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Ship Attack Shows South Korean Quandary Over How to Respond to North
NYT ^ | 04/25/10 | CHOE SANG-HUN

Posted on 04/27/2010 4:13:07 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

April 25, 2010

Ship Attack Shows South Korean Quandary Over How to Respond to North

By CHOE SANG-HUN

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s defense minister on Sunday said a torpedo attack was the most likely cause for the sinking of a South Korean warship that killed at least 40 sailors last month, a statement that inched the country closer to placing blame on North Korea and added urgency to the question of how the South might respond.

Still, the minister did not mention the North, continuing a cautious government approach that reflects the lack of good options available to South Korea’s leaders if they decide that North Korea was responsible for what would be one of the most serious attacks since the Korean War ended in a truce.

Any military retaliation could provoke a response from a country with the capacity to strike Seoul and a mercurial leader who has proved to be violent and unpredictable. A lesser response, hard-liners in the South argue, could lead North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to conclude that he could lash out again without facing consequences.

The announcement on Sunday by Defense Minister Kim Tae-young appeared to fit a pattern that some analysts say shows the government is carefully building a case for a limited response — doling out information slowly enough so emotions ease before a final assignment of blame.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cheonan; nkorea; skorea
From the article;

Some speculated that even if he became convinced that North Korea was responsible, he would hide the evidence rather than put his country in jeopardy.

Irony is that some operatives in the SK left started using this line of reasoning for attacking the government. This has been the attack exlusively used by the right in criticizing lukewarm response from Pres. Lee. The left were employing all kinds of argument trying to show that it was not N. Korean's fault. Now that all of them failed and evidence points to N. Korea, they are in an unenviable position of toeing the right wing line in order to continue to bash Lee. This is hilarious. They are attacking the government for not attacking their master in Pyongyang.

Anyway, he will be ground up between the millstones of right-wing ire and G-20 Summit. I don't particularly have sympathy for him, though. That is a punishment to fecklessly going for another inter-Korean summit with a bag of gifts. He apparently thought he can be the first one to woo Kim Jong-il to abandon nuke in return for showering him with aid package. So-called 'Grand Bargain.' The idiot needed big spanking. It is just a great shame that 46 sailors had to pay with their lives to drive the point home. This confrontation will continue until G-20 Summit. Chia Head 's aim is to create fear enough to torpedo G-20 Summit in Seoul. I am not sure how quiet NK will be while Shanghai Expo is going on in China, his only lifeline. He may be quiet for a while, but Expo runs for 6 months. He may be quiet for a month or two in deference to China, but he can easily resume his provocation afterward.

1 posted on 04/27/2010 4:13:07 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
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To: TigerLikesRooster; AmericanInTokyo; Steel Wolf; nuconvert; MizSterious; nw_arizona_granny; ...

P!


2 posted on 04/27/2010 4:13:27 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (The way to crush the bourgeois is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Make all the North Koreans run to the coast and the country will capsize.


3 posted on 04/27/2010 4:15:33 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: TigerLikesRooster

The South is more vulnerable now, due to demonstrable indecision, which will probably compound? The North could hit them any time and achieve an even greater degree of surprise?


4 posted on 04/27/2010 4:17:28 PM PDT by givemELL (Does Taiwan eet the Criteria to Qualify as an "Overseas Territory of the United States"? by Richar)
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To: Paladin2

What is this? Obama black-op?


5 posted on 04/27/2010 4:18:16 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (The way to crush the bourgeois is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation)
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To: givemELL
an even greater degree of surprise

There will be no surprise, if this keeps up. It would become routine.

6 posted on 04/27/2010 4:19:30 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (The way to crush the bourgeois is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
black-op?

Wouldn’t that be a racist comment?

7 posted on 04/27/2010 4:20:35 PM PDT by OwenKellogg (Don't Tread on Me)
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To: OwenKellogg

OK. How about rainbow-op? This new name could bring another improvement: after the operations is complete, you could dig up a pot of gold at the end of rainbow as a fringe benefit.:-)


8 posted on 04/27/2010 4:24:59 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (The way to crush the bourgeois is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

This is one time I’ll say that the world should hope that SK does not respond militarily.

