North Korea

[snaw]

They started it...

Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were demonstrations for Uncle Joe...

I hear this one trotted out every now and then, and it makes me wonder - what do you think the japanese would have done if they had had the bomb first?

I've no doubts personally ...

[HairyArsedBloke]

Methods of torture and other abuse reportedly included severe beatings; electric shock; prolonged periods of exposure to the elements; humiliations such as public nakedness; confinement for up to several weeks in small "punishment cells" in which prisoners were unable to stand upright or lie down; being forced to kneel or sit immobilized for long periods; being hung by the wrists; being forced to stand up and sit down to the point of collapse; and forcing mothers recently repatriated from China to watch the infanticide of their newborn infants. Defectors continued to report that many prisoners died from torture, disease, starvation, exposure to the elements, or a combination of these causes.

I'm so glad I don't have to commute into central London every day.

[DodgyAgent]

They have either run out of money, food and oil and need to blackmail everyone lese, or the dictator is on his last legs and whoever will takeover is showing his strength.

[Mich the Tester]

They have either run out of money, food and oil and need to blackmail everyone lese, or the dictator is on his last legs and whoever will takeover is showing his strength.

Maybe Kim's got the later stages of syphilis and he's suffering delusions of grandeur. All through history wars slaughters of innocents have been started by syphilitic old men.

[NotAllThere]

Methods of torture and other abuse reportedly included ... prolonged periods of exposure to the elements; ... confinement ...in small "punishment cells" in which prisoners were unable to stand upright or lie down; being forced to kneel or sit immobilized for long periods; being hung by the wrists; ...

I'm so glad I don't have to commute into central London every day.

Yes, it does sound like the tube, on second reading.

[Troll]

They have either run out of money, food and oil and need to blackmail everyone lese, or the dictator is on his last legs and whoever will takeover is showing his strength.

or China is behind all of this:

China is about to fight a war by proxy to get the USA embroiled in another regional conflict - can the US fight on 3 fronts ?

or

Test the new USA President - & gauge a likely response to a grab for Taiwan

or

a technologically backward nation can make leaps in building nuclear devices on its own, and everything is down to the nutty dictator at the helm

[DodgyAgent]

or China is behind all of this:

China is about to fight a war by proxy to get the USA embroiled in another regional conflict - can the US fight on 3 fronts ?

or

Test the new USA President - & gauge a likely response to a grab for Taiwan

or

a technologically backward nation can make leaps in building nuclear devices on its own, and everything is down to the nutty dictator at the helm

Do you really think China wants to spike its main export market?
And do you think China wants to run the risk of destabilising a neighbour that couild potentially flood it with refugees

[sasguru]

or China is behind all of this:

China is about to fight a war by proxy to get the USA embroiled in another regional conflict - can the US fight on 3 fronts ?

or

Test the new USA President - & gauge a likely response to a grab for Taiwan

or

a technologically backward nation can make leaps in building nuclear devices on its own, and everything is down to the nutty dictator at the helm

Not the brightest Troll under the bridge, are you?
Stick to looking for a new job.

[Troll]

Do you really think China wants to spike its main export market?
And do you think China wants to run the risk of destabilising a neighbour that couild potentially flood it with refugees

Chinas export markets:

• Asia $521 billion
• North America $264 billion
• Europe $264 billion
• Russia $48 billion
• Middle East $44 billion
• South America $39 billion

flipping the argument - if China was so keen to preserve the status quo & given the history of the Korean war, why would it not be doing everything in its power to stop its errant neighbour from making such provocative moves ?

[pzz76077]

Its all the fault of the West....

...talk about short memories and all.

I seem to remember that after the war over there, the West and the Soviets agreed to carve up the Korean Peninsula on arbitrary lines and each be a custodian of one part.

The south got to partner with the West and is today a reasonably affluent democracy.
The north drew the short straw and got the 'backing' of the Soviets and all who basically left them hanging like a colostomy bag in the wind- a bit like Lord of the Flies but with adult actors instead of kids.

I have the feeling that things started to go bad around about this time in the regions history and therefore can conclude that leaders at the time screwed things up for later generations and we are paying the price now.


BTW - Saw the new NK dictator in waiting on TV last night and he looks like a Philippino pimp to me (apologies to any Philippino pimps who may get offended by this mental association that I have in my head).