Replies

Re #1

You have to allow possibility that N. Korea is opening another front in S. Korea. They already have one between N. Korea and U.S. Then they opened up another in Iran, with quite a lot of help from China and Russia. With 2007 presidential election approaching in S. Korea, their pinko puppets losing badly, and U.S. gaining on them fast, it may be time for N. Korea to create another messy diversion in S. Korea, in the form of nasty political turmoil bordering on civil war.

Kim Jong-il has to achieve the following objective:

(1) keep U.S. busy in places other than N. Korea

(2) coerce or cower potential presidential hopefuls from conservative circles.

If it fails,

(a) eliminate them, either by outright assassination or crippling them, ending their career effectively.

(b) instigate bloody clashes between pinkos and conservatives. First whack conservative hopefuls, and then later some pinko hopeful. This could easily lead to full-fledged mayhem.

(c) the above pretext would give ruling pinkos enough cover to declare emergency (or marshal law,) effectively derailing normal political process.

(d) present a puppet candidate who was not in the thick of bloody struggle and try to rally people around him, urging national reconciliation.

If the sequence (a)~(d) starts to be executed, you would see U.S. CBG's showing up Korean shore, and boomers will converge in the region with missiles ready to launch.