Posted on 10/13/2011 6:07:14 AM PDT by jhpigott
N.Korea Moves Arms Closer to Border 10/13/11
North Korea has recently moved fighter jets near the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border, and ground-to-air missiles close to Baeknyeong Island. There is speculation that it plans a minor provocation while South Korean president Lee Myung-bak visits the U.S. since any show of unity between the two allies tends to incense the North.
"The North Korean military was seen moving mobile missile launchers at a ground-to-ship missile base near the NLL," a government source said. "There's likelihood that the North will launch a military provocation" while Lee is away.
The government is closely watching movements of North Korean artillery units.
An intelligence source said, "The North Korean Army is showing movements similar to those seen right before it shelled Yeonpyeong Island last year."
Lee was quoted by a source as saying prior to his departure for Washington, "If the North launches a provocation during a Seoul-Washington summit, it will become an international issue rather than a domestic one." He instructed the military to "strongly respond" if the North does.
If the old man is finally close to death, then this makes a lot of sense. We’ve often discussed how the son doesn’t seem to have the chops to take over....so the best way to insure a transition is to “stage” a military confrontation....excite the populace...gin up the propaganda effort..
Paging Jimmy Carter...
Paging Jimmy Carter...
only YOU can save us!
(Bush’s fault)
If things get interesting on the Korean peninsula, this is a great guy to follow. He was on top of things last year in the wake of the NORK arty attack.
W7VOA Steve Herman
Yonhap — ROK military increases combat readiness after detecting unusual military movement by DPRK forces along tense western sea border.
Isn’t real convenient when our dear leader Obowmao is in deep do-do to have Serious Crisis like this appear on the horizon?
zer0 will let his troops go in there with Blue Helmets...
wouldn’t want to man up or anything....beside unilateral action is evil(sarc-o-rama)
'Malnutrition' is pretty much a given for most children there....stunted growth as a result.... Just read an article the hosptials have begun taking in children who are in the last stages of starvation mode now....sounds like the famine of the 90's might just repeat itself.
After the mass loss of life in the 90's famine Kim praised the people's sacrifice of life for the good of their country. I don't think he stands a chance to "excuse" this from happening again with his people...and many are not buying his reteric these days.
Of recent Kim's diplomates have been engaging the International Community to bring it's northern port into a free trade area...but companies who have investigated there say the infrastructure is so poor or none existant that it's impossible to consider at this time. But it's interesting Kim is even considering opening his country in this way.....though they have been allowing food and product markets as a means of helping the hunger situation, but it's closly monitored.
I wouldn’t be surprised if China eventually covertly sought int’l blessing to ‘occupy’ NK, install a China-friendly puppet, sign a treaty with SK, reform (disarm) the Nork military, and then essentially run it like Manchuria. Depends on when the PRC needs the underutilized resources and the unspoiled land for dachas.
They are just trying to get themselves noticed while Lee is in the US.
I think if they were really planning on doing something they wouldn’t be so overt and obvious with their movements.
most likely
but another provacation is coming - just a matter of where and when
Bingo!
That’s what it’s always about, isn’t it?
The North Koreans are just posturing to score a bag of rice. If they make war they are through and they know it.
Global Security Newswire picking up on Korean sources -
North Korea Seen Shifting Weapons Closer to South
Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011
North Korea has shifted some of its warplanes and missiles closer to its heavily militarized boundary line with South Korea, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Wednesday (see GSN, Oct. 12).
A South Korean official said the Stalinist state had moved ground-to-air missiles to an area not far from the South’s Baengyeong Island and fielded an unspecified quantity of fighter planes at a forward-operating base close to the two nations’ sea border. Portable launchpads were also seen moved at a land-to-sea missile installation.
The detected movements are not unlike those observed just before North Korea fired on South Korea’s populated Yeonpyeong Island last November — an attack that killed four people.
The South Korean military has heightened its monitoring of the maritime boundary and ordered an increased state of readiness for army, naval and air forces, officials said.
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20111013_7236.php?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Weakness in DC.
The N. Koreans coordinate with the Iranians.
I had a better idea. The Chinese would engineer a “coup” in NK but the new guy in charge would say it was “put down” after the Kims were killed. He would say they were “mopping up and finding all those involved in the ‘coup’ while killing the biggest supporters of the Kims in government and military.
It would be a deal between China and SK. Both benefit from getting rid of the crazy Kims. The new NK would give all their nuclear material and arms to China (yes, slowly demilitarize the whole dang country) while in time NK and SK would unite, something SK cannot financially afford at one bite. In exchange the SK would kick out the US/UN forces on the border and announce that NK ‘area’ would always and forever remain demilitarized, except for Coast Guard and a token border force along the Yalu River.
China gets a peaceful, prosperous trading partner on its border and gets the US troops out. (maybe a token naval base on the far southern tip of SK would be allowed for the US)
I bet China has spies and at least one top General inside the NK government that could stage such a coup-counter coup-coup given some time.
Thanks jhpigott.
Bump! I wonder if Dear Leader’s health is getting worse and if that could be a factor in this?
S. Korea should move food closer to the border.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.