North Korea ups its nuclear trump card

[remnant]

Recent intelligence indicates that North Korea can now mount a small nuclear warhead on small and medium range missiles capable of hitting much of Japan and South Korea. This means that the effectiveness of US policy toward North Korea to prevent it from gaining such capabilities has failed. This intelligence has been mined from direct intelligence from inside its nuke program, high level defections, analysis of propaganda images and data collected from North Korean missile and nuclear tests which have accelerated over the last 6 months.

 

[vash]

They might be able to do that, but how many stockpile of missiles and nukes do they have? They do not have the money or the productivity to mass produce such weapons even if the technologies are matured. Just a few missiles can be easily intercepted by missile defense system. Any kind of nuclear attack will certainly get a nuclear response. Unless Fat Kim wants to die instead of continue to be the king of his poor country, there is nothing to worry about.

Then again, if he continues to do more nuke tests in such small country, he will just slowly kill off himself. Too bad a country full of people have to follow his path.

 

[explorerx7]

There is something that I am not understanding with the US vs North Korea in relation to North Korea's development of nuclear armament. I have seen where Iran has been severely pressured in relation to activities similar to what North Korea is undertaking. However, North Korea just keeps rolling along with their nuclear arms development with nothing much been done to curtail their activities and I am wondering why they have been allowed as opposed to Iran.

 

[vash]

There is something that I am not understanding with the US vs North Korea in relation to North Korea's development of nuclear armament. I have seen where Iran has been severely pressured in relation to activities similar to what North Korea is undertaking. However, North Korea just keeps rolling along with their nuclear arms development with nothing much been done to curtail their activities and I am wondering why they have been allowed as opposed to Iran.

There are two reasons for it.
1. North Korea regime does not care about their own people. At least less so than Iran. All the sanctions did nothing to the leaders. Just look at the fat Kim. The only one with 3 chins in a country of skinny people. He does not care when his people starve to death. As a result, North Korea is dirt poor while their leaders still live a life of a King. I guess their people can also take much lower standard of living compare to Iranians.

2. North Korea is right beside China and Russia. Both countries supported them in Korean War. Nobody wants to risk a second Korean War involving China and Russia again. I guess the North Korean leaders have played their card well too by taking advantage of the fact that both China and Russia want a buffer zone while can't tolerate American military presence right on their borders.

 

[jeannie]

My guess is, both Pakistan and North Korea are playing for the Chinese. The Chinese can't impose a war on its neighbors just because a war will definitely end their race towards becoming the well-established number two economic power in the world. Through the confrontations against the USA by Pakistan and North Korea, China is keeping the USA away from focusing on its own ambitions as the biggest (because its own people are quite powerless against the leadership unlike the US people) global power in the world one day.

By engaging the US in these confrontations by the two Chinese "all-weather" allies, China is quietly getting its economical railway back on the tracks. It is still not the military power that it wants to be, and when it believes it can take on the mighty Americans, then the Chinese will use everything they have and come forward with major war intentions. Until then, it will be the North Korea and the other nation to play the Americans, and keep them guessing. China has lost time in their recent economic down-slide, and the other factor that will depress their plans is -- Trump.

If Trump eventually becomes the President of the USA, then Chinese expansion plans will take a major hit, simply because Trump can take lightning fast and completely unorthodox actions, and he can upset all the Chinese plans. I believe that only Trump, in the entire world, has the ability to counter these three nations, and ISIS as well in a successful way. Trump will have the entire nation behind him if there is another small or big unfortunate event in the USA, and China cannot afford to let that happen imho. President trump can up with the ultimate spanner in the work for Chinese plans.

Also, in case the US opens a huge front against China, then these two "all weather allies" that are unfortunately rouge nuclear-capable states, can become the urgent front-liners to keep up the nuisance value, and get itself some very precious time. If Trump opens a serious front against China, not necessarily a war like situation, then these two rouge states can always carry on doing what they do the best -- blackmailing USA and confrontations, and keep the tensions high in the NATO world.

I think that Russia can still play the major power that will stop both those rouge states in check. But to make that happens, the US must change its policies against Russia. A strong anti-China Russia can make the North Korea very quiet, because Russia in the top position over China will enable the surrounding nations and the NATO forces to checkmate the North Korean bluffs. They are definitely bluffs, because the North Korean leader will not let a NATO nuclear bomb fall on his head.... he is too materialistic, too power greedy, cunning to the core, and a hidden coward who still has the ability to understand what's good and whats devastating for him if US gets really angry. He will only keep stretching the rubber-band to see how much he can do it without risking his own life -- either in death or in prison, or being thrown in front of his own thousand plus blood-thirsty dogs by his stretched out generals.

He must keep saying those terror speeches to keep his cruel image on top of his own people. With a nuclear war, he might kill a million people, but his own survival will be impossible. He won't therefore risk a war of that magnitude which only one party will will outright, and that party is definitely not North Korea. In case of a war with South Korea, the ultimate loser will be China in the field of economics and trade.

Would China risk that situation to happen? It will not only lose one of its cunning all-weather friend forever, it will also put China's trade a million years back because of the global retaliation. So, imho, China will not let a single North Korean nuclear bomb to leave that country's shores, at least for the next 10 years or so, and if Trump becomes the President, then all those barking leaders will have to get back into their caves for hibernation.

All these may be off by a long shot, but I like to think this way... keeps my blood pressure in limits by this line of thought!

 

[Muslim_ICBM_&_thermonukes]

There is something that I am not understanding with the US vs North Korea in relation to North Korea's development of nuclear armament. I have seen where Iran has been severely pressured in relation to activities similar to what North Korea is undertaking. However, North Korea just keeps rolling along with their nuclear arms development with nothing much been done to curtail their activities and I am wondering why they have been allowed as opposed to Iran.

The world follows the age old adage: Might is right.

The Iranians have less might than the North Koreans. Iranians must bow down to Americans or be threatened with action.

Pakistan also bowed down all the same.

North Korea does not bow down. The Sino-(North)Korean Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance ensures that there will be no American intervention in the DPRK so long as the treaty is in effect.

Iran or Pakistan has no such leverage over the Americans.

Also, politically incorrect perhaps, but true still, Koreans are more hard working and more disciplined, also slightly more intelligent people, than Iranians or Pakistanis.

You will not find Iranian military or Pakistani military or Turkish military leading the world in any particular segment. They are medium developed or low developed countries with medium populations, medium skin tone (not the darkest not the lightest), medium builts, medium intelligence, medium tenacity and medium tendency to work hard and thrive on challenges.

But a tiny North Korea with 23 million people or thereabout is able to militarize the country to the point where it has an estimated 200,000 special operations forces, the largest of any country in the world.

The number of multiple rocket launch systems, self propelled, towed artillery in North Korean inventory is estimated to be at least 13,000. Far ahead of the Turkish, Iranian, Pakistani, Saudi or Egyptian estimated inventories. And North Korea is known to have developed at least the Koksan 170mm type of artillery, if not more, which means that estimated value of 13,000 is probably a little low. Not bad for a country of 23 million. Probably the highest level of militarization in the whole world.

North Korea has also tested ballistic missiles with the longest ranges out of all these listed countries, and in the past, North Korea sold ballistic missiles to many of these countries. Many nuclear powers admit that developing the delivery means or ballistic missiles for nuclear warheads is often more difficult or more challenging than developing the nuclear warheads themselves.

All this means North Korea deserves the hands-off approach from the US that it got in relation to its nuclear programme when compared to Iran or some other Middle Eastern medium sized power with moderate intelligence, moderate development, and moderate potential.