US Commander North Korea May Sell plutonium to Terrorists

AP ^ | 11-21-2004 | AP

[Snapple]

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A top U-S general says impoverished North Korea might resort to selling weapons-grade plutonium to terrorists for much-needed cash.

General Leon LaPorte, the top U-S military commander in South Korea, says if that happens, it would be "disastrous for the world." LaPorte says the communist state may have harvested plutonium from a pool of eight-thousand spent nuclear fuel rods, which experts say could yield enough material for several atomic bombs.

[Snapple]

"The country says it has the right to sell its hardware, but is willing to stop if the United States offers compensation."

[ChildofReagan]

www.divestterror.org

[OXENinFLA]

Sorry Kim Jong Mentaly Ill.

You're not dealing w/ Clinton & Not-so-Bright anymore.

[AmericanChef]

If this is news to anybody in Washington, let them all resign today.

[Mad Mammoth]

North Korea wants a nuke so badly?

I say give 'em one.

With a proximity fuse about 1000 feet over Pyongyang.

"Hewwwo? Keeem Jong ILL? You got your nuke...want some MORE?"

[evad]

They can MAKE the sale but how do they DELIVER the goods?

[OpusatFR]

From the little I understand, plutonium has a signature whereby the origin can be ascertained. The problem with terrorists is that you wouldn't know what or where to bomb in case of a nuke.

If they were able to trace the plutonium's signature to North Korea, that would be bad.

Now, would we nuke seeing that Russia and China are on the borders? Who knows. But there would be some price that would be paid.

China had better rein in Lil' Kim because a nuke in the US would give them a heck of a depression.

[EGPWS]

A top U-S general says impoverished North Korea might resort to selling weapons-grade plutonium to terrorists for much-needed cash.

Like it isn't already happening.

All of the sudden, today PRNK is going to deal in such weapons?

[OXENinFLA]

They can MAKE the sale but how do they DELIVER the goods?

Maybe they'd put it on a train and go thru Ryonchon. OH WAIT, that doesn't work....

[o_zarkman44]

It is inevitible that a barbarian will aquire a nuke.
There is too many nukes out there and too much money willing to be exchanged to believe otherwise.

We can't even keep illegal aliens out of America. How can we believe we can stop one nuke from making it in despite our best efforts?

[NJ_gent]

"You're not dealing w/ Clinton & Not-so-Bright anymore."

He's had 4 years of someone else who's done nothing to make him think twice about developing nuclear weapons. Just what is it that we've done in Korea, besides reducing the number of troops we have there to cover areas of Iraq where we're short? North Korea got 'the bomb' most likely under Clinton's watch. Under President Bush's, they've gotten 8 or 9 more of them, and they've completed and tested the missiles that would deliver them to the major cities of our allies and possibly to the western US. If I'm Kim Jong Il, I'm no more worried now than I was in '99. Less so, in fact, because I now have a nuclear deterrent that I didn't have in '99.

[NJ_gent]

"They can MAKE the sale but how do they DELIVER the goods?"

They've been shipping weapons to Iran and Iraq for quite some time. Obviously, if they have no problem getting missiles back and forth into Iran, it should be no big effort for them to get weapons to just about anyone else.

[NJ_gent]

"North Korea wants a nuke so badly?
I say give 'em one."

They already have between 8 and 10. Along with those, they have the missiles to deliver them to our allies, and possibly the western United States. North Korea is a lot of things; laughable isn't one of them.

[isom35]

hey, isnt it equally bad that they HAVE it? I mean, sure they may sell it to some bad guys, but I thought they were bad guys themselves...

[OXENinFLA]

Just what is it that we've done in Korea

I don't think it's so much what we've done but what we're ready to do....

U.S. orders 24 long-range bombers to Guam

10 U.S. Stealth Fighters Deployed to Korea for Training

[hershey]

They'd continue to sell if we paid a king's ransom. This is a fool's game.

[NJ_gent]

The 24 bombers moved to Guam is something, but those stelth fighters in Seoul will be obliterated in the event of a full-scale conventional (nuclear aside) attack by North Korea. If and when the war comes, there won't be a building standing in Seoul within 24 hours. North Korea's artillery and missile attacks will make sure of that. That's why South Korea isn't going to support any US plan to invade North Korea. The bombers we have in Guam can provide some cover for the South Korean military, but that's about all they can really do. The terrain where North Korea has most of its weapons dug in isn't really feasible to bomb. If we want to take care of the North Korean problem, it's going to take lots and lots of US forces on the ground, and a full commitment of US military power and weaponry. We were in great shape to do that before Iraq, but I don't know that we have the manpower or weaponry to do anything about North Korea any time soon - short of a full-scale nuclear attack, which we all know isn't going to happen.

[evad]

They've been shipping weapons to Iran and Iraq for quite some time.

UNderstood..and so have others.

My assumption was that with respect to nukes we would interdict or at least make an attempt. I also assumed whereas her allies, eg China, might be perfectly supportive of 'normal' arms sales they might be less favorable toward the proliferation of nukes.

JMHO.

[NJ_gent]

"My assumption was that with respect to nukes we would interdict or at least make an attempt."

We can certainly make attempts, but when a nutjob has nukes and needs money, and other nutjobs want nukes and have money, they'll eventually succeed. The only solution is to take care of both nutjobs once and for all. We're working on the latter while letting the former do as he pleases. That's downright dangerous.

"I also assumed whereas her allies, eg China, might be perfectly supportive of 'normal' arms sales they might be less favorable toward the proliferation of nukes."

Absolutely, but China also knows that North Korea is a junkyard dog. Despite the fact that China currently provides the largest amount of aid to North Korea, they've also lined up a large number of troops and armor on the North Korean border to pressure North Korea on issues such as nuclear proliferation. They've done this under the guise of immigration controls, but I'm pretty sure that tanks aren't necessary for that. What we have is a North Korea that has nuclear weapons, is desperate for money, has tons of potential buyers for these nuclear weapons, and is developing the missiles to carry these nuclear weapons to the United States. If we don't stop them soon, we may never be able to stop them.