S. Korea: Legislator Chung, "N. Korea to make up to 17 Taepodong's"(more details)

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 07/14/06

[TigerLikesRooster]

/begin my translation

Legislator Chung, "N. Korea to make up to 17 Taepodong's"

Supreme Council Member Chung Hyung-geun

 

National Assemblyman Chung Hyung-geun, a member of Supreme Council of Hannara Party(note: S. Korea's conservative opposition) made a claim on July 14 regarding N. Korean missile launches. He said, "N. Korea intends to make up to 17 (Taepodong-2) missiles."

Supreme Councilman Chung added this remark, at the council meeting held in (Hannara) party headquarter at Yom-chang-dong(, Seoul,) while adding, "N. Korea has plenty of black budget."

He further explained, "N. Korea has No. 1 budget, which is for the Cabinet, and No. 2 budget, the military budget. For example, the revenues from blue crabs caught near Yonpyong Island(note: an W. Sea(Yellow Sea) Island very close to N. Korea) go to No. 2 budget. This budget finances the production of Taepodong-2 missiles. There is plenty of No.2 budget, but they ask our government to send half a million ton of rice. If we send them, the same amount of money will be further added to military budget(note: No.2 budget.)"

He went on to say, "N. Korea had launched one Taepodong-2 missile, and is preparing to launch another. N. Korea has 450 Nodong missiles, each of which costs 400,000 dollars, and 400 Scud missiles, costing 200,000 dollars each." 

At the meeting, Kang Je-sup, the party chief argued,  regarding N. Korean missile and nuclear crisis, "S. Korea-U.S., S. Korea-Japan, inter-Korean problems are all tangled up and turned into a mess. The idea of '(S. Korea as) N.E. Asia's Balancer' put forth by the current government is completely ludicrous, and, in another respect,  made us completely out of loop in N.E. Asian affairs. He demanded, "Special committees inside the party should assemble comprehensive list of foreign policy failures by Roh Moo-hyun regime,  systematically analyze them, and made recommendations (for our response.)"

Seoul = Yonhap News

 

/end my translation

 

Mr. Chung was a career intel-man until he went into politics. He still has extensive contacts in S. Korean intel community. His sources are reliable most of the time. He is currently No. 5 man in conservative opposition Hannara Party.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Mr. Chung was a career intel-man until he went into politics. He still has extensive contacts in S. Korean intel community. His sources are reliable most of the time. He is currently No. 5 man in conservative opposition Hannara Party.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[HAL9000]

"N. Korea has plenty of black budget."

But they're making a big fuss about that $25 million locked up in Macau.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #3

I suspect it is the money flow they are concerned about. Without the money conduit, their plentiful black budget would dry up, IMO.

[Not now, Not ever!]

Mr. Ronery had best watch it, He may accidentally, while trying to produce his Tapeodong-2, screw up and make a steponhisdong-X

[familyop]

If North Korea gets Japan angry enough, all of the Pacific Rim allies will poise to pounce on...

...China.

Meanwhile other allies will knock Iran's military down--same time.

[Southack]

Chung is likely right, but North Korea is too late.

17 Taepodongs are mere tagets for our more than 60 Aegis SM-2 and SM-3 anti-missiles, our air born laser, THEL, PAC-3, etc.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #6

It is increasingly likely that we have two-front war, or military action, whichever way you call it.

N. Korea and Iran is coordinating their action to stretch U.S. as thin as possible with the aim of wearing it down. China and Russia stand back and watch.

They force it to U.S., and U.S. have to respond.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #7

Chia Head is counting on Iran to do its diversion by using Hizbullah and Hamas. The fight against remaining members of 'Axis of Evil' is heading toward its climax.

[Southack]

I don't see it. Iran isn't going anywhere *near* Israel with U.S. troops and armor on Iran's Western (Iraq) and Eastern (Afghanistan) borders.

Iran and Syria will sit this one out. Notice that they haven't called up their reserves. They aren't mobilizing. Nor is Egypt. Nor is Jordan.

This leaves Israel with a free hand to smash Hezbollah and Hamas.

Which means that the U.S. isn't stretched thin.

North Korea is therefor too late. The game is over, they just don't know it yet.

[LibWhacker]

Must mean they have, or plan very soon to have, 17 nukes to put on them; why would you put a firecracker on an icbm?

[Waryone]

"It is increasingly likely that we have two-front war, or military action, whichever way you call it.

N. Korea and Iran is coordinating their action to stretch U.S. as thin as possible with the aim of wearing it down. China and Russia stand back and watch.

They force it to U.S., and U.S. have to respond."

If that is the case, neither Iran nor North Korea is thinking very clearly. Israel is well capable of taking care of anything in the Middle East, if we allow them to act without restraint.

Japan, our ally in the East, may not be as strong militarily as Israel, but they too have a great deal at stake, and I believe they would fight just as fiercely to protect their country from any North Korean threat.

[Drammach]

They force it to U.S., and U.S. have to respond.

They hope this is correct..

What they do not consider is that U.S. and any allies only have to do the destruction part, not the rebuilding and holding hands part...
We do it because Americans are "nice guys", and we try to pick up our former enemies and get them started on the correct path..

But we waste a lot of resources that way, and take a lot of time rebuilding and "reaching out"...

If we decide to do it short and sweet, i.e., just "kill people and break things", it will not take much time or man-power..
We have the technology... We can utterly destroy him..
And still have plenty left over for Iran...
And Russia, and China...

[familyop]

I think you're both right. Some of the current desires and tactics of our enemies are obvious, yet they underestimated the strengths arrayed against them. They won't have the mobility that they're trying to play for, but they will make more glaring errors.

[GAB-1955]

They can coordinate, but the North Korean issue is more solvable by air and sea power and Iran/Iraq by land power, so the U.S. is not going to be in an intolerable strain. The worst that can happen is we take the Civilian Reserve Air Fleet, which will mean the airlines have some guaranteed revenue.

[DH]

The new missiles that really scare me are the longdong and hungchow.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

So, is there any way that ROC can keep Seoul from being a 'hostage' in an ourbreak of hostilities? The threat to 24-36 million Koreans is simply unacceptable.

Perhaps it's time to deploy a few Ohio Class Tridents and take out DPRK command and control mechanisms.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

It is increasingly likely that we have two-front war, or military action, whichever way you call it.

Three fronts if one counts the distinct possiblity of a Chinese move on Taiwan when they percieve that US Forces are spread thin enough to prevent a response.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #17

I am not sure.

[monkeywrench]

"Special committees inside the party should assemble comprehensive list of foreign policy failures by Roh Moo-hyun regime, systematically analyze them, and made recommendations (for our response.)"

Bet they already have such a list made up. LOL! Can Roh last til the end of his term, the way things are going for him?