. The old rules have been criticised as too passive. The BBC's Chris Hogg in Seoul says the cabinet had decided that under the old rules of engagement there was too much emphasis on preventing a military incident escalating into something worse.

In future, the South would implement different levels of response, depending on whether the North attacked military or civilian targets, a presidential spokesman said. A senior government official told the BBC that Seoul wanted to be more flexible in order to keep the North Koreans guessing as to their response.

The South Korean broadcaster, KBS, said the new rules called for the South to fire back "with shots two to three times more powerful than the enemy artillery"

North Korea meanwhile threatened further military action if the South continued on its "path of military provocation", the official KCNA news agency reported.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11838750

This could get very ugly very fast. We're dealing with a dying madman and his equally megalomaniac offspring. This is worrying me a lot and I don't usually worry. If we're nearly done talking about who is touching who's 'naughty bits' and Bristol Palin, perhaps some would like to discuss the situation in Korea.

[rcrush]

1. Ok yeah this is a serious topic to discuss

But TSA agents molesting citizens at the airport isnt?

[theoldman]

2. Just how many people on this web site know squat about North Korea.

The response to the post should give us a hint.

[Subdivisions]

20. I know enough to know that they aren't our ally, unlike some people. n/t

[JDPriestly]

27. I saw an incredible documentary on life in N.Korea a year or so

ago. It was very depressing to see people live in such a bubble. The people were preparing huge group activities to entertain Kim. It was really strange. Great emphasis was placed on the synchronicity and perfect conformity of every action in these huge group performances.

[Joe Fields]

3. Okay, let's start with you.

You have a fairly large photo of a fictional character from television, followed by a quote from a professional; wrestler, and then followed by an admission that you like boobies.

And we are supposed to take what you say seriously?

It might have been different, if you had a more meaningful reply.

I, for one think this just might be Obama's Cuban missile crisis. Maybe not, but this is way serious shit coming down.

[friendly_iconoclast]

4. +10. This could become very scary very quickly.

The TSA isn't unimportant, but is most definitely a sideshow compared to the Korean situation.

[uppityperson]

5. fyi, about boobies...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booby
A booby is a seabird in the genus Sula, part of the Sulidae family. Boobies are closely related to the gannets (Morus), which were formerly included in Sula.



I like wrens, does that mean what I say should be taken seriously? Seriously?

[Swamp Rat]

7. Off-topic: that's a beautiful bird.

:)

[rcrush]

26. I'm not suggesting it's not serious

I'm not suggesting that it's not something we shouldn't discuss. If you are suggesting that I said that then fuck you very much.


I'm just saying that lumping TSA groping in with the fucking Palins is bullshit. Not something that should just be glossed over. Can't we not care about both?

[uppityperson]

6. TSA is important but Korea has the potential to become really important.

TSA is a sideshow when nukes and bizarre despots are involved.

[Old Codger]

19. WOW

Tsa might cop a feel but you might take time out to read about the Korean "conflict" and see how many americans were drafted and died over there before comparing this TSA joke to a possible major conflict that has the possibilty of making Iraq and Afghanistan look like small potatoes...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War


http://www.archives.gov/research/korean-war/casualty-lists/

Not a small thing for sure

[sendero]

8. It Is scary..

... but for just how long does Seoul and the rest of the world continue to encourage NKs bad behavior? They throw a tantrum every time they want more money or food or concessions and then we give it to them.

Someday it has to end.

[TexasProgresive]

9. Seoul city is under the gun

N.K. has 100,000 artillery tubes in redoubts and caves aimed at Seoul. It is estimated that Seoul could be leveled in 3 hours or less.

What do you suggest?

[soryang]

11. The current S Korean president precipitated these episodes

of fighting on the Korean maritime border by repudiating international agreement negotiated by former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung.

Tim Shorrock explains in Democracy Now interview:

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/24/tim_shorrock_direct_talks_with_north





"Anyone wanting to commit American ground forces to the mainland of Asia should have his head examined." Douglas MacArthur to JFK April 1961.

[sendero]

12. And I estimate..

... North Korea could be completely levelled in 3 days. Someday, the bullying has to end.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. I agree North Korea is perhaps the only country for which 'bullying' is the right word

It really hasn't acted like a rational, self-interested state with which bargaining and diplomacy can always be used. Its leaders have been happy to kill South Koreans just to draw attention to itself, and in the hope that being 'dangerous' will get it international respect. So I can see that South Korea feels it needs to stand up to it more, rather than just shrug off the occasional attack.

However, that doesn't stop me being nervous about the situation. North Korea could be so irrational as to use massive force after South Korea does something fairly small.

[Canuckistanian]

23. That seems to be the consensus among Korea-watchers

They're the ultimate attention-whores. Only they use real guns and torpedoes to get that attention.

What they really want is food. I heard tonight that N. Korea is 500 millions tons short of food this year.

And they expect that S. Korea will eventually help them out. That is, AFTER a "Six-party agreement" has been signed.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Exactly and... this is where the Guns of August come in

before we know it we might be in the midst of a MAJOR resumption of hostilities with all kinds of alliances and mutual agreements getting triggered.

[TexasProgresive]

18. And what would N.K. ally to the north do?

We live in an extremely complicated world. In a way it was more stable during the "Cold War."

[sendero]

22. China..

.... is not so much an ally of NK as a tolerant. They aren't going to do jack.

[soryang]

24. That's what MacArthur thought: he was dead wrong

North Korea is a Chinese buffer state. Any violent attempts to eliminate it will result in Chinese armed intervention.

[stevenleser]

28. If anything, they will reign them in. The last thing the Chinese want is for us to not be able to

pay them what we owe them, or for us to cancel what we owe them due to their taking sides with a belligerant. People shouldnt underestimate how important that is to them.

Compared to that, the North Koreans are an insignificant speck to Beijing that are way more annoyance than they are worth.

[Hangingon]

10. Saddam Hussein used the same tactics and some said

"someone has to end it". I think we know for sure the NKs have WMDs. This could be very nasty and hard to confine to the penisula.

[sendero]

13. Saddam..

... was engaged in no such actions when idiot son decided to fight.

[stevenleser]

14. Amen to that

Iraq was a horrific unjustified war that IMHO amounts to a war crime.

That does not mean every situation is the same as Iraq. The Iraqis were not being hostile to their neighbors and had not been for over 11 years when we invaded them this last time.

Contrast that with North Korea that shoots at and kills people from South Korea every few months.

The situations are not remotely similar.

[elleng]

15. 'Disturbing' is right!

So now there's a 'continuation' of the Korean war on the horizon.

If it weren't for the nukes I'd say 'Let them go after eachother,' but that's just me and I'm tired.

:thumbsdown:

[H2O Man]

17. Right.

The odds are that somewhere, at some time, things will spiral way out of control in a conflict where WMD are involved. Those odds increase when unstable human beings have the ability to create a tragic outcome. The situation in Korea should be cause for anxiety among rational people.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Ah how fun... Guns of August I see

Lovely... remember kiddies, pack a sweater and remember, that glow is not just snow!

Of course that is the WORST CASE, but...

[L0oniX]

29. Just wait ...next thing they will tell us is that Al Qaeda has moved to N. Korea.

:sarcasm:

[Lucinda]

30. Judging by the video I have seen the past few days it appears that NK thinks SK is a US puppet

I have seen the term "US puppet" used in video and print. This escalation is NOT a good thing for us or SK.