Posted on 11/18/2018 3:47:35 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
North Korea’s claim last week that it had tested an unidentified “ultramodern tactical weapon” highlighted its desire to upgrade its conventional arms and reassure its military even as talks are under way to end its nuclear program, analysts said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un witnessed the test of a newly developed tactical weapon that could serve as a “steel wall”, state media reported on Friday, without giving details of the weapon.
It was Kim’s first observation of a weapons test this year and could complicate already stalled nuclear talks with the United States, although Washington and Seoul downplayed the development in an apparent effort not to derail negotiations.
Experts say the test was part of Kim’s initiative to shift the mainstay of the conventional military power from a nearly 1.3 million-strong army to high-tech weapons.
“This is sort of like the North Korean version of military reform,” said Choi Kang, vice president of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.
“If we have to find an underlying message to the outside world, it’s ‘Don’t underestimate us, we are modernizing too.’”
New advanced weapons might be even more crucial if the country were to abandon at least some of its nuclear arsenal....
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
IMO, this does not pass the ‘smell’ test.
Maybe we could buy the “steel wall” from them to use at the border.
Fake news.
We don’t need to cry, scream, threaten, cajole, stroke, appease, gloss it over, or whatever. This is very familiar behavior—we have seen it all the time. All the President has to do, which he can at any moment, is order the continuation of specific military drills with the ROK military. There is no need for any comments, just actions which will speak volumes to Kim. It is the only thing insincere and illegitimate P’yang has, does or will ever understand (until regime change, at least): resolve and actions which give credence to the words.
Your evidence?
Sakkanmol (삭간몰) is an undeclared operational missile base for short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs).
It is one of 13, out of an estimated total of 20, undeclared North Korean missile operating bases identified by Beyond Parallel research.
Sakkanmol currently houses a unit equipped with SRBMs but could easily accommodate more capable medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs).
The base is also one of the closest to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and Seoul, giving it the shortest flight time. North Korea’s decommissioning of the Sohae satellite launch facility, while gaining much media attention, obscures the military threat to U.S. forces and South Korea from this and other undeclared ballistic missile bases.
(CSIS: Bermudez, Cha, et al report 12 Nov)
I don’t think it is fake news. Even if NK and SK were to ‘unite’, they would still need DEFENSIVE FORCES AND WEAPONS.
Isn’t expecting NK to give up ANY AND ALL weapons/missile bases/etc. like expecting US Citizens to give up ANY AND ALL their guns ?
“New advanced weapons might be even more crucial if the country were to abandon at least some of its nuclear arsenal....”
Since they are abandoning some (or maybe all) of their nuclear arsenal, then it would be even more crucial that they acquire new advanced weapons.
A United Korea is going to need some sort of ‘self-defense’. Why would we expect NK or SK to give up EVERY WEAPON, EVERY MISSILE BASE ?
What is it ?
This new weapon is called “go-hun,” (pronounced “guh-uhn). It consists of a metal tube into which is inserted an explosive mixture of charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter, with a lead projectile following. The explosive mixture is ignited by striking a flint against an iron pad, which results in the projectile being expelled from the tube at velocities reaching dozens of feet per second. If the projectile strikes a human target, it can sometimes cause severe bruising.
It’s not easy to make a new tactical weapon that is effective and affordable. And what is NK’s definition of modern?
Faulty comparison
They have been distributing a document that explains how nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks work, in an apparent attempt to strengthen domestic solidarity toward the regime.
https://www.dailynk.com/english/north-korean-propaganda-promotes-emp-attacks-using-nuclear-weapons/
A North Korean diplomat handling denuclearization negotiations with the United States has met with Russian envoys in Pyongyang this week to discuss Korean Peninsula-related issues.
They were said to have shared the view that it is necessary to resolve existing problems based on a “phased and synchronized approach.”
http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm
This as an example of a “synchronized approach.
A defector living in Russia who had recently chosen to move to South Korea has been suddenly and unexpectedly repatriated back to North Korea, according to sources close to the matter.
“A defector in Moscow who was waiting to head to South Korea suddenly disappeared two weeks ago, causing an uproar,” a Daily NK source, whose name has been withheld for security purposes, reported on November 16. “The incident was such an issue that rumors spread like wildfire and many officials found out what happened.”
“The North Korean authorities appear to have requested help from the Russian authorities to bring him back to North Korea,” said a separate source whose location has also been withheld due to the extreme sensitivity of the issue.
“He was quickly tried in a [Russian] court in Vladivostok on November 7 and then repatriated to North Korea on the same day.”
https://www.dailynk.com/english/north-korean-defector-in-russia-unexpectedly-repatriated/
The North Korean military captured the vessel after 5:40 p.m. on Nov. 3, when about seven or eight armed North Korean soldiers demanded answers from the South Korean crew.
“Who said you could operate here?” the North Koreans reportedly asked the South Korean fishermen in non-territorial waters.
This is info for those that are living in a rosy dream world:
SK army serves for 21 months. Usually after 12 mons, they are fully trained. Since March 2018, all military drills have been stopped, which means that almost a half generation of soldiers have not been trained already. If it goes 6 months, SK army will not be capable in battle.
https://twitter.com/bmk218/status/1065333048768512000
The only thing I’ve heard is that they tested a new ship to ship missile.
Likely NK techs are in Pakistan, developing missiles.
Sounds like the NK techs left Iran.
The Russian connection
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3706725/posts?page=15#15
and today:
Amb. Bill Richardson tells BillHemmer: “Putin is clearly helping Kim Jong Un.”
https://twitter.com/LucasFoxNews/status/1126513061609857025
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