For the simple fact that I believe NK wants or might even need a war to stop or slow its disintegrating regime. Maybe ole Kim wants to go out in a blaze of glory.

That would be fine if we had a real President with a set of balls in the WH.

Bambi will do nothing but run into the arms of the UN if NK responds to a SK military response to this incident.

Which will further embolden the north who will see it as nothing more than a green light to take Seoul or worse.

Bambi will not let our military respond with the level of force it will require to stop and repel an invasion from the north.

it will be a huge global disaster that could provoke Japan and China to get involved. WHo knows could even give China the cover it needs to move on Taiwan or into NK themselves.

The possibilities are endless and none of them good. And all because the current occupant of the WH hasn’t the guts to do anything to stop them.

When that call comes at 3AM he will piss himself had hide under the bed.


9 posted on 04/27/2010 4:30:37 PM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Will there be unicorns?


10 posted on 04/27/2010 4:32:34 PM PDT by OwenKellogg (Don't Tread on Me)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
looks like they have two choices, declare war, or become NK's b!tch... and he's so Ronrey!
11 posted on 04/27/2010 4:35:44 PM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

The problem, as I see it, is that neither the PRC or the ROK want to have to deal with the inevitable mess that will result when the DPRK implodes.

It’s obvious that it is going to have to happen eventually because the DPRK is simply not a viable state, but it is going to be horrendously expensive in terms of money and manpower for the ROK, and once reunification is complete, it will put another well armed, advanced, democratic government on the border with the PRC.

All that is happening now is that everyone, including the US, is simply trying to ignore the issue and hope the Norkies manage to stumble thorough another week/month/year without blowing up in their faces.

The only problem with that is the Norkies hate like hell to be ignored. As this incident demonstrates.

Interesting times, indeed.


12 posted on 04/27/2010 4:35:44 PM PDT by Ronin
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To: The Magical Mischief Tour

I agree, China has Kim on a leash. They make the calls.


13 posted on 04/27/2010 4:44:02 PM PDT by freebird5850 (O-Bomba is not the Messiah. Jesus was a carpenter and could build a cabinet!)
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To: Chode

He always Ronery that Chia Pet for you


14 posted on 04/27/2010 4:44:16 PM PDT by SevenofNine ("We are Freepers, all your media belong to us ,resistance is futile")
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To: Ronin
The only problem with that is the Norkies hate like hell to be ignored. As this incident demonstrates.

Right. 'Mature Response' only begets bigger provocation. If we don't respond, they will eventually cut off our noses to get our attention.

Sunshiners used to say that this kind of behavior is 'plea for help.' The trouble is that they show no gratitude, won't make life easier for SK and want to get more with the same 'plea for help' again.

15 posted on 04/27/2010 4:44:21 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (The way to crush the bourgeois is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
Of course they don't know what to do. They are not sure if 0bama will commit to their defense if attacked by the north.
I'm betting he won't. You can say goodbye to Taiwan also.
Israel? Nice knowing you and thanks for all knish.
16 posted on 04/27/2010 4:58:02 PM PDT by gdzla
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To: TigerLikesRooster
I don't pretend to be any kind of foreign policy expert, but it seems to me one of our biggest problems with respect to countries like North Korea and Iran, is projection. We project upon those regimes our values and desires, and ignore theirs. We also project sanity. That is to say we presume that these countries operate in a rational and predictable manner. It's clear to me, that they don't and they don't with some regularity.

The most predictable thing about both countries is their unfailing and constant lying. Anything else, is a crapshoot.

17 posted on 04/27/2010 5:04:58 PM PDT by OldDeckHand
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To: OldDeckHand
We project upon those regimes our values and desires, and ignore theirs.

The trouble is that this is regarded as a virtuous thing to do. While they profess that they accept diversity, they impose the same standard in evaluating others when it comes to conflict with people from different culture or region.

18 posted on 04/27/2010 5:28:01 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster (The way to crush the bourgeois is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation)
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To: SevenofNine
bingo...
19 posted on 04/27/2010 7:09:34 PM PDT by Chode (American Hedonist *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: TigerLikesRooster

Bump.


20 posted on 05/01/2010 10:20:43 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny ( garden/survival/cooking/storage- http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2299939/posts?page=5555)
